This blog focuses on vintage Steiff finds, Steiff antiquing and travel adventures, international Steiff happenings, and the legacy and history of the Steiff company.
Collectors, looking for that elusive Steiff piece to add to your hug? Or is it time to find a new home for some of your Steiff treasures? I may be able to help; let's talk! Email Steifflife@gmail.com to start the conversation!
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You've found the online place for all things Steiff. Although Steiff bears, animals, and dolls have been around since the 1880's, their collectibility, appeal, and stories are as new as tomorrow.
Sometimes the most unexpected and super-scaled treasures appear almost out of the blue! Such is the case with this fantastic and extremely large prewar Steiff Ted. And just how big is he? Well, Steiffgal could barely pick him up and move him about for his photo session! Take a look at this titan-Ted and see what makes him so fantastic from the design and historical perspectives.
Here we have a HUMUNGOUS classic and traditional five ways jointed Steiff Teddy bear. He measures approximately 115 cm tall or 45 inches tall standing, is made from dark blonde mohair, and solidly stuffed with excelsior. He has a pronounced back hump, a partially trimmed muzzle, long narrow feet with felt pads, proportional brown and black glass pupil eyes, and a black embroidered mouth, nose, and claws. He retains his long trailing "f" button and traces of his white ear tag; these IDs date his production most likely to the mid 19-teens or early 1920s.
This gentle giant is the largest sized standard line bear produced by Steiff prewar; this huge size was made from 1905-1933. This is only the second jumbo mohair prewar Ted Steiffgal has handled - these big boys are super rare. Steiffgal suspects not many were made, and those produced most likely were destined to be showpieces or window displays. It really is not possible that a child could interactively play with a bear of this size given the weight and heft of him.
Big Ted was most recently in the collection of Iris Carter, a passionate Teddy bear and Steiff collector from Virginia. Iris was inspired to start collecting Teddy bears when she read Peter Bull's The Teddy Bear Book, which was first published in 1970. It would be so interesting to learn how and where she adopted this bear, given his rarity and timeline.
Like many old friends, this bear had a few condition issues typical to larger prewar bears. Mostly these had to do with his ankles and feet pads. His ankles had some splits and damages, and his felt pads were dried out and flaking off. Both of these issues can be addressed with gentle and sympathetic restoration.
However, Steiffgal came up with an idea to help stabilize those vulnerable areas until this work happens. Given his feet and legs were so oversized, standard commercial socks were not an option here. However, there is such a thing as bariatric socks, which are soft socks which are designed to cover the feet and ankles of people with extreme Lymphedema - or very, very swollen feet and calves. You can see what these look like here. This protective footwear stretches to 30" at the calf, up to 21" in the foot, and up to 14 E shoe width. These socks fit this big bear really well and provided a somewhat attractive way to cover and protect his pads, feet, and ankles up to almost his knees!
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Iris Carter's terrific Ted has launched your 2026 in the most supersized way possible!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
The countdown is on for the most exciting Steiff auction event of the year - Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's annual Steiff Sonder Auction or Steiff Special Auction! This event is famous for offering WAH-HOO good temptations - as well as producing world record breaking results. This year, it will be held on June 29, 2024 in Giengen, Germany as part of the Steiff Company's annual Steiff Sommer Festival. For more information on the sale, click here!
This year, nearly 230 premier century-spanning button-in-ear treasures will go under the hammer. In addition to rockstar offerings most of us can only dream about - including a google eyed Petsy Bear, a rod bear, and a full set of early skittles - the sale also features a number of hidden jewels. These are items with very special or unique details that really make them extraordinary from the collector's perspective. Here are three that caught Steiffgal's eye... and what makes them so quietly remarkable.
"Turbo "Purzelbär" with clock mechanism, arm-wound mechanism and clock mechanism are intact, only produced in 1951, button and cloth tag label number 9315,4, rests of the US zone cloth tag label, 15 cm, original neck label and felt vest, very nice unused condition, rare, only c. 1000 pieces were produced."
In the early 1950s, Steiff made a handful of little known novelties featuring movements that were introduced prewar. These included tail moves head items (which debuted in the early 1930s) in the form of bears and dogs; musical items (which debuted in the late 1920s) in the form of bears, monkeys, cats, and dogs; and a tumbler (which debuted around 1909) in the form of this bear. It is not clear why the company "reintroduced" these old school style novelties postwar, especially given the emphasis on launching new patterns that reflected the contemporary, forward thinking vibe of the times. These early postwar novelties - including this somersaulting bear - only appeared in the catalog for a year or so. This suggests that they were not commercially successful, and/or were expensive and time consuming to produce. Given their very short production time and output, these tumbling bears are extremely few and far between on the secondary market - especially in nice condition like this with IDs. This would be a delightful addition to a collection of midcentury rarities, mechanical novelties, or Teddy bears.
