This Pre-War Steiff Siamy Is Simply The Cat's Meow

It's always fun to add a little something unexpected to your Steiff meow mix! And such is the case with this wonderful feline treasure that snuck in on little cat's feet. Steiff's Siamy Siamese cats have been favorites with collectors since their introduction in 1930. Check out this very vintage version and see what makes her purr-fect in every way.

Despite being a bit mohair challenged, this pretty kitty has quite the tail to tell. She is 22 cm, sitting, head jointed, and made from mohair - tan on her body and head, and brown on her ears, muzzle, front legs, back foot pads, and tail. You can see traces of brown airbrushed highlights on her face. Her face comes to life with blue and black slit pupil style glass eyes and a simple pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. Her red claws are also hand embroidered. She proudly retains only one of her original clear monofilament whiskers. She has a non-working squeaker in her belly and sports a teeny tiny long trailing "F" button as her Steiff ID. Sitting, mohair Siamy was made in 14, 17, 22, 25, and 30 cm from 1930 through 1932 and then again from 1934 through 1942 overall. 

Given how many cat-calls she received from collectors, Siamy was produced in a number of forms. She appeared as a tail turns head model in 15, 18, 23, 26, and 31 cm from 1931 through 1933, and in wool plush in 14, 17, 22, 25, and 30 from 1930 through 1932. Siamy-inspired novelties included a 17 cm hand puppet called Punch Siamy that appeared in the line from 1930 though 1934 and a 30 x 30 cm Siamy pajama bag that appeared in the line from 1930 through 1937. The puppet and pajama bag are both incredibly rare on the secondary market.  Steiffgal has only dreamed about the Siamy pajama bag, and has only handled one Siamy puppet in over four decades of collecting all things button-in-ear. 

Siamy used one of her nine lives to reintroduce herself into the Steiff catalog after the company reopened for toymaking business at the conclusion of World War II. However, she was only made in 11, 15, and 23 cm from 1953 through 1954. The post-war pattern had several key design updates over the pre-war pattern. To see these obvious differences, compare the photos above! The cat on the left is a prewar 22 cm Siamy and the cat on the right is a postwar 23 cm Siamy. 

Specifically, these update included:

• The postwar model was distinctively more plump and rounded than the prewar model.
• The postwar model had its tan mohair tail and front legs painted brown, while the prewar model had a brown mohair tail and front legs. 
• The postwar model appeared with either an open or closed mouth. Steiffgal has only seen closed mouthed prewar models. 
• The postwar models had a somewhat inverted triangular shaped muzzle and forehead construction, while the prewar models had a simpler, rounded muzzle. 
• The medium and largest postwar models had felt lined ears and the smallest had felt ears. Prewar Siamy cats all had brown mohair ears. 

But one thing about Siamy's pattern didn’t change significantly over time—she retained her famous trademark blue eyes which continue to melt the hearts of collectors almost 90 years after her debut.

Steiffgal hopes that this little discussion on Steiff's Siamys has been the cat's meow for you.

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

This Tiny, Turn of Last Century Steiff Pomeranian Is The Wheel-Deal Indeed!

What's the "best of all worlds" Steiff find for you? Everyone certainly has their own take on what that might be. For Steiffgal, that would include a small, prewar dog on wheels with ID with an interesting history. So it was a real treat when she was recently asked to help rehome just that from a fine estate in Ohio. Apparently his previous owner had a real life Pom, so its clear why this treasure was a crown jewel in her collection. So without further "pom" and circumstance, check out this petite treat and see what makes her so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.  

This little gal is the wheel-deal indeed. She's an early standing and unjointed 17 cm Steiff Pomeranian on wheels. Her legs, face, and ears are made from felt and her body and tail are made from lovely long mohair. Both started out more white but have mellowed to a vanilla color over time. Pom's adorable face is detailed with prominent seams, early black shoebutton eyes, a thin hand embroidered brown nose and mouth, and a touch of tan paint on her nose. Her legs are quite firm and appear to lined in metal rods to support her. These rods end at the tips of her paws in loops. These loops in turn secure her to the axles that connect to her metal wheels. Each wheel measures about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and has four spokes.

