Fantastic Finds Headline Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's November 7th, 2026 Steiff Masterpiece Auction!

Are you feeling the Steiff love? If not, you are about to! Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's November 7th, 2026 Steiff Masterpiece Auction is presenting a spectacular array of vintage to antique button-in-ear temptations. 287 lots are on offer; many are from the Steiff archives directly, with others from fine collections across the globe. Here are three extraordinary examples from that catalog that really caught Steiffgal's eye - and why!

This sale presents a number of seldom seen and really outstanding prewar felt dolls. This one captured Steiffgal's attention because she was not familiar with his pattern, plus she appreciates Steiff items that do "double duty." Here we have lot #2087, Steiff's Pastry Chef. It is cataloged as, "Pastry Chef, made in 1914–1915, Item No.: 50, with a small Steiff button, felt head with a long, detailed nose, shoe-button eyes, tapered chin, attached ears, large felt hands, movable arms and head, original clothing, 42 cm Condition: generally good condition, felt defect at the tip of the nose, dark spot on the right upper lip." It has an opening bid of 1200 €.

So what makes this guy so, well, tasty? Not only is he a doll, he is also a tea, coffee, or cocoa cosy! These functional dolls were created to go over a hot beverage pot to keep the contents warm in a most decorative way. In most cases, Steiff's beverage cosy items have a jointed human or animal head, jointed arms, and a hollow, tent like body. The body is usually lined in several layers of thick insulating felt. You can see his underside, jointing, and lining in the image above. These beverage cosies appeared in the Steiff line from c. 1904 - 1930 overall, with the focus on production in the c. 1904-1920 time frame. 

Also on offer is a fine hug of amazing, century spanning Steiff Teddy bears - including ones like these that do not appear in any standard Steiff reference books! Good things come in twos with lot #2218, a pair of Steiff immediate post war Throw bears. They are cataloged as, "2 x throw dolls (bear, girl, and boy), made in 1949, with a button, elongated "f," 1 x with a plain button, artificial silk plush head, glass eyes, open mouth, soft body, dangling arms and legs, 26 cm, original clothing Condition: very nice overall condition." This lot has an opening bid of 180 €.

These great cubs are made from interesting materials and also have a neat place in Steiff's product design evolution history. They are hard to find today - especially in such fine condition as these are - because their materials and construction are so ephemeral. They have jointed heads and dangling limbs. Their heads and the tips of their hands and feet are made from artificial silk plush, while their body and limbs are made out of stockinette material. They are dressed in simple outfits made from inexpensive rayon fabric. All of these materials are quite representative of the immediate post war era, when traditional toy making materials, like mohair and felt, were not yet being produced again on a commercial scale. These "Throw bears" were also made exclusively to be sold to American soldiers at the PX stores in Germany immediately post WWII. They were made in a variety of different clothing color combinations and as boys and girls. "Throw rabbits" were also made at the same time. It is Steiffgal's understanding that "Throw cats" were made as well, although she has never seen or handled one.

Amazing animals and other rarities round out this can't miss event. No doubt collectors will be howling over lot #2159, a probably prototype running wolf. It is cataloged as, "Rare sprinting Steiff wolf, manufactured in 1954, green glass eyes with vertical pupils, open mouth with pointed wooden teeth, lifelike mohair coloring, U.S. Zone flag, 14 cm tall, possibly a prototype, with archive tag, Condition: Unplayed, original condition. This wolf has an opening bid of 220 €.

This handsome dude is somewhat of a mystery in a few ways. As far as Steiffgal can tell, he is the first wolf design attempted by Steiff. He shares many details with Steiff's Loopy wolf hand puppet, which was produced in 18 cm from 1956-1978. This puppet pattern would go on to be made as a full bodied, standing wolf in 25 and 35 cm in 1964 only. Standing Loopy wolf is one of the rarest and most desirable postwar editions made by Steiff. However, it is not unheard of for Steiff to try out versions of their animals in different body positions over time. For example, the company produced standing versions of their Dally Dalmatians as exclusive items for FAO Schwarz; Dally traditionally presents sitting. And if you check out lot #2179 in this sale, you can see a prototype version of a sitting Arco German Shepherd dog. This version would not go into production as this dog design was always made standing. 

Care to throw your hat into the ring for these or any item from this exciting event? You can place your bids directly on the auctioneer's website (preregistration is required!), on LiveAuctioneers, or via phone (preregistration is also required). Please see www.spielzeugauktion.de for more information. 

For more information on Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's November 7th, 2026 Steiff Masterpiece Auction, please click here!