"Cat, produced 1931-1938, with button inscription: Muster, Nomotta-wool, grey/white, lying, swivel head, green glass eyes, height: 6 cm, length: 8 cm, very nice strong colors, extremely rare, exceptional, unused condition."
This pretty kitty is in such lovely condition, with a great presentation and personality. However, what makes her off the charts great is her Steiff ID, which is a MUSTER button. This form of ID was used by Steiff pre-WWII on items considered samples, evolving designs, or prototypes. In general, the button indicated that the item was Steiff property and was not intended for sale or distribution. "Muster" translates loosely from German to English as "pattern" and in a sense, these "muster" items were just that. And, the button is located on her ribbon. This is probably because her ears are not large enough to handle the button. The combination of her condition, unusual ID, and its atypical placement, truly makes her the cat's meow among the woolen miniatures on offer in this fine sale. Purrr-fect in every way.
"Rattler, with mechanism for turning head, produced 1931-1942, with button, chest label and cloth tag label, number on cloth tag label: 3310H, red inscription Raddler INT. PAT. APPID. FOR, and with separate paper label: "dreh mich hier herum, ich schau rundherum", 12 cm, colouring is fine shaded, very nice original condition."
This little fellow has two big features that make him a top dog in this exciting sale. The Rattler tail turns head pattern in itself is charming, but not terribly rare. Overall, he appeared in the Steiff line in 8, 10, 14, 17, 22, 25, 28, and 35 cm in the 1930 through 1943 time period. So, it's not challenging to find one these days. However, this particular example, in addition to being in lovely condition, retains his most coveted "tush tag." This is a round cardboard tag on his tail that reads "turn here and I will move my head." These instructions appear in German, English, and Spanish. What's amazing about this is that these moving marvels were designed as fun toys for kids. So it's a miracle that this tag was not removed or lost to time, given its postioning and ephemeral nature! This guy also gets a shout out for his great IDs, including his legible red ear tag. Noted on its is his article number, which is 3310H. This corresponds to 3=sitting, 3=mohair, 10=10 cm tall, and H=tail moves head feature.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on these secretly special auction picks has meant a lot to you!
Talk about hiding in plain sight! Steiffgal was checking out the latest listings on eBay to see if she could find a hidden treasure. And lo and behold, the shopping gods aligned and this rarity appeared out of nowhere! He doesn't look like much - and could be easy to miss. Check out this merry mash-up of a bear and see what makes him so distinctive from the design and marketing perspectives.
Cosy Teddy is 28 cm, unjointed, and softly stuffed. His body shape and proportions are a bit like the company's childlike Lully baby bear. Cozy Teddy is made from white dralon. His paw pads are made from pinky-peach colored dralon. He has four brown dimensional felt claws on each of his paws. His face comes to life with smaller scaled black and white cartoon eyes and a hand embroidered brown nose and mouth. This pattern of facial stitching is similar to that seen on the company's postwar Original Teddy bears. He also has a little airbrushing around his peepers to give them some depth. When he left the factory, Cosy Teddy was decorated with a blue ribbon. This guy was produced in this size only in 1964. He retains his raised script button and bits of his yellow tag as his IDs. Given his washable construction, size, and simplicity, it is quite possible he was designed a hands on plaything for kids.
This bear has two key design elements that make him quite distinctive. First, he has wool felt claws, which is most unusual in the Steiff line. A few other bears from his mid-1960s era, including Zooby the zoo bear, Cosy Nauty the polar bear, and Zipper Nauty the PJ bag, also have this detailing... but the vast majority of Steiff's cubs from all eras have embroidered or painted claws. And second, he sports round black and white plastic cartoon eyes, which are somewhat too small for his face. This configuration is also an outlier in Steiff's bear production. The only other example with this style and scale of eyes Steiffgal can think of is the company's Cosy Bruni Collar bear; he was made from 1965-1966.
