It's Hip To Be Square With This Steiff Prewar Charly The King Charles Pajama Bag

You snooze, you lose! But everyone who is interested in this next fantastic find is a clear winner. Check out this short inquiry from Steiff superfan Michael, who writes about an unusual novelty. He simply writes...

"Hi, could you give some detail and history on this pajama case, I think?"

It's hip to be square with this marvelous 1930s era Steiff Charly the King Charles pajama bag. The bag itself is 30 x 30 cm, square shaped, and made from long, soft tan mohair. It closes with a metal zipper with a pull ring and is fully lined in textured light green fabric. All of these details appear to be original to the bag. The bag itself is decorated with the head of Steiff's signature Charley the King Charles Spaniel. Charly's head is made from mohair and measures about 15 cm long. It is head jointed to the bag and was designed to rotate. His face is detailed with oversized brown and black glass pupil eyes (one appears to be missing), a black hand embroidered nose and mouth, and oversized, floppy ears, just like the real dog. And cue the happy dance - this great novelty retains its long trailing "f" button as its Steiff ID. 

 

This functional favorite was made as part of a series of children's pajama bags in the late prewar period. They were formally called "night dress bags" and were the first style of pajama bags that Steiff launched to the world. For the most part, they are really rare and seldom seen on the secondary market as they were designed to be used and loved as toys as well as functional items. As such, most wore out or were lost to time. Their basic "template" was a simple, square shaped and lined bag with the head of a well-known Steiff pet of the era. They were produced from 1930-1937 overall and came with Teddy baby, Bully, Charly, a Scotty, a Sealyham, Molly, or a Siamese cat as the animal detailing. This is the first one Steiffgal has seen with a Charly as its featured animal.

 

This rare pajama bag appears to be in really nice condition overall. It is missing an eye, which sometimes happens. Replacing the lost eye would add to its appeal and presentation, and is not that difficult to do with the right needle and thread. However, it is sometimes challenging to find an exact ocular match in terms of size and era. And for some reason, eyes that don't match often look a little strange. As such, if Michael is not able to find an exact match, he may consider replacing BOTH eyes on this item to give the face a pleasing and authentic balance. Of course, it is important to note and disclose any and all known restoration on a vintage item if you are considering selling it at some point in the future.  

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's Charly the King Spaniel pajama bag has been the crown jewel in your day today. 

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

This 1960s-Era Steiff Polar Bear Is Footloose And Fancy Free!

Is it possible to be naughty and nice at the same time? And no... this isn't a trick question or have anything to do with Santa Claus! It is in reference to a little known, but very interesting, 1960s era Steiff polar bear. Take a look at this cold weather cutie and see what makes him so cool from the design perspective.

This polar pal's name is Cosy Nauty. He is standing, unjointed, and measures about 15 cm tall and 27 cm wide. He is made from longer white dralon plush, while his inset muzzle is made from shorter white dralon. His paw pads are made from peach colored felt. His face comes to life with black button eyes, a black hand embroidered nose and mouth, and a touch of airbrushed highlights. His feet are detailed with tiny white felt claws in the shapes of triangles. Nifty Nauty appeared in the line in this size only from 1963-1966.

This polar bear pattern has two really interesting details associated with it. The first is its unusual claw detailing. Steiff most often indicates claws by stitching or paint. In this case, Nauty's claws are three dimensional and made from white felt. You can see a close up of that detailing here on the left. Steiff may have been experimenting with this treatment in the mid-1960s. It is curious that their beloved Zooby Circus bear - produced in 1964 and 1966 - also had white felt triangular claws, while its 28 cm white Cosy Bear from 1964 only featured brown felt triangular claws. These three bears with this similar design element were all the line for only a handful of years. This suggests that this feature was not terribly attractive to buyers, and/or was too costly from the manufacturing perspective.

The second noteworthy thing about Nauty is that he was also produced as an even lesser known novelty item. In 1964, Steiff produced a series of smaller scaled pajama bags. These included a Zipper Cockie (a cocker spaniel) Zipper Zotty (a Zotty bear) and Zipper Nauty (a polar bear). All were 30 cm. Cockie and Zotty were made from mohair while Nauty was produced in white dralon - similar to the full bodied version. And like his namesake, this polar bear PJ bag also featured felt claws. You can see Zipper Nauty and Zipper Zotty pictured here on the left. These Zipper animals appeared in the line through 1966 overall.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's little known Nauty polar bear has helped you to chill out just a bit today!

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

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things From The 2015 Teddy Dorado Steiff Sommer Auction

Going once, going twice... the countdown to the annual Steiff Sommer Family Event has definitely begun.  This year's celebration will be held on Steiff's campus in Giengen, Germany, from July 3rd through the 5th.  One of the highlights of this annual pilgrimage for many Steiff collectors is the Steiff auction, hosted by Teddy Dorado. The auction takes place on Saturday evening, July 4th.  This year's event features so many fantastic items it is difficult to pick out highlights - each is a winner in its own right.  But here are three that really called to Steiffgal personally.  Do they speak to you as well?

Steiffgal can't help but go nuts over this first example.  Here we have a 17 cm mohair squirrel from 1925.  His adorable face, great jointing including his tail, and delightful overall presentation put him in a class all to himself. Plus, Steiffgal has always dreamed of owning something with the elusive Steiff "muster" or sample button. 

