This Tiny Tiger Has Huge Steiff Appeal!

Steiffgal's so sorry - this post is a few days late and clearly she is running a little behind!  So to make up for lost time, she thought she'd share a little something with, well, a little behind!  Check out this tiny handful of Steiff adorable-ness and see what makes him so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

This wee wild beast is Steiff's smallest and fully jointed tiger.  Bitty baby is cataloged at 8 cm, although he actually only measures about 7 cm head to toe and 7 cm nose to rear. He is made from tan mohair that has been highlighted with orange airbrushing and then detailed with black stripes. His face comes to life with mohair ears, green and black slit style pupil eyes, a red hand embroidered nose and mouth, and a few clear monofilament whiskers.  And you can't help but note his tiny tail, which is made from rope that has been lightly striped to match his body and limbs.  This design was produced overall in 8, 10, and 14 cm from 1952 through 1959.  This smallest rope-tailed version was only made from 1956 through 1958; the larger sizes had mohair tails.

This tiger is just one of a handful - literally - of postwar, five ways jointed Steiff treasures less than 10 cm in size.  As a matter of fact, as far as Steiffgal can tell, tiny tiger is a class by himself!  He appears to be the only standard line, five ways jointed animal less than 10 cm produced by Steiff after the factory reopened after the war in the late 1940's.   Steiff has produced a few teensy-weensy five ways jointed Teds in less than 10 cm in that time frame, including some promotional bears for other companies.  Perhaps the best known vintage "little guys" are the company's 9 cm five ways jointed Teddy Babies, which were in the line from 1949 through 1957.

Now for the tail end of this discussion.  Another interesting thing about this petite jungle prince is clearly his rope posterior.  His tail indeed sets him apart from his larger five ways jointed tiger brothers.  However, a rope tail is not terribly unusual for items from his period in the Steiff line.  Similar styled rope tails can be seen on Steiff's lions, zebras, elephants, okapis, and camels, among others.  These are found on the smaller versions of these models, perhaps to give a sense of lightness, simplicity, and youth to the items.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's tiny fully jointed tiger is worthy of a high-five from you.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more. 

A Red Hot Family Steiff Treasure!

The famous American designer Bill Blass was known for saying, "Red is the ultimate cure for sadness."  And Steiffgal could not agree more, especially when it comes to remarkable vintage Steiff treasures.  Take a look at this note from a reader who asks about his family's fantastic forest friend.  Anthony from England writes:

"Hi, 

I have searched the internet for information on my Steiff red fox and came upon your site. I would greatly appreciate you giving your opinion of when it was made and the possible value of it.  He is made of mohair, has his ear tag, and measures 11" long and 5" tall.

As far as I am aware, he is pre-1950.  It was my stepfather's mother's fox.  She worked in a country house and on her retirement was offered a Steiff piece from a collection and chose this.  She died in the 1960's at 78 years old.

Please find attached images.  Your valued opinion would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks, 

Anthony"

Wow, what a red-hot question!  What Anthony has here is Steiff's Fuchs or Fox.  He is five ways jointed, standing on all fours, and made from reddish-brown mohair.  The tips of his ears are outlined in back mohair.  His chest, inner ears, and "sideburns" are made from white mohair.  He has brown and black pupil eyes and a black hand embroidered nose, mouth, and claws.  When he was new, he had a working squeaker in his belly.  This fox design was made overall from 1909 to 1933 in 14, 17, 22, 35, and 43 cm.  A similar sitting and head jointed version of this fox was also made in in 14, 17, 22, and 25 cm from 1916 through 1927.  

This fox is red in more ways than one - which can help to date his actual production time.  Fox has his 8cm "trailing f" button, which was used in the approximately 1925 to 1935 time frame.  He also has traces and remnants of a red ear tag around his button.  This tag was used from the approximately 1925 through 1934 time frame.  If you dovetail the periods he appeared in the line, his button, and his red ear tag, this would put his production in the approximate 1925 to 1933 time frame.

Now for the question that makes Steiffgal want to dive into a foxhole - his value.  Steiffgal is not an official appraiser and truly believes that something is worth what someone will pay for it.   And it is all but impossible to be 100% certain without seeing something firsthand - Steiffgal cannot tell
from the photos if he has any weak areas, rips, tears, bare patches, odors, or structural damage - all important factors in valuation.   However,  he is a great example of Steiff's wonderful turn of last century's creativity and design prowess.  And, early five ways jointed animals are also of great interest to most vintage Steiff enthusiasts.  Assuming that he is in very good condition as presented, with none of the factors above noted, he may value in the $500-750+ range today.

Steiffgal hopes that this discussion on Anthony's red fox has left you bright eyed and bushy tailed. 

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.