Steiff clearly had big plans for Cosy Teddy, as he was the "cover bear" for its 1964 "New Models" catalog. You can see that cover shot here on the left. Like Cosy Teddy, this four page catalog introduced a significant collection of new editions made from dralon materials. This publication is also very interesting because it debuted a number of items that were only produced for a year or so. Steiffgal refers to these now hard to find treasures as "One-derfuls" to note their single year appearance in the line. Cosy Teddy is one of these 1964 "One-derfuls"; others pictured in this brochure include Reinhold the Rhino, Loopy the Wolf, Zipper Cockie, and Sneba the Snowman puppet. Today, many of these rarities top enthusiasts' wish lists given how few were produced over a very short period of time.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Cosy Teddy and his discovery has added a soft spot to your day.
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
The show must go on... and this week it is in the form of a puppet show! Yet another super Steiff surprise hit Steiffgal's inbox this week. Here is something so rare that Steiffgal can count on one hand (yes, pun intended!) the number of examples she knows of in real life. Check out this note from Mariette who shares...
"I read something about your Charly puppet and saw my Petsy puppet in the same advertisement picture. Since you are always interested in more Steiff items I present to you my Steiff puppet from I guess 1928? It is about 24 cm long and made from tipped reddish and white mohair. It has blue glass eyes and a prewar long ff button with red remnants of a tag. On the inside it has a cardboard cylinder where you can put your finger in to move the head. I bought it at an antique market for 85 euros in the Netherlands. Hope you can tell me something about if it is rare because I never saw one before."
Here's a tip - this guy is off the charts great! What we have here is Steiff's "Punch Petsy," or Petsy as a hand puppet. According to published company records, this cute cub was made in 17 cm from 1928 to 1932. His head and the tips of his paws are stuffed with excelsior, and as Mariette notes, he has a cardboard finger tube embedded in his head. Of course, he is based on the company's beloved brown tipped mohair Petsy the Baby Bear design - one of the true sweethearts of the company's "roaring 20s" era Teddy bear production.
Petsy's design was introduced in the late 1920s and was originally named "Buschy." Thankfully, Steiff's marketing team changed this to "Petsy" to reflect his precious and toddler-esque presentation and personality. Brown tipped Petsy appeared in the catalog from 1928 to 1930 in 10 sizes ranging from 22 to 75 cm, measured standing. This model was fully jointed with tan felt pads. His distinctive facial properties included a prominent center facial seam, blue and black glass pupil eyes, a rose-pink hand embroidered nose and mouth, and proportionally large, rounded, wire rimmed, and posable ears.
In addition to a puppet, Steiff also made a handful of other novelty items based on their brown tipped Petsy pattern. These included a full bodied musical version, which was produced in 25 and 30 from 1928 to 1930. He also appeared as a pull toy on wheels, called a "Record Petsy." This delightful design appeared in the line in 20 and 25 cm from 1928 to 1929. And finally, Petsy was manufactured as a standing, head jointed handbag in 17 cm from 1927 to 1928. All of these blue eyed novelties are indeed blue ribbon, and as rare as hen's teeth!
Ok, how about a penny for your thoughts here? Mariette notes that she paid 85 euro for her Petsy puppet. So how did she do? After much research, the only other example Steiffgal could find of a Petsy puppet sold at public auction was in February, 2016. There, one traded hands at over 6,300 euro! Of course, something is worth what someone will pay for it, and Mariette's example has some condition and losses which might impact its ultimate value or price tag. But it is safe to say that she did VERY WELL, and would have no trouble at all selling it at a significant profit if she ever decided to rehome it.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's amazing Petsy Puppet is worthy of a standing ovation.
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
Stop the presses! Steiff history has been made again! Check out this article that Steiffgal prepared for the online news source Auction Daily detailing the sale of Mrs. Wiley's all but perfect 1912 black mohair Steiff Titanic Bear! He is pictured here on the left, and the photo is from Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH. Here is the story in its entirety - it was originally published on July 23, 2023. Thank you to Auction Daily for allowing Steiffgal to share this fantastic news!
On July 1st, 2023, the auction house Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH of Ladenburg, Germany presented their Special Steiff Auction in Giengen, Germany - the home of the Margarete Steiff GmbH factory. The Steiff Company is best known for designing and producing the fully jointed Teddy bear as we know him today starting in 1902. This signature, annual sale is traditionally held during the Steiff Company's "Steiff Sommer" event, a three day long family-centric fair that includes carnival rides, a petting zoo, food and souvenir vendors, and button-in-ear activities. This year, the auction included the second half of the Susan Kilgore Wiley collection, an outstanding collection of Steiff prewar bears, animals, novelties, and absolute rarities. The first half of this collection was sold in January, 2023 and realized over $475,000.
