Price guide to Steiff cloth dolls. Steiff have long been renown for their teddy bears and other soft animals, but they have also produced some wonder cloth dolls as well. Steiff was founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, who was later assisted by her brother Fritz.
A Steiff felt German Infantryman doll in Field Uniform, 1916/17 The felt face with centre seam and black boot button eyes, swivel head and jointed at shoulders and hips, grey felt uniform with red trim and brass buttons with crown, leather helmet with brass spike and German Eagle emblem and felt cover, brown oil-cloth boots with Steiff buttons to soles, belt with wooden supply boxes, short sword, backpack and spring loaded rifle, button to left ear, 35.5cm (14in) tall.
Sold for £ 1,250 inc. premium at Bonhams in 2014
A STEIFF FELT GLÜCKSPILZ (LUCKY FELLOW) DOLL, (128), pressed pink felt face, black and white glass eyes, white mohair hair and bears, swivel head, pink felt hands, green and blue integral clothed body, green four-leaf clover mofit, green shoes, red and white spotted detachable toadstool hat and FF button with yellow cloth tag, circa 1937 –10½in. (26.5cm.) high (some fading)
Sold for GBP 525 at Christies in 2010
STEIFF Urboy, produced 1926, felt doll on a three-wheeled vehicle with clock mechanism drive, case is made of sheet metal, wheels are made of wood, maneuverable, 21 cm, button with long stretched F, good readable white cloth tag label, item No.: 9322 (in the literature the Urboy is wrongly mentioned with the item-No.: 9318, but that is the item-No. of the monkeys Urfips. the correct item-No. is 9322, as it was mentioned in the main catalog from 1926 ), svivel head, black glass eyes, whole clothes and cap original, while driving the Boy is pedalling with the feets, clock mechanism is intact, because of the adjustable front wheel the Urboy can drive straigth ahead or in a circle, extremely rare, perfect unused original condition
Sold for €12,500 at Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH in 2018
PAIR, WONDERFUL GERMAN CLOTH CHARACTER CHILDREN BY STEIFF WITH BUTTONS IN EAR
11″ (28 cm.) Each is all-felt with center-seamed face and pressed features, black shoe button eyes, painted brows, accented nostrils, and smiling lips, mohair shaggy wig, five-piece body. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: Steiff (early metal button in ear of each). Comments: Germany, Steiff, from the 1910 series of art character dolls designed by Arthur Schlopsnies. Value Points: wonderfully-preserved little dolls with great expression, original buttons, and well-preserved original costumes.
Sold for $12,000 at Theriaults