In terms of age and marks, this pretty Pom retains her tiny long trailing "F" Steiff button in ear as her ID. She was produced in 17, 22, 28, 35, 43, and 50 cm (measured top of head to toe, sans wheels) from 1902 through 1929 overall. This design appeared exclusively on metal wheels through 1916/17; as such, she was certainly made at the beginning of her manufacturing time frame.   

Pomeranian dogs are a legacy design for Steiff. The company's earliest felt and mohair Poms were manufactured in many configurations, including sitting, jointed, on a pincushion, and on wheels - like the example under discussion today. An interesting, unusual, and rare five ways jointed version was produced with its legs jointed and attached to the back end interior of the body torso - not along the outside of the hip area as typically seen. A great example of Steiff's Pom pincushion is shown here on the left; this item realized $700 in January, 2018 at a Theriaults doll auction. The photo is from Theriaults.

It goes without saying these antique Poms are charming - and charmed! Every turn of last century Pom that left the Steiff factory in Germany was decorated with a red cord with two pom-poms or tassels. This gave the dogs an undeniably “regal” appearance. The breed does have some connections to German royalty, which may explain why Steiff decorated them like “little kings.” Steiff's earliest Poms also have enormous appeal to vintage doll collectors, who love to pose them alongside antique dolls from the same era.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's early Pomeranian dogs has unleashed your desire to add one to your collection someday!

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

Spinning A Yarn Over This Unusual Steiff Woolen Miniature Teddy Bear

Are you ready for yet(i) another Steiff treasure? This one is so unusual that its hard to believe it was really made by Steiff - but it was, and at a really challenging time in history. Take a look at this small white Teddy bear that Steiffgal recently purchased on eBay. Despite its obvious condition issues, its rarity and unusual form make it simply irresistible!  Come take a look at what makes this "blizzard baby" so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

This "abominable snowman" looking sweetie is actually Steiff's woolen miniature Teddy bear. He measures 22 cm tall standing and is made from white wool yarn "pom-poms" supported by a small wire skeleton in his torso. His coloring has aged to a mellow vanilla over time - perhaps to match his laid-back personality today! His arms and legs are probably string jointed; they hang loosely at his sides but can be moved about. His two half-circle shaped ears are made from white mohair. His very simple face comes to life with two brown and black glass pupil eyes. When he was new, he had a very small black hand painted nose and mouth. He retains his short trailing "f" Steiff button in ear. According to the 1892-1943 Sortiment, this really unusual design was produced in 22 cm from 1936 through 1938. 

It is clear that Old Yeti today has a face only a mother (or a diehard Steiff collector) could love. But it was not always that way. He started out life looking like the bear pictured here on the right. The photo is from Christies, from their October 2010 Steiff sale. He is cataloged here as "A Steiff Wool Pom-Pom Teddy Bear, (5522), standing, white, brown and black glass eyes and FF button with yellow cloth tag, 1936-1938 - 9in. (23 cm.) high." The catalog also notes, "Only 955 examples of this bear were made between 1936 and 1938." This tissue-new example realized GBP 5,250 at auction.

Despite old Yeti's appearance today, you can still make out some of the traditional Teddy bear features Steiff was trying to capture in this woolen miniature version. These are most prominent in the shape of his limbs. His arms do feature clearly curved wrists and suggest small hand paws. And his legs are also defined with proportional feet. These shapes are not wired and it is hard to figure out how Steiff pulled this off using pom-poms, but they did. Steiffgal suspects that the ears are mohair as they would be able to support and sustain a button-in-ear while a pom-pom version could not. You can see a close up of Old Yeti's button in ear here on the left. 

Old Yeti has a great yarn to spin.  He is a part of the company's long history of woolen miniature production. The very first woolies, introduced in 1931, were a series of six birds. Each was a different color and made in 4 or 8 cm. They had metal legs and feet and felt beaks and tails. They wore their buttons and earflags as tiny “ankle bracelets” around their sturdy legs. Soon after, Steiff added rabbits, cats, mice, monkeys, ducks and other animals to their line. Despite their proportions, most had jointed heads and, where appropriate, charming details that included tiny metal legs; felt beaks, wings and ears; colorful slippers; and headwear, including bonnets, top hats and lacy veils. Most of the standard line woolies were made in the 5 to 15 cm size range; this Teddy bear was among the largest if not the largest sized "miniature" produced. You can see a small collection of Steiff's prewar woolen miniature birds here on the left.