The highlight of this midsummer sale was lot #82, an extraordinarily rare, fully jointed 50 cm black mohair Steiff Titanic Mourning Bear. This bear was the pride and joy of Mrs. Wiley's collection and was accompanied by photos and ephemera related to it. (As a matter of fact, she named her car's license plate after him as well... as you can see on the photo on the left!) She bought the bear at Sotheby’s in London in 1990 for over $40,000; that purchase made international collecting headlines at the time. Since 2000, original antique Steiff Titanic Mourning Bears have rarely come up for auction. When they do, they usually trade hands in about the $20,000-40,000 range. Mrs. Wiley's Titanic Mourning Bear had a starting bid of 4,500 euro, but there was talk the Steiff collecting community that the bear could easily realize six figure, it was so outstanding. They were right - sort of.
There was great anticipation in the gallery as lot #82 came up for sale. The auction house noted that this bear had five international bidders competing for the bear on telephone lines. However, the winning bidder was live in the audience! This is somewhat unusual in the auction world with sales of this magnitude. Auctioneer Pia Fast Seidel was at the podium and skillfully managed the blizzard of bids and interest in this once-in-a-lifetime lot. Mrs. Wiley's Titanic Mourning Bear would go on to hammer at 180,000 euro or $202,020, and realize $250,505.
There are many factors that made this 1912 Steiff Titanic Mourning Bear so incredibly special. These included a perfect storm of history, rarity, condition, and being at the right place at the right time. It is also possible that the recent spike in interest in all things Titanic, because of the headline making submarine disaster, also further cast the spotlight on Mrs. Wiley's extraordinary bear on offer. (Here on the left you can see Steiffgal in the Steiff museum gallery with Mrs. Wiley's Titanic bear, along with her google-eyed Petsy. These two cubs were the stars of the show for sure!)
There are many factors that made this 1912 Steiff Titanic Mourning Bear so incredibly special. These included a perfect storm of history, rarity, condition, and being at the right place at the right time. It is also possible that the recent spike in interest in all things Titanic, because of the headline making submarine disaster, also further cast the spotlight on Mrs. Wiley's extraordinary bear on offer.
In terms of the bear's place in history, Steiff's Titanic Mourning Bears are tied to one of the most significant worldwide events of the 20th century. In the early 1900s, Steiff produced a number of all black mohair bears for the general marketplace. However, these did not sell very well and the thought at the time was that they were scary for children. So the company stopped making them. Then, in 1912, the Titanic disaster struck. At that time, nearly everyone in England was personally touched by this event, or had a friend or relative who was. The entire country was in shock and mourning. In response, Steiff produced a handful of all black mohair bears with red felt behind their eyes - to indicate sadness and crying - for the English market. (Here on this picture on the left you can see members of Mrs. Wiley's family and Steiffgal talking to a photographer sent from the Washington Post to cover this sale. As you can see, this very special bear caught the eye of collectors on nearly every continent!)
This black bear also was in breathtaking shape with a very special feature. It retained its Steiff button and featured the company's most desirable "center seam" face construction. In the early 1900's, every seventh bear that Steiff made had a seam down the center of its face to make the most efficient use of the mohair fabric used to create them. The dimensions of the fabric supplied at the time were such that the Steiff could manufacture six full heads from it, but there was some remaining material from this cutting process. As such, Steiff found a way to "patch" these remainders into another head and as such not waste any fabric. This was the first center seamed black mohair Titanic Mourning Bear to come to public auction, as far as this author could unearth. (Here on this picture on the left you can see Mrs. Wiley's bear enjoying some time in her garden. The sunlight on his face makes his center seam especially prominent!)
Steiffgal hopes you've enjoyed witnessing a breathtaking and probably once in a lifetime bit of Steiff history!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more!
Now here's something you don't see every day!Check out this sweet and unusual Steiff bear. His construction is quite distinctive, most certainly reflecting the realities of manufacturing in the era in which he was "born." Four different fabrics were used to bring this happy handful to life!
What we have here is a sweet as a chocolate kiss Teddy baby bear. He stands 22 cm tall and is fully jointed. His face is detailed with brown and black glass pupil eyes and a black hand embroidered nose. His claws are also stitched in black. He retains his original red collar and named chest tag, along with his short trailing "f" button, as his Steiff IDs. Although only he knows for certain, it is Steiffgal's very best guess that he left the factory in Giengen around 1947 or 1948 as he does not specifically appear in any Steiff or Teddy bear reference book she can identify.
