Good Things Come In Threes With This Precious Prewar Steiff Pup!

They say good things come in threes, and that perfectly describes this week's blog treasure. Check out this amazing, and amazingly interesting, "pup from Pittsburgh." The more you learn about him, the more intriguing he becomes!

This heavenly creature is Steiff's early Saint Bernard dog. He is standing, unjointed, stuffed with excelsior, and made from tan and cinnamon colored mohair. He measures 15 cm tall and 20 cm wide. His proportional tail is positioned downward. He has three brown claws on each of his paws. He comes to life with floppy mohair ears which are tacked to his head, felt backed brown and black glass pupil eyes, a lightly shaved muzzle, and a  brown hand embroidered nose and mouth. He was produced in 17, 22, and 28 cm from 1914-1927. He is described in Pfeiffer's Sortiment as, "mohair plush, white, brown spotted, standing, young, soft stuffed."

So just what makes this guy such a top dog? First, let's start with the obvious. Steiff's prewar pups are always in demand, and those designed and produced in the 'teens and before are highly desirable. That is because they have - for the most part - a distinctively earnest, "literal", and basic look to them. They are also so well constructed and seldom come up for sale on the secondary market. Starting in the mid-1920s, Steiff's canine designs changed significantly and became more "childlike" - often with oversized features and detailing, imaginative coloration, and truly playful personalities. So not only is this example from a key time frame in Steiff's production history, it is also small scaled - another super interesting factor that always calls to collectors.

Now let's move to his second outstanding detail. It is impossible to tell at first glance, but this petite treat also has an amazing secret. He has TWO small silver long trailing "f" buttons in his ear! You can see this illustrated here on the left, One of the buttons has traces of a white paper tag, but the other does not. So why is this? Although the double buttoning in his ear could be an accident, his ear is so small, and the button is so well placed, that the second button truly looks intentional. In the past, Steiff used multiple buttons to keep track of which items were samples, prototypes, and versions of items under development. In the 1920's, this usually took the form of a regular button in one ear, and a "muster button" in the other. It is entirely possible that this dog's multiple button system is an early form of this tracking system - given he was introduced in the 19-teens. Unfortunately, only he knows for sure!

And if you think things couldn't get better than that - guess again! The third amazing thing about this fine example is that it comes with full provenance - that is, documentation regarding his life story. In this case, his provenance includes a letter and several photos - one which is shown below. According to the letter, in part:

"I wanted to share a little bit of history about this Steiff St. Bernard toy dog. It belonged to my father, Robert, who was born in Pittsburgh, PA in June, 1924. My grandmother was sentimental and a "saver," so many things from my father's childhood through his Army service in WWII were passed down and cherished, including his stuffed dog named "Sheppy."

My father always enjoyed reminiscing about his childhood, and he thought his dog was a gift received either for Christmas in 1925 or his second birthday in 1926. Looking at many photos, there was certainly a time period that my father went nowhere without his beloved "Sheppy" in hand."

You can enlarge the provenance letter as well as the photograph here on the left by clicking on them.  

Steiffgal hopes that this discussion on this fantastic Steiff Sheppy has left you quite Peppy!

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

The Power Of Provenance!

What makes a fantastic Steiff find simply extraordinary? When it comes with full provenance. Provenance, which can include documents and/or photos, is "the place of origin or earliest known history of something," "the beginning of something's existence; something's origin," and/or a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity or quality," according to Merriam-Webster. In this case, all three truly apply! Come learn more about this amazing Steiff Ted from 1905 through words and images from his original family.

This marvelous and very early Steiff cub stands 16 inches tall, is five ways disk jointed, and made from mohair that has faded from an apricot color to a light blond color. You can see hints of his original hue in his cracks and crevices, and places the "sun don't shine." Ted has black wooden shoe button eyes, traces of his black stitched nose, and five black claws on each of his hands and feet. His stitched mouth has been lost to time. His original owners invented in essential, finely rendered professional restorations on him to improve his stability and aesthetics; these included a light restuffing, redoing his felt pads, and restitching his claws.

