The heartwarming antiques . . . the story of Steiff animals

Stuffed toy animals by Steiff are as heartwarming as the story of their creator, Margarete Steiff.
Born Appolonia Margarete Steiff in Giengen, Germany on July 24, 1847, it was soon discovered that she had polio and would be bound to a wheelchair.
Her parents, who worried so much about her, had little idea that their cheerful little child would go on to create an international business that would involve their whole family and still be operating to this day.
It all started when Margarete was 9-years-old, and demanded to be sent to seamstress school even though she had limited use of here right hand. By the age of 17, she was earning a decent living making ladies’ clothing. So her father outfitted the first floor of their home as a shop for her.
Two events happened that changed the course of her little business.
The first was in 1880, when looking around for ways to use scrap felt, she noticed a pattern for an elephant pin cushion.
The few she made sold so rapidly that she made a bundle of them around Christmas time that year. Without realizing it at first, Steiff had invented the first “soft” toy for children.
Steiff was soon making a whole menagerie of animals and selling them throughout Europe. So she was ready for her second big business opportunity.
That came in November, 1902, When President Teddy Roosevelt called out, “Spare the bear!” refusing to shoot a bear while on a hunt.
The event was immortalized in a cartoon by Clifford Berryman in the Washington Post. That cartoon, along with a stuffed bear for sale, soon appeared in Morris and Rose Michtom’s shop window.
“Teddy” bears became the “in” toy that Christmas, and with a stuffed toy business already up and running, Steiff was well prepared to take orders. She sold 3,000 of her bears in 1903.
Steiff bears are recognizable by their distinctive features–long snout, slightly humped back, long thin arms with curved wrists and paw that hang down below the hips.
The earliest Steiff animals are made of felt stuffed with lambs wool. Later they were made of velvet, wool, or mohair stuffed with felt scraps, excelsior (soft wood shavings), or kapok (a common filling from the silky fibers of the cieba tree).
Steiff animals are not marked until 1897, when they sport a paper label with an elephant logo. In 1900 that changed to a circular tag featuring the same elephant that was used until the end of 1904.
An ear button, blank or with an elephant logo, appears on Dec. 20, 1904, and is used throughout 1905. It’s a rare find.
More common is the ear button used from 1906 until the late 1940s. It has the name Steiff with an underscored, trailing “F.” Since 1950 the company logo has been an ear tag with “Steiff” in raised letter script.
Collectors, of course want the oldest Steiff animals in the best condition possible. Prices range from $50 to $500, and average in the $100 to $200 range.
Steiff animals are wonderful collectibles for investing in the decor of a child’s room, or just to be a kid again yourself. They are warm and cuddly and their story is inspirational. Look for them whenever you’re in an antique shop. They are always well worth the price.
Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments or appraisal requests with photo to: aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.