Teddy baby has several fabric features that date him to the immediate postwar period. His body, head, and limbs are made from short pile artificial silk plush fabric. According to Pfeiffer's 1947-2003 Sortiment, the company did produce a 30 cm brown artificial silk plush Teddy baby bear in 1949. This guy at 22 cm is much smaller, but could still be his distant cousin. Teddy baby's muzzle and the tops of his feet are made of wartime era wool plush, not mohair. This durable fabric was often used in the place of mohair when it was not available or rationed for military purposes. It is not unusual to find Steiff items traditionally made from mohair from the mid-1930s to early 1950s produced in this substitute fabric. It is also interesting to note that Teddy baby's paw pads are made from an inexpensive, thin linen material. These would traditionally be made from felt, which was also in very short supply in the late 1940s. A loving previous owner has done a wonderful job fixing and stabilizing his linen foot pads with stitches and TLC.
One thing that makes Teddy baby bears so universally precious is their open, felt lined, smiling mouths.And, like all but the smallest versions of this classic pattern, this one also has this charming feature - despite a felt shortage! Steiffgal thinks felt was used here for two reasons.
The first is that it is possible that the company tried to make the mouth in linen, but it just did not look right. It is also possible that linen could not hold the shape or form required for the pattern. And the second is just how visible the mouth is. It is one of the first things you see on this design, and is so fundamental to its appeal. Making the mouth out of felt on this pattern only required a little more than a square inch of material. So many Teddy baby bears could be importantly detailed with just a touch of felt when the company had minimal felt in inventory. This bear pattern usually also has its hands and feet pads made from felt. But in this case, those areas are not nearly as visible, prominent, or key to its design. Creating this pattern with felt foot and hand pads would require about five times more felt than one that just had a felt lined mouth. This Teddy baby is equally as precious with linen pads as he would be with felt pads... at least in Steiffgal's humble opinion!
Steiffgal hopes you found this discussion on this very early postwar Teddy baby bear materially interesting!
Provenance can add such an interesting dimension to a precious Steiff item. Here's the story behind a beloved family heirloom Steiffgal recently handled for a new friend from the western part of the USA. She was looking to find a new forever home for her Grandmother's bear - a gorgeous, 19-teens era cub. Here's his story!
Maggie shares:
"Here is a little history on this bear, which has been in my family for over 100 years. He was given to my Grandmother by her older brother, when he came home from World War I. She said that he had gotten the bear in France. My Grandmother called him Buster, probably after Buster Brown, and my mother and I called him Mr. Bear.
I put the little black ribbon on him when my Grandmother passed away in 1981. He's never been like professionally cleaned or refreshed or anything like that. I can remember my mother once shaking him in a brown paper bag with oatmeal to clean him off, that would be in the late sixties.
I took him once to an open casting call for Antiques Roadshow, but they said that they didn't want to do any stuffed toys that particular season. They valued him at somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000 BUT they misidentified him as being from the early 1920s.
I've had him for a really long time, and he does remind me of my Grandmother, but as I am nearing 60 now, I realize that I have no one to pass him down to. And I know that 99% of what people leave behind ends up at Goodwill. I would just be interested in maybe selling him to someone who collects bears and loves them."
Now here's more about Buster Brown, or Mr. Bear! This handsome dude is 40 cm tall standing, fully jointed, and made from lovely dark blonde mohair. Typical to his era, he has a prominent back hump, long thin felt padded feet, pert proportional brown and black glass pupil eyes, a sort of fuzzy muzzle, and a now faded black hand embroidered mouth, nose, and claws. He is stuffed with excelsior, with a nonworking squeaker in his belly. He has a distinctly sweet and childlike look to him. He retains his long trailing "f" button as his Steiff ID. Given his details and history, this charming cub was born in the c. 1915-1919 time frame. A picture of this bear is here on the left - before he hit the spa.
As Maggie notes, this bear has never had a proper bath in over a century. So Steiffgal got to work on this. With the understanding that every item is different, and that pre-existing condition issues really matters when it comes to cleaning, this bear totally qualified for a light but comprehensive scrub. His mohair and backing were lush and intact, with no signs whatsoever of dry mohair or rot. Using the technique outlined in this blogand/or in this video, Steiffgal gave him a good cleaning and fluff, and now he looks even more marvelous than ever! The picture here on the left is the bear post cleaning. Look how his fur just glows!
