Old Antique Toys

This blog discusses old toys from the early 1920's to the end of the 1950's. All kinds of topics are discussed. The time span was the greatest period for "hands-on" toys, where a young child could actually go outside and play for hours at a time. You can see the elegance but simple design of these toys. It was a time when huge machines, and people made and finished toys by hand. The era has long passed, but many of the toys are still around, and that is what I would like to share.

Showing posts with label Rebekah Kaufman. Show all posts

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Revisiting Rebekah Kaufman's Wonderful Steiff Website

Saturday,February 8, 2025

-4°C / 24°F

Overcast and Damp

Revisiting Rebekah Kaufman's

Wonderful Steiff Website

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post for Rebekah Kaufman. Rebekah is an exceptional person who has created a fine business selling Steiff animals. Rebekah is a well-known "expert" on Steiff animals, and has created a fine company buying and selling these famous animals.

Her website is titled "My Steiff Life"

Please click on this sentence to redirect to Rebekah's very special website

For those who don't already know about these renowned collectibles (and of course, for young children to play with), the story begins with the creator of the company - Margarete Steiff. "Margarete was a young woman when she started up her company in 1880. She worked very hard, and by 1897 her nephew, Mr. Richard Steiff joined her company. Richard was an exceptional artist, and he drew many of the sketches that eventually. would be use for the creation of the stuffed animals that would make Steiff a world-renowned company.:"

*I've abridged (shortened) Rebekah's superbly-written and well-researched descriptions. It's truly amazing that Rebekah knows so much about Steiff and its' marvellous animals that. have been around for over 100 years.

Description

"Here we have a simply marvellous 22 cm (8.66 inches) long dachshund brush. His top is made from brown velvet and his bottom is a bristle brush made from

black fibers. He has simple legs and a little dimensional tale.

This great novelty was produced in this size only from 1909-1914 and

was designed as a brush to remove crumbs and. such from clothing or a tablecloth.

This is only the second of its type I've ever handled."

Description
"Here we have Steiff's very early turn of the last century Pointer.
He is 8 cm (3.15 inches)standing, unjointed, and made from tan felt.
He retains his original and skinny tail. His tiny face comes to life
with all original seed bead black button eyes, and a very simple
hand embroidered nose and mouth.

Steiff Incredibly Rare Prewar (WWII) Mohair PJ Bag

"Here we have Steiff's early era pj bag. The bag itself is
30 x 30 cm (11.8 inches x 11.8 inches),square shaped, and made from mohair.
It closes with a zipper and is partially lined with green fabric. It is decorated with the head of Molly the Puppy. The head is made from tipped mohair and cream mohair and measures about 15 cm (5.9 inches)"

"These bags are incredibly rare on the secondary market.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.

Steiff Earliest Prewar Hen Skittle

Here we have Steiff's tiny felt hen as a skittle. She is 10 cm (3.94 inches) standing, unjointed, and made from early and variously colored felt which has been cut
and layered to resemble feathers.Her feet and legs are made from wire which has been wrapped tightly with string to resemble feathers. She has a brown felt
tail, as well asa red felt comb and waddle. Here face is detailed with felt overlays
and tiny black seed eyes. She is mounted on a well turned, brown stained wood skittle.

Her skittles were made from 1894-1914 overall in sets of 9 or 10 pieces. A rooster on a taller skittle who wore a crown and jacket was the kingpin.

The fact that this delicate toys are still around after so much time,
clearly shows the love and demand for these fine toys. They were cherished
and loved by children and adults, thus the very good condition after
so long a time.

For those of you who would like to visit the Steiff website,
please click on the sentence below. You will be redirected to the
Steiff Company website.

Please click on this sentence to redirect to the Steiff Company website

Thanks for visiting my blog, and as always,
have a great part of the day or night wherever you may be.

My name is (Mr.) Stacey Bindman,
and I can always be reached at:

toysearcher@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 Sunny with some snow -7 C. 24.9 F

Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH

I periodically receive e-mails from Rebekah Kaufman, a Steiff historian, Blogger, and Dealer. I had once asked Rebekah for some information about a Steiff doll, and from then on I was on her mailing list. Her blog can be found at mysteiffLife.com. In one of her last-mails, Rebekah wrote about Landenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH, a fairly recent (1989) new auction house. Her e-mail related to an auction, naturally about Steiff dolls, and I decided to check the auction out.