This turn of last century treasure also has a distinctive physical form to him. He has a very early shaped face and head, somewhat reflective of the Baerle style. His muzzle is long and pronounced, and a bit less sophisticated (don't take that in the wrong way!) than bears produced just a year or two later. Ted's body is very similar in looks and scale to Steiff's c. 1904 rod bears, with a rounded, almost American football shaped torso. He has very long arms with curved wrists, skinny, narrow feet, a back hump, and spoon shaped pads. He has a really teeny tiny blank button in his ear... it probably measures about 2-3 millimeters in diameter. Given all of these metrics and factors, it is Steiffgal's best guess this bear was produced at the factory in Giengen in c. 1905.

But wait... there's even MORE to love about this ancient cub. He has a handwritten, full letter of provenance summarizing his history, as well as a photo of him with his original owner. This bear was from the family of Alice Bogart Vail Tufts who was born in NYC in 1900. This bear was given to her as a gift when she was a child, and was purchased at FAO Schwarz. Given Schwarz and Steiff have been doing business together since 1906, this makes this bear one of the earliest Steiff bears extant purchased in America! You can see this photo of Alice and her friend for life from c. 1908-1910 here on the left and the letter below; click on each to enlarge them. In the photo, which appears to have been taken in a studio, Alice is "feeding" this bear with a teaspoon. Don't you just love her HUGE hair bow? 

Steiffgal hopes this fabulous bear and his lifelong documentation has helped to demonstrate the Power of Provenance! For more about this delightful cub, check out this YouTube video on his physical and historical highlights!

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

Tune In For More Information About This Superstar Steiff Cat!

Look who just appeared on little cat's feet - really! This pretty kitty was a surprise find on an online auction. And, when she arrived, she was an even FINER feline than advertised! Check out this 1920's Steiff superstar. Steiffgal is certain you'll agree... she's simply the cat's meow!

This marmalade Tabby turns Steiff's legs to jelly! She is 10 cm tall, standing on all fours, head jointed, and made from tan mohair that has been striped with fantastic and realistically detailed orange highlights. Her limbs and tail are elegant, proportional, and shapely. Her face comes to life with oversized teal and black slit pupil style glass eyes, a light pink embroidered nose and mouth, a bunch of clear, monofilament whiskers, and a spot of red right on her lips. She has a particularly pensive look to her. She retains her original blue silk ribbon and bell. This cool cat was made in mohair in 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, and 22 cm from 1928 through 1937. 

Tab - you're it - when it comes to this cat's outstanding and original IDs. She retains her long trailing 'F' Steiff button, crisp and fully legible red ear tag, and perfectly preserved red imprinted chest tag with its "watermelon" shaped bear face. The numbers on her ear tag, 1310,0, correspond to: 1 = standing; 3 = mohair; 10 = 10 cm (standing height); and ,0=without wheels. All of these IDs strongly suggest that this kitten left the factory in Giengen in the late 1920s or early 1930s. And what a well preserved specimen she is - we should all look so good c. nine decades onward! 

Although Steiff had been selling its items in the USA since the turn of last century, it appears that the company really started investing heavily in American consumer advertising a few years after the conclusion of WWI. In the late 1920s, Steiff was promoted on the radio by an on-air personality named "Uncle Andy Claus" as part of a program sponsored by Erwin-Wasey and Co. Erwin-Wasey was an international advertising company that specialized in radio advertising; the agency was famous for its product sampling campaigns. Although it would be challenging, and expensive, to "sample" Steiff products nationally, Erwin-Wasey and Co. came up with the idea of sending Steiff letters, pins, and brochures to children who responded to a direct on-air marketing campaign promoted through Uncle Andy Claus. Here on the left you can see the letter that went out to children as part of this very early "Steiff club." You can click on it to make it bigger. Personally, Steiffgal finds it a little weird that Margarete "signed" this note from the late 1920s, given that she passed away in 1909. Details, details... 

The letter also talks about a little brochure that accompanied the mailing. This cheerful, orange and black printed pamphlet gives a brief history of the company and calls out the "superstar" items of the era, including Treff the Bloodhound, a horse on wheels, Fluffy cat, a bear on wheels, Charly the King Charles Spaniel, an elephant on wheels, Molly the puppy, a donkey on wheels, Bully the Bulldog, Teddy Clown, a mosaic ball, stick horse... and this very Tabby cat under discussion today. Her description reads, "A most lifelike cat with a "come hither" expression in standing position. Fine quality plush, most natural coloring, sewn in glass eyes, assorted colored ribbons." You can see this illustration and description here above on the left.

Steiffgal hopes you found this discussion on this marmalade Tabby a sweet treat.

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