Now Buster Brown, or Mr. Bear, is off to his new home, far far away, where he will be loved and cherished forever per Maggie's wishes. And look how happy he looks about that!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
Wow! Talk about a bear-affair! Steiffgal's head is spinning over the results of the Steiff auction held on January 21st through Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH. This sale, which included the first half of the Susan Kilgore Wiley collection, included 195 premier lots, lasted nearly 5 hours long, and had a 99% sell through rate! It hammered at $381,000, with buyer's premiums varying across different selling platforms. Here are the three top selling lots from the sale, and what might have made them so sought after from the collector's perspective.
Here's a hot tip... Steiff's Petsy bears seem to continue to capture the hearts, imaginations, and wallets of collectors worldwide! Lot #6115, a magnificent Petsy the Baby Bear, was the gold medal winner in this exciting sale. He generated 50 bids and hammered at a breathtaking $57,772. He was cataloged in part as:
"One of the highlights of the auction, Petsy-bear, in unused condition, with button, block letters, long trailing f, minimally rests of the white cloth tag label, big ears, seam at the middle of the head, felt paws in very good condition, long snapped off arms, clearly hump, 45 cm, very nice strong colors, exceptional."
So what made this Ted so desirable at auction? Most importantly, more than one collector was determined to add him to their hug! Clearly, he was in wonderful condition, with great coloration, and IDs. He also must had that "X" factor that really called to his new owner. Petsy bears traditionally do really well at auction, especially at Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion. In July, 2022, they sold a most impressive 74 cm version of Petsy for $45,782. Steiffgal also believes that Mrs. Wiley's Petsy has set a new world's record price for a Teddy bear sold at auction in the 21st century.
Taking the silver slot at this Steiff sale was another version of Petsy, this time on a four wooden wheeled cart. This was lot #6071, an astonishingly rare Record Petsy. It hammered at $21,801 and generated nearly 100 bids! He was cataloged in part as:
"Rare Record-Petsy, produced around 1928-1929, length: 25 cm, brown pointed mohair, blue glass eyes, bright embroidering at snout, with seam at the middle of head, with button, block letters, long trailing f, minimally rests of the white cloth tag label, smaller mohair loss at the thighs and at the hand, very nice strong colors of the mohair, red wood wheels, extremely expressive."
Clearly, this Petsy on the go was the wheel deal! Record Petsy was made in 20 or 25 cm from 1928-1929 only. According to Cieslik's Button In Ear reference book, only 1,462 examples were made. Steiffgal has only seen two of these - ever! Unlike full bodied Petsy bears which do appear with some regularity on the secondary market, this prewar pull toy version is the only example Steiffgal can find that EVER appeared online at public sale. That - plus his irresistible presentation - certainly help to explain why he raised so many paddles during this amazing button-in-ear event.
The bronze medal at last weekend's event goes to lot #6187, Steiff's smallest (and arguably cutest!) prewar Record Teddy. It hammered at $8,829 and generated 90 bids. He was cataloged in part as:
"Rare Record teddy, in the small manufactured size, height: 10 cm, 1924-1927, on a self-propelling vehicle with motion, with original drawstring, with button, block letters, long trailing f, glass eyes, a little bit flash rust, mohair is a bit thin."
Again, collectors always seem to go into fifth gear when it comes to Steiff's prewar wheeled novelties. This is the smallest sized version Steiff ever made of its legacy Record Teddy pattern. He really translated well into miniature form, so his petite scale and irresistible presentation most certainly added to his bottom line at this sale. Like his cousin Record Petsy, this guy is amazingly rare - The only other tiny Record Teddy Steiffgal nows of sold at Christies in 2010 for 6,250 GBP.
Steiffgal hopes this auction review has perhaps bid up your interest in future Steiff sales!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more!
Auctions always deliver surprises, and that's one of the reasons many collectors love them! Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's recent Steiff sale, held in the wee hours (at least on the East coast!) of Saturday, September 24th, 2022, produced some really outstanding results - especially on some "under the radar" items. Here are three that bubbled to the top, in the most delightful ways possible.
The first head-spinning highlight from this sale was also the top lot in the entire button-in-ear offering. This was lot #3047, a large, lovely, and important prewar white center seamed bear. It was cataloged in part as, "...bear with seam at the middle of head, with button, block letters, long trailing f button, shoe button eyes, white mohair, bright embroidering at snout, 60 cm, felt paws in very good condition, long snapped off arms, hump, nice bright mohair, voice isn't intact, extremely expressive."
This bear was estimated a €2,500-€5,000, generated 70 bid, and hammered for a whopping €38,000!
