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florida 
Hello Teddy Talkers!! I went out to check the mail today expecting my AP scores and instead found a tiny little package from my grandmother who lives in Pennsylvania. I was surprised to unwrap a little 6 inch bear!! 
. My grandma included a note which says that he is a Steiff bear that she has had for many years, my great grandmother gave him to her son when he got married to my grandmother She also said that it was made in Germany and she saw one at an antique auction house years ago that was selling for $125. So I have an estimate on how old this little guy is.. does anyone know a more exact date maybe and the history of this bear? I would be very curious to know! Thanks so much! 
florida florida Here are two other animals which my great grandmother gave me, she says they are steiff but they do not have the button in the ears which makes me wonder. they have the same feel though and im pretty sure are made of the same exact material as the bear. 
Cool gifts! The bear is indeed a Steiff, but the others don't look like Steiff to me.
He's an Original Teddy--probably the 15cm size--anywhere from 1950-1966, according to the book I have. (Can you make out any of the writing on the yellow tag?)
The price your grandma told you might be just about right. It might be fun to watch auctions for similar bear on ebay to get an idea.
Becky
Braille TeddiesOh how very cool. I bet you're all kinds of excited.
florida Thanks Becky for the information! I found a similar looking bear on an ebay auction and indeed it says he is from the 1950's!
http://compare.ebay.com/like/3207076410 … r&_lwgsi=y
The tag is so faded... I think it says 432 but I can't really be certain, my eyes might just be playing tricks on me. The button definitely says Steiff though. I wonder what the numbers mean?
florida I was looking at the dog carefully and noticed a small hole , i can see that hes filled with what looks like wood shavings. If hes not a Steiff I wonder what he could be. The rabbit also has a bell inside it , he jingles when you move him.
The numbers identify the bear and the size. If yours is the 15cm model, his number would have been 5315 (or 5315,01 in later years). The smaller 10cm bear was 5310, and the 22cm bear is 5322.
For the pup and the bunny, there are many other possible makers, but they're probably from the same time period. The dog looks something like Steiff's "Cockie" (cocker spaniel), but it looks like a knock-off from what I can see.
Becky
florida Thank you for the wonderful insight 
Hi, I believe your little dog is a Steiff, possibly an open-mouthed Molly or Cocky. The bunny could well be Steiff also, as they made a myriad of different styles in the 1950s and we are always seeing 'new' ones in our dealings with other collectors! Hope this helps!
BeauT BearsIn the first decade after WWII many Steiff animals/toys were produced in Germany in the US Zone, at that time understandably lived in by many US military people. They sometimes bought (Steiff) toys for their family at home in the US. Your bear is definitely a Steiff original and I think the other animals as well, although I am not sure about the period they were made. If your bear is a US Zone made bear you might find (the remains of) a white label reading 'US Zone Germany' under one of his arms. If, however, he was hugged very much there is a chance that you cannot find this label anymore (sometimes people removed it because they thought it was not nice to look at). My mum took the scissors and cut this label from my '52 Steiff bear my father bought for me when he was in Germany, but I do remember my bear having this lable. O, and my younger brother had a Steiff lamb (at least I think it was a lamb) which had a bell inside, like your rabbit.
Just cherish your little gems, they are not only historic, they are part of your own family history!
By the way: sorry for this late reply. At the time you posted this item I was busy with quite other things.
florida WOW thank you for all the information Marianne and Jo W !!! That matches up so perfectly.. I am amazed.. indeed I did have relatives living in Germany in U.S. army bases at the time! Unfortunetly I couldn't find any tags under the arms but I think you could be right about them being removed, these guys have been well loved over the generations 
. Thank you again, I cannot wait to share this news with my family! :dance:
What a great little bear, Heidi! That's a wonderful, loving gift from your grandmother. I have a little white Steiff who is unjointed; I think I bought him at a doll and bear show many years ago. Enjoy your bear and dog and bunny!
