Thinking Outside The Box With This Delightful Steiff Moving Display

Would you climb every mountain for a wonderful Steiff rarity? How about an actual Steiff hillside scene with moving parts? Check out this note from a new friend in Europe who has inherited such a crated treasure in working order. Just what do we have here? Jeanette shares:

Hello! I have inherited this Steiff display, but do not know anything about it, except for what Google tells me, and that is how I found your website. The display has been standing in a shop window for many years and works fine mechanically. All the figures have a Steiff mark on the chest. The hedgehogs all stand up and are about 27cm tall, have mohair, velvet, soft arms that can move and a plastic face. Dark blue eyes. There are hedgehogs, dogs, cows, monkeys, mice, mountain goats and a mountain ram. It is a mechanical setup and everything mechanical moves fine. Without music. A serial number is noted on a hedgehog: 7627/28. Do you know if it could be worth anything?

Kind regards, Jeanette from Denmark

There's so much to unpack here, so let's get started. Jeanette has an example of one of Steiff's legacy mechanized displays. It features a pastoral scene consisting of a simple wooden building with a mountain scape in the background. It is populated by a family of Micki and Mecki hedgehog dolls, as well as farm, forest, and mountain animals. The animals on display all appeared in the line from the late 1960s onward; the Mecki noted, with article number 7627/28 was produced from 1968-1990. Steiffgal suspects that this display was assembled in 1969 (give or take a year or two) given the "date" on the sign on the shelter. This sign also notes "Mecki Alm." The word "alm" is very interesting and does not really have an equivalent in English. It refers to a simple hut as well as the broad swath of meadows, forests, and hills surrounding it. That perfectly describes what's going on here. 

Steiff has a rich history of creating these can't-look-away moving displays. They debuted around 1910 as a natural extension of the company's advertising and promotional efforts. Over time, they have been produced in sizes ranging from less than a meter to almost the length of a city block. These vignettes were often reflective of life in a small town, farming, nature, a circus, or sports. Today, Steiff's moving displays are created, serviced, and maintained in what the company calls its Exhibition Department. Because they are made in Giengen and installed all over the world, how they are designed, assembled, and disassembled for transport are almost as critical as their presentations and themes.

Given some online research, it appears that Steiff produced a number of examples of Jeanette's alm display. These have appeared at public auction over the years. On December 11, 2016, Morphy Auctions of Denver, PA sold an almost identical version of this display. It was estimated at $500-1,000 and traded hands at $3,125, including the buyer's premium. It was cataloged as: 

"This automaton measures approximately 41” x 28” x 48” overall and features 15 Steiff animals at a mountainside farm. The automaton base is made from wood and includes faux cliffs, rocks, plants, and a farmhouse. The animals include monkeys, rams, marmots, goats, woolen miniature birds, cows, and a three member dressed hedgehog family. This display was purchased directly from Margarete Steiff GmbH at New York’s annual ToyFair trade show in the 1980’s. It was on display once or twice a year at Steiff collector events, usually for 3 days at a time, over a 25-year period. When not on display, it was stored in its individual wood shipping crate (included) in a controlled warehouse. This display is in working order with Steiff factory installed 110v US plugs. Condition: As noted. In clean, very good condition overall. Provenance: From a fine Ohio collection."

Now let's get to Jeanette's question about value. As always, something is worth what someone will pay for it, and Steiffgal has not seen this item firsthand to account for condition. Other more recent sales of this item include a similar version sold in December, 2022 by Hindman of Chicago. Estimated at $1,000-1,500, it realized $2,064, including the buyer's premium. So the selling price has gone down a little in the past few years, at least based on information available. Given these metrics, it is not out of the question that this item under review her might realize in the c. $2,000-2,500 at auction today. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Jeanette's alm display has been a breath of fresh air for you today.

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

Moving And Grooving With This Extraordinary Steiff Auction Rarity

No need to brush off this week's special blog guest! Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH recently held its annual early fall auction on September 22nd and 23rd, 2023. The sale included a number of interesting vintage toys, dolls, and bears... but one incredibly rare and often misunderstood Steiff rarity really rose to the top. It also caught Steiffgal's eye in a major way. Check out this very early turn of last century novelty. It's guaranteed to have you moving and grooving!

This special lot was number 3158, a Steiff "Bristles Bear." It was cataloged as: "Bristles bear, produced between 1902 and 1904, 20 cm, short plush, brown, attending, dancing on a circular wooden board, with feet made of bristles, with elephant button, shoe button eyes, and tip of the nose made of a shoe button, with original label, D.H. Wagner & Sohn, Spielwarenhandlung, Leipzig Grfmmaische Str. 6., Naschmarkt-Gegenüber, unused original condition, very rare, unusual." It had a starting bid of 850 euro and hammered at an amazing 7,700 euro.

So just what makes this guy so important? Besides its breathtaking condition and extraordinary elephant button, this very early style of bear was one of the inspirations behind Richard Steiff's invention of the fully jointed Teddy bear as we know and love him today. Really! At the turn of last century, Richard was thinking of ways to make his family's toys more fun, interactive, and kinetic. This bear, in the form of a circus bear with a nose ring and chain, stands on a wooden platform which is mounted on little brushes like toothbrush brushes. When the toy is place on a table or flat surface, and the surface is tapped, the vibrations cause the bear to shake and shimmy on the platform. So the bear moves, sort of, but Richard knew there was a better design out there. You can see some of Steiff's earliest turn of last century "moving" bears on the picture above on the left; they include (from left to right) two Bristles bears, a bear on a four wheeled cart, and three tumblers on weighted wooden half spheres. 