This next auction highlight is certain to bring a smile to your face. Here we have lot #3049, an impish, blonde mohair Steiff Dicky bear. He was cataloged in part as, "...with button, red cloth tag label, No. 5322,2, glass eyes, velvet paws, airbrush is partially a bit subtle visible, 34 cm, long snapped off arms, very expressive, mohair is a bit thin at minimally places, otherwise beautiful."
Dicky was estimated at €950-€1,900, generated 81 bits, and hammered for €14,500.
Dicky bears are among Steiff's most desirable prewar novelty cubs. Steiffgal suspects, but has no proof, that the pattern may have been named in honor of Richard Steiff.Dicky bears were produced at a challenging socio-economic period in Germany and designed with features which made them faster and more efficient to manufacture than Steiff's standard line Teddy bears. Steiff's marketing materials described them as, "A new, improved, and less expensive Steiff Teddy Bear. Attractive design, newly formed head, strong squeeze growler, soft filling, blond or white mohair with painted pads, movable head and joints, famous workmanship." This fine example had a great attitude, retained its premier and fully legible red ear tag and Steiff button... and clearly radiated an "X" factor which spoke to many bidders!
And three's a charm with lot #3037, a terrific Ted from the mid 1920s to early 1930s timeframe. He was cataloged as, "...exceptional, pre-war era, with button, block letters, faded, red cloth tag label, glass eyes, bright embroidering at snout, white mohair, exceptional size, 75 cm, clearly damages at the felt paws, long snaped off arms, hump, nice, bright mohair, scattered mohair loss, very expressive."
Big Ted was estimated at €1,200-€2,400, generated 55 bids, and hammered for €6,700.
This cute cub is good for a few supersized Teddy hugs! He was the second biggest standard sized prewar Teddy bear produced, with the largest being 115 cm. This example - with his oversized glass pupil eyes, fuzzy muzzle, and toddler-esque proportions - perfectly embodied the playful and upbeat aesthetic of "the red ear tag" era. In retrospect, it should have come as no surprise that he caught the hearts, eyes, and wallets of collectors worldwide.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on these three top auction lots has you going for the gold today.
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Is it time to add something really special to your Steiff collection? Of course it is! Then check out the vintage to antique button-in-ear temptations on offer at Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's upcoming Fall Auction. Over 100 carefully curated Steiff treasures go under the hammer on Saturday, September 24th, 2022. The sale offers some breathtaking examples, including several outstanding prewar bears that caught Steiffgal's eye for their rarity and condition. Check out this terrific trio and just try and resist their charms - and backstories!
This first bear highlight can't help but put you in a jolly mood. This is lot #3040, a lovely and distinctly childlike example of Steiff's Happy bear. He has a starting bid of 1,800 euro. This cub is cataloged in part as, "Happy, one of the highlights of the auction, with button, block letters, long trailing f, big glass eyes, pointed mohair, long snapped off arms, clearly hump, 51 cm, here and there places with mohair loss, very expressive, produced 1926-27, small holes at the felt paws, but otherwise beautiful."
Happy dates from a joyful time in the company's product development history - the mid to late 1920s. It was during this era that several of Steiff's beloved named, novelty bears were introduced. These included Teddy Rose, Teddy Clown, Petsy, Teddy Baby, and of course, Happy! Happy was produced for a short time - from 1926-1927 only - in relatively low numbers. As such, examples are very few and far between on the secondary market. That is one of the reasons that this fine Ted - in an important size and in sweet condition - should catch the eyes of enthusiasts worldwide. FYI: the most famous version of Happy was purchased by an agent for the Volpp family at Sotheby’s in London in 1989 for £50,000 to celebrate a wedding anniversary; the underbidder was the British Royal Family!
It's no joke that original prewar Teddy Clown bears top the wish lists of many vintage Steiff collectors. And this next highlight is really dreamy in many ways. Here we have lot #3050 - a charming and petite brown tipped Steiff Teddy Clown - with an opening bid is 1,300 euro. He is cataloged in part as, "Clown bear, with button, block letters, long trailing f, produced 1926-27, 25 cm, pointed mohair, at 1 felt paw a hole, mohair is except of 1 place at the right shoulder in good condition, very expressive, original hat and ruff, 25 cm."
This bear's factory original accessories make him one well attired Ted. But, one question that Steiffgal often hears is, "How do you know the hat and ruff on a Teddy clown are original to it?" Here are a few guidelines. First, make sure that the hat and the ruff have equal wear, loss, dust, or other condition issues to each other, and also to the bear. Technically, the bear, hat, and ruff should be the same age. As such, they should all have had the identical display, play, or storage history. If things don't align in terms of wear or loss, it is possible that the accessories are replaced. Steiffgal has also noticed that original Teddy Clown felt hats are stuffed with excelsior and have a cardboard disk at their base. This is to hold their shape and to secure them in place. Check for these details. And finally, it has been her observation that for the most part, the color of the pom poms on the hat should match the ruff or its trim. If these are not in the same color family, it is possible that some or all of the accessories are not original to the bear.