Squirrel is cataloged as...  "made of reddish brown mohair plush with airbrushing in dark brown; front side made of natural white mohair plush; black shoe button eyes underlaid with white felt discs; brown stitched nose, mouth & claws; whiskers; six times jointed: swivel head, arms, legs & tail; very firmly excelsior stuffed; inoperative squeaker; large Steiff "Muster" sample button in right ear; fur without any loss of mohair; very clean, unfaded by daylight, no odor & all original; in mint condition overall without ears ca. 6.7in. (17cm) high."

If this second selection puts you to sleep, then she is doing her job just right.  Here we have a fantastic example of Steiff's 30 cm Cockie Cocker Spaniel pajama bag.  Although "relatively" recent, this playful "zipper" design is seldom if ever seen on the secondary market, is very collectible, and has been on Steiffgal's wish list forever.  

Cockie is cataloged as... "made of white mohair plush with black airbrushing; large black-white Googly glass eyes; black stitched nose; bottom with "Zipp" zipper; body with inlay from light cotton fabric as pyjama pouch & hand puppet; right front paw with squeaker; detachable red collar; large raised script Steiff Button In Ear; yellow ear tag with price area & hand written (price) note on the back; large chest tag "Cockie" with sticker on the back; very clean, unfaded by daylight, no odor & all original; in mint condition overall ca. 14.2in. (36cm) high & arm span ca. 12.6in. (32cm)."

This third and final item really takes the cake - the wedding cake, that is!  Here is a charming and unusual example of an otherwise standard line woolen miniature bird wedding party which has been customized with marvelous extra detailing.  This dear vignette has earned its wings with the addition of delightful felt flowers and a festive ruffled ribbon flourish.  A similar edge treatment was also used on the company's rare and period "couch animals." 

The grouping is cataloged as... "party of four woollen birds all in felt slippers on oval grass green cardboard; according to the consignor once a wedding gift to a Steiff employee; special edition because of flowers from felt on cardboard & its surrounding ruche of yellow taffeta; cardboard with underscored Steiff button; in excellent condition overall; (1) large blue tit as bride with wedding veil; (2) large finch as groom with black hat & flower on chest; (3) small golden bunting; metal feet damaged; (4) small robin with white Steiff tag 6504,1 cardboard measures ca. 7.1in. (18cm) x 4.3in. (11cm)." 

Steiffgal was fortunate to catch up with her friend and colleague Carsten Esser, who is the owner and auctioneer of Teddy Dorado, to speak with him briefly about the upcoming Steiff Sommer Auction.  Here is a bit of their most recent conversation: 

Steiffgal:  I can tell by looking through your catalog that this auction will be spectacular and that you are about to make many collectors very happy!  So what makes this year's Teddy Dorado Steiff Sommer Auction so special to you?  

Carsten:  I think that because Teddy Dorado has been hosting the Steiff Sommer for a number of years now, the items we present get better and better for this very special event. Believe it or not, I reviewed over 7,000 items to select the almost 80 items that will be sold on July 4th! (Note:  this means that just a little over 1% of Steiff items presented made the cut for the this auction!) 

The Steiff Sommer auction also attracts the very finest buyers and sellers. For example, a lot of three really breathtaking and early velveteen rabbits in the auction came from a stunning collection outside of Germany. The consignor is very smart about Steiff and knows that this particular auction would be the very finest to present these rabbits to the world. We are also getting many fine opportunities through referrals, which is a great result of working with more and more satisfied customers over time. This is how four mint, late 1940’s lots came to Teddy Dorado. These “time capsule” treasures include a silk plush Teddy Baby, silk plush Fellow Airedale Terrier, silk plush Sealyham, and a mohair Tabby.  

Steiffgal:  Yes, it is like these items were made yesterday, they are marvelous in every way.  Like these selections, many of the items in this summer's auction seem particularly precious and rare. How do you select which items appear in the summer auction?   

Carsten:  I founded Teddy Dorado from the collector’s perspective, and it is from this viewpoint that I try to present the most interesting items for sale through our events. As such, I select items for this auction just from my personal feeling and my knowledge of the interests of our worldwide bidders - it is that simple! And the stunning positive feedback of our customers - both buyers and sellers - shows us again and again that we are on the right track in doing so.

Steiffgal:  I could not help but notice that there are a great number of vintage woolen miniature items in the Sommer Auction. Why do you think they are so beloved by collectors all over the world?  

Carsten:  Dogs and woolies seem to be a general theme of the upcoming Steiff auction. I personally love these Steiff categories very much, but as always condition, rarity, age, quality, and rarity were our main priorities in selecting them. Woolen miniatures are the ideal Steiff ambassadors, as well as the perfect representation of the best of Steiff with their lovable designs and highest quality craftsmanship. They are also easy to pack and ship, don’t need much display space, and are in great demand with collectors who cherish them as charming companions for other toys, as well as just on their own.

Steiffgal:  And finally, of all the lots in the Sommer auction, if you could have any for your own collection, which one would it be and why?   

Carsten:  When I started Teddy Dorado, I gave up collecting so I could offer all the best finds to our collectors all over the globe. However, many items in this auction truly did catch my eye as wonderful and rare collectibles. Perhaps the best example of this is our opening lot. This very special treasure simply has it all. It is a unique diorama of tiny white mohair bears surrounded by woolen miniatures. It is utterly charming and unique. I see many, many Steiff treasures each year, but I must say, this example is truly Steiff at its very best! I so look forward to beginning our 2015 Steiff Sommer Auction event with this extraordinary offering.   

Steiffgal:  Many thanks for your time, and best of luck!    

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on some of Teddy Dorado's upcoming sale highlights has been almost exciting as a live auction event!  You can check out the entire catalog by clicking here.

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