The Ladenburger web address can be found at https://www.spielzeugauktion.de/ as well as on LiveAuctioneers.com

In the "relatively" short time that the company has been in business, it has done very well, and established itself as a quality auction house.

Steiff Bowling Game

Height 15 cm (5 3/4")

Final Price 2400 Euros

Steiff Bear on casting wheels with spokes. Circa 1905, with shoe button eyes,

height 40 cm (15 3/4") length, 45 cm (17 3/8")

Final Price 2000 Euros

Steiff Bear on wooden wheels, button eyes, wooden wheels with Steiff engraving. Length 26 cm. (10 1/4"). Final Price: 6000 Euros

You can also find the results of this auction at:

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/222828_steiff-special-auction/

Thanks for dropping by,

and have a great day.

Please feel free to write to me anytime at

toysearcher@gmail.com

Saturday, May 2, 2020

The Steiffgal (AKA Rebekah Kaufman)

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Overcast

12 C 54 F

The Steiffgal (AKA Rebekah Kaufman)

I've written many times about about Steiff, the famous manufacturer of mohair dolls, and their famous bears. The company is still in existence today, and was founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff in 1880 in Germany. She was a seamstress by trade, but in 1879, she saw a pattern for a small stuffed elephant. She made the first one as a pin cushion, but the cushions became popular among children as toys. By 1886, Margaret had sold 5000 elephants from the original pattern that she had discovered by chance. By 1892, there was already a catalogue featuring all kinds of stuffed animals. After that, as they say "the rest is history"!

I've also come across a very well-known blogger and specialist on these most-endearing dolls, by the name of Rebekah Kaufman. Rebekah has a very interesting CV (Curriculum Vitae/Resume).

Rebekah worked as rthe club manager for the German company Margarete Steiff GmbH in the United states from 2003-2006. Through the end of 2017 she was Steiff's North American archivist, where she identified and valued vintage Steiff on behalf of the company.

She does not have any affiliation with Margarete Steiff GmbH or Steiff North America today,She has managed valuations and sales for unique auctions specific to vintage Steiff dolls, and is also a prolific writer on vintage Steiff.

Rebekah writes articles( print and online) for DOLLS, Doll News, The Steiff CLub Magazine, Worthpoint, and Auction Daily. Rebekah also sells these unique stuffed animals on her website below.

Please click here to redirect to Rebekah Kaufman's website

Please click here to redirect to Rebekah's fine web store

Please do not copy without her written permission

The toy above is one item that is currently for sale on Rebekah's website.

You can see from the description below, just how knowledgeable Rebekah is in her specialty of Steiff merchandise.

"Here we have a totally charming example of Steiff's beloved prewar Molly puppy on wheels.

She is standing, head jointed, and measures 6 inches tall and 8 inches long, not including her wheels or tail.

She is made from long tipped tan mohair and brown tipped mohair. Her floppy ears are "folded over" as they have been since her launch in the mid-1920's. She has oversized brown and black pupil eyes and a black hand embroidered nose and mouth. She rides upon four red wooden eccentric wheels."

Molly on eccentric wheels was made in 7, 19, 12, 14, 17, and 22 cm from 1927-1943 overall.

This example is mostly likely the 17 cm version. She would look beyond awesome posed with a medium

to larger scaled doll from any era.

Below is beautiful donkey, also for sale.

"Here we have Steiff's classic Esel or Donkey. He is 22 cm, standing, unjointed, and made from grey mohair.

Esel was manufactured in 12, 14, 22, and 28 cm; the smallest size was made in velvet from 1950 through 1969 while the larger sizes were made in mohair overall from 1950 though 1961. This fellow has a wonderful, kind, and friendly look to him, and presents in a most charming way."

Please do not copy without her written permission

I'll be writing more in the future about Rebekah Kaufman, but for now I thought I'd finish with a sampling of just some of here Steiff animals that she has for sale at her store on the Internet.

You can visit Rebekah's nice store at the address below

https://www.mysteifflife.com/

And you can also visit her very interesting and informative blog at:

https://mysteifflife.blogspot.com

Thanks for dropping by,

and as always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

I can always be reached at:

toysearcher@gmail.com

Stacey Bindman