Richard also spent a lot of time at the local zoo, watching how animals interact and get around, and making sketches of them in the flesh. He was very interested in trying to figure out how to reproduce these lifelike movements in his toy designs. Also around this time, in 1903, mohair became available on a commercial level and in supplies adequate enough for the toymaking business. It wasn't long before it became crystal clear that this soft, durable, and furry fabric would be perfect for making world class soft bears and animals. 

So how does this all come together? After a lot of thinking, planning, and creative energy, Richard took the best of his current "moving" product line, his observations of bears ambling about in real life, and the opportunities presented by mohair fabric and came up with the company's first fully jointed string bear in 1902 - PB55. Although this pattern proved not to be commercially viable, it was quickly updated to rod and then cardboard disk style jointing, and the rest - as they say - is history!

Steiffgal hopes this little history lesson, based on Steiff's early Bristles bear, has been a hair raising experience!

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

A Mountain of Steiff Treasures From the Teddies of Mt. Holly Steiff Event

Talk about a treasure trove of remarkable Steiff collectibles!  Steiffgal recently had the pleasure of attending a Steiff event at Teddies of Mt. Holly, a beautifully merchandised store in New Jersey specializing in new and vintage Steiff treasures and Teddy bears.  And what a perfect day it was... gorgeous fall weather, delightful collectors, and of course, remarkable Steiff of every size, shape, and era.  Take a look at just a handful wonderful items brought to the show for identification and valuation - and the stories behind them. 

No, you are not seeing stripes!  Here we have a fantastic 100 cm Steiff Studio baby zebra.  This black and white beauty is standing and made from off-white mohair which has been painstakingly hand stenciled with black stripes. He has a white and black mane down his back and his tail is tipped in long black mohair.  The insides of his ears are lined in white dralon.  Zebra has huge brown and black pupil eyes and mile-long blond eyelashes.  Steiff made Studio zebras in 100 cm in 1960 and in 150 cm in 1960 and again in 1967. 

According to his owner, this zebra was purchased at an antique show a few years ago in the mid-Atlantic area.  The dealer was selling a few Steiff items on behalf of a friend, and sold this item to the collector "at a price to die for!"

Viewing this next Steiff treasure was a moving experience - literally.  Here we have a fantastic example of a Steiff Automaton or moving window display.  It measures overall about 18 inches deep by 24 inches wide by about 20 inches tall.  The Automaton is made from wood; the background is stenciled with trees and the base is lined in short, green plush to resemble grass. The Automaton features two caramel colored mask Teddies, a blond mask Teddy, a woolen miniature black Hucky raven with plastic legs, a green woolen miniature frog, and a soft plush squirrel.  When the Automaton is plugged in, the smaller caramel Teddy starts sawing the downed log, which is made from paper mache, and the larger Teddy drinks from his "honey" mug.  Based on the animals in this Automaton, and their ear tags and buttons, it is Steiffgal's best estimate that this dynamic display was produced around 1984 or so.  

According to its owner, this Automaton was purchased from an elderly woman who was looking to rehome her treasures to an enthusiastic collector.  These Automatons can range in dimensions from a foot or so to several yards long; this is a wonderful example of a smaller scale one that could easily displayed and appreciated in most home collections.

No monkeying around with this next Steiff surprise!  Here we have a delightful 35 cm example of Steiff's somewhat rare Schimpanse or Chimpanzee.  He is a close relative to Steiff's beloved Jocko.  Chimp is five ways jointed made from long brown tipped mohair.  He has chunky limbs and felt hands, feet, and ears.  His prominent brown and black glass pupil eyes are set dramatically into felt eye pocket.  Chimp was made in 25, 30, 35, 40, and 100 cm from 1928 through 1934.  A tail moves head version of this model was produced in nine sizes ranging from 13 through 66 cm from 1931 through 1934 as well.   

According to his owner, this marvelous monkey was purchased for a song from an older collector who kept this pet outdoors on her porch for many years.  That may explain why the chimp's felt hands and feet are a bit in distress - perhaps from moth damage - and why his mohair has faded overall to a light blond, except for in his joints and crotch area.   

It's always a good idea to go out in big way, and this last find accomplishes that in largest way possible.  No, your eyes do not deceive you.  Here we have a 100 cm Studio Zotty bear - the very largest size of this design on record.   This humongous heart throb was produced for one year - 1967 only.  From the historical perspective, Zotty was one of the first new bear designs introduced after the Second World War, in 1951. He has appeared in the line, in one form or another, almost continuously since then. The early 1950's were an amazingly busy time at Steiff, as the company looked to rebuild its pre-war reputation for quality, while at the same time introduce new, innovative, contemporary designs to an expanding global marketplace. Zotty’s debut was one of the most significant efforts towards those goals. To “qualify” as a Zotty, a Steiff Teddy bears needs these three things: an open felt lined mouth; a front insert bib made of a complementary colored mohair to his body; and of course, be made from very shaggy material.  Overall, Steiff's original mohair Zotty was produced in nine sizes, ranging from 17 through 100 centimeters, from 1951 through 1978.  

According to his owner, this tremendous Ted was purchased at a yardsale around 25 years ago.  And for how much at the time?  Are you sitting down, with a seatbelt on?  If so, read on... because he joined her hug for a mere $5.  See, Steiff dreams can come true!

Steiffgal hopes this "brag book" of Steiff treasures from the Teddies of Mt. Holly Show has added an interesting chapter to your Steiff day.

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