Rarest Color AND Earliest Post WWII Model Steiff 5xJointed Dark Brown Original Teddy Bear Red Printed Chest Tag

This rare tiny dark brown Original Teddy (“OT”) joins a slightly larger brother and several cousins of various sizes and colors in my shop. Unlike most of those relatives, he is the tiniest size OT Steiff made. Also, unlike most of his relatives, he is a member of the earliest series of his color. He has just his chest tag, but its red printing tells you his article number was 5310. That series was made between 1950 and 1958, but the angular shape of the of bear’s head means that it is extremely likely Teddy was not made after 1952.

Having mentioned his color, I will note that while the color most certainly is dark brown, it has a distinctly auburn cast. I think that conforms with the dye lot that was used immediately post WWII. I say that because Jockos of that era tend to be the same hue. Teddy’s color is absolutely uniform, with no darker areas in hidden places that would suggest fading.

Now that I have mentioned the issue of fading. I will get to Teddy’s main issue. He has fairly extensive overall wear, although it is worse along his seams. What is interesting to me is the fact that the revealed base fabric under his mohair is MUUUCH lighter than you would expect with such dark mohair. What I don’t understand is how the mohair retained its wonderful dark auburn color with no apparent fading, and yet, the fabric below has faded significantly. In any case, it is possible to display Teddy so that his wear is minimized visually. Such a pose would be to have him in a seated position, as you can see from some of my images.

Talking about Teddy’s display possibilities, I often point out when I am showing you one of these tiniest OTs, who, more often not, cannot sustain a standing pose, that I believe that they were made to be displayed seated (and even the next larger size too). What is interesting about THIS Teddy is that he can stand very well on his own. Obviously, he is the most stable when he is seated, but he can stay upright a lot more consistently than many of his relatives.

Speaking of Teddy’s stance, I should mention his height. The “10” in his article number indicates his catalogued standing height to the top of his head in centimeters. He comes fairly close to that, just over 9 cm., about 3 5/8 inches high. Obviously, his seated posture is variable and would yield slightly different measurements depending on the way you want him to lean.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but please write if you have any questions. I know you will be absolutely delighted if Teddy can come join your hug, or if he will be the first one you've ever adopted. Or, if you can part with him, Teddy would be a super gift for the arctophile in your life.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT TEDDY OR ANY OF MY OTHER STEIFF ITEMS, PLEASE BE SURE TO SEE THE ARTICLE I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT STEIFF ID FRAUD. GO TO “ABOUT US” ON MY SHOP HOME PAGE; THEN CLICK “FAVORITE LINKS.” YOU WILL SEE SOME AMAZING AND UNBELIEVABLE EXAMPLES OF SUCH FRAUD, AS WELL AS OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR COLLECTORS. I UPDATE THE ARTICLE PERIODICALLY. IF YOU HAVE NOT LOOKED AT IT RECENTLY, I UPDATED AND EXPANDED IT IN AUGUST, 2025.

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