Collectors can certainly admire Steiff for trying to create a Teddy bear in the woolie style.  And, given his years of production - when mohair fabrics were in short supply but wool threads less so - could understand why the company would use this type of material in its Teddy bear production strategy.  

Steiffgal hope this discussion on Steiff's prewar woolen miniature bears has added a few Teddy hugs to your day.

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

A Steiff Lesson In Love!

Talk about a class act! In addition to collecting interesting Steiff dolls, Teddy bears, and animals, Steiffgal also has a warm place in her heart for vintage Steiff ephemera - old catalogs, photographs, advertising materials, and other paper items produced by Steiff or featuring Steiff products. There is so much to learn from these snapshots of history capturing one brief moment of time. Check out this antique postcard featuring Steiff dolls in a one room schoolhouse.  It has a alot to teach us! 

It's easy to mail in the basics about this tiny treasure. It measures 5.5" wide and 3.5" tall overall. In terms of its image, its front features about 16 Steiff dolls - one tall teacher and probably 15 students, both boys and girls. It is hard to exactly count the students as some are fuzzy towards the back. The card has the company's circular logo and the words "Steiff Original" printed in red in the top left corner. 

This postcard's cream colored back is set up like a standard postcard. The stamp is red and cream and cost 10c; it is interesting to note that in France at that time it did indeed cost 10c to send a postcard within the country and 15c to send one abroad. All the words on the card are in French. On its left size, the words roughly translate to... "Fine toys of all kinds, specializing in animals and fabric dolls. Max Dieckmann, 24 Paradis Road, Paris. My representative Mr. Buat will be by with samples in late July." On the right side, the words translate to "French Republic, Post Card" and then the recipient’s address in Toulouse. Although it’s hard to make out exactly, the stamp appears to be cancelled out on 10-7-09, meaning July 10th, 1909.

It is Steiffgal's best guess that Max Dieckmann was either a toy company or distributor, and that they made this card from a Steiff company image for their own marketing needs, given its imprint.  Steiff also produced their own advertising postcards, but they would usually have Steiff company information imprints. The postage date and message on the card also perfectly aligns to the era of the featured Steiff schoolroom vignette, which was available via special order in the c. 1909-1910 timeframe. 
 

This delightful display has its design origins in the still beloved "Max and Moritz" book by Wilhelm Busch. One of the famous lines from this tale reads, "Good children in pursuit of knowledge apply themselves at school or college." According to the Cieslik's Button in Ear, The History of the Teddy Bear and His Friends, this village school scene came in two designs, "40" x 29" x 29" with nine 11" dolls as pupils and their teacher; the second display was 65" x 50" x 40" with 13 pupils and teacher. All school furniture and accessories could be ordered from Steiff. In 1910 Steiff sold 45 complete school displays.”  The photo of the village school display above - which appears to be a smaller version of the one shown on the advertising postcard - is also from the Cieslik's book. 

So let's take attendance here. The teacher is Teacher Lempel, a key character from Max and Moritz, who was made in 35 and 43 cm from 1909-19. The students are a mix are the company's delightful youngsters, who appeared in the line in standard sizes ranging from 22 to 75 cm from around 1909 through 1926. The boys are in the front desk grouping; you can recognize "Hans" right in front in his red vest, black paints, white socks, and tie shoes. The boys for the most part seem to be paying attention to the teacher. The girls - except one in the front left clearly on a "time out for misbehaving" - are in the back rows of the classroom. They seem more interested in napping or chatting with each other. The student doll pictured here on the left wears her original Steiff backpack and would be of the style used in this display. Like many of Steiff's first quarter of the 20th century advertising, this photograph is a visual treat - absolutely charming, full of warmth and humor, and shows the characters interacting in lifelike and playful ways. 

The display's details bring it even further to life. It is decorated with a back coat and hat rack; various perfectly to scale framed paintings; a map and globe; a chalkboard on a wooden stand; a light; furnace; and clock. Today, complete, or almost complete Steiff village schoolroom displays seldom appear on the secondary market and generate a pretty penny at auction when they do; Steiffgal knows of one that sold for $50,000 at a Theriault's auction in 2012. 

Steiffgal hopes postcard review has been a lesson in (Steiff) love for you.

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