And finally, this third terrific Ted is one heavy metal favorite. Here we have lot #3055, a fantastic and very early Steiff rod jointed bear. His bidding starts at 3,500 euro. He is cataloged in part as, "One of the highlights of our auction, with elephant button, shoe button eyes, original sealing wax nose, peach-colored mohair, 5 claws, produced 1904, retouched felt paws at the feet, clearly distinct hump, long snapped off arms, otherwise mohair in very nice condition, extremely expressive, extremely rare in this color."
There's nothing not to love about this extraordinary bear. His color is off the charts great; his deep apricot mohair looks lush and still radiant after all these years. He retains his elephant button - as if there were any doubts on his origins or brand! His gutta percha nose is like a tiny work of art with its one of a kind shape and traces of his maker's fingerprints. And his excelsior stuffed body has aged so well. Such tight and heavy filling was necessary to hold his heavy, large metal jointing solidly in place in his torso. Hubba, hubba, hubba!
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on these museum-quality Steiff cubs has given you the warm and fuzzies!
Well, hello handsome! It's been a long time in the making... but a studio sized Steiff Teddy Baby bear named Ralph has finally made it into Steiffgal's hug! Check out this huge and heavy heartthrob and see what makes him fabulous in so many ways.
Remarkable Ralph truly is in a class by himself. He is standing, made from lovely long chocolate brown mohair, 160 cm tall, and arm and head jointed. He is SOLIDLY stuffed with excelsior from head to toe. His hand paw pads are made from a suede-like material. His larger than life face comes to life with brown and black glass pupil eyes; a black hand embroidered nose and mouth; an open, smiling, felt lined mouth; and a light tan mohair inset muzzle. His feet are covered in black felt and Steiffgal suspects that these mommy-made "slippers" cover up some damage on his mohair feet.
Like his namesake, Ralph has all the typical Steiff Teddy Baby design features - on steroids! These include flat feet made for standing, downturned wrists, a chubby belly, and a distinctly toddler-esque personality and presentation. This prehistorically proportioned cub left the factory in Giengen, Germany more than a half century ago wearing a red leather collar with an oversized bell, but those accessories have been lost to time. His silver raised script button is about the size of a US dime and remains in his left ear. It is Steiffgal's best guess that Ralph was probably born in the c. 1960-1967 time frame.
The heyday for Steiff's studio animal production was in the 1960s. In the company's "Display Animals" catalog from the late 1960s, over 70 different models are represented - including this Teddy baby. On his page, which is pictured here on the left, his article number is 0339/15 and he is noted at standing 160 cm or 60 inches tall. It is interesting to note, that although the Teddy baby design has been produced in brown, blonde, and a number of rare mohair color variations since his introduction in the late 1920s, Steiff only rendered their largest display size in brown mohair.
Now, what's the deal with the name Ralph? And why was Ralph's arrival so anticipated? For over 50 years, Ralph lived with a family on the west coast of the USA. Ralph's original owner won him in a contest as a young girl and immediately adopted him as one of the family! She named him Ralph. When asked why, the family said... just because! Perhaps Ralph was the name of a friend, family member, or even childhood crush at the time. Only Ralph knows for sure. And Steiffgal is keeping his name as Ralph to honor his legacy.
Time marched on, and it was time for Ralph to find his next forever home. The family contacted Steiffgal to learn more about their family treasure, and to see if she had a place in her hug for him! Of course she did! But the challenge was moving him from the west to the east coast in a safe and cost effective manner. After almost a year of research and planning, Ralph was packed for a trip to Mars in multiple layers of boxes and made his cross country journey on a large moving van. When he arrived at Steiffgal's doorstep, she could hardly believe her eyes concerning the size and weight of his packaging!
After a long afternoon of careful unpacking, Ralph finally made his proper introduction. You can watch this unboxing on the YouTube video included just above this paragraph. Although loved and cherished as a friend, toy, and confidante, he clearly has many more years of love and joy to give! Steiffgal will give him a good cleaning, fix up a few bumps and bruises on him, and then display him as a crown jewel in her collection.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's studio sized Teddy Baby bear has you living large today.
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