Rosalie's Steiff & More

Rare Middle Brother Steiff Bison ID Three Years Only

$189

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Fabulous and Rare Vintage Steiff Animals and the Occasional Silver Antique
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Is it possible to be ugly and adorable at the same time? I live in Illinois, near a huge bison herd, and I have to tell you, they are not good-looking animals. And, as Steiff critters always do, this guy looks very realistic. Yet, he also has that Steiff cuteness look to him that is so endearing. This is the middle size of the three sizes this rare critter came in, and, if this introduction looks familiar to you, I started my description of his baby brother, also looking for a new home, the same way.

Actually, Bison’s look is more melancholy than cute. I guess that’s because of his wear issue, which I will discuss. First let me give you some history.

The bison of this design were made for a very short time, and I have had limited experience with them. Because this guy has only his chest tag—in beautiful condition—I don’t know which of the two possible article numbers he had on his flag. The US-only model had number 1317,90, and the worldwide model’s number was 1317,00. The total production time for both models was only three years—1960 and 1962-1963! In the case of either number, the “17” designated Bison’s height in centimeters. Because of his pose, I have taken Bison’s measurement to his hump and not to his head. He measures about 6 1/4 inches high that way, which is very close to the catalogue.

OK, now for the reason for Bison’s melancholy: He has some overall wear in his longer mohair. I am showing you the two worst areas as enlarged insets next to the full-body pictures that contain those areas. This allows you to see them in context. I don’t know whether calling these areas “wear” is accurate; I guess they could be nibbles from hungry moths. Bison’s longer hair is beautifully colored—blond at its base and auburn starting about midway up—and his body airbrushing is nice too, but I want to be clear; Bison has other areas of missing mohair, which I am not showing you; I just wanted to bring your attention to those I think are the most extensive. Interestingly, while the hair missing on Bison’s left cheek is one of them, it really does little to subtract from his display appeal, as I think you will agree when you look at my second composite image. Since I am guessing you will display him facing front in your vitrine, he will still look quite “nice.” I put that word in quotes since he is a bison, after all. ;-)

I do want to mention something else about Bison’s display. Steiff has designed these animals to be looking down, not straight ahead. I think you would probably want to look into those melancholy glass eyes. You could do that by putting a small box under Bison’s front legs to position his face in a way that allows you to meet his gaze. As I say, the wear on his left cheek will not create an aesthetic problem.

Also, not an aesthetic problem, because you cannot SEE it, is Bison’s muteness. You can feel his squeaker depress when you press on his belly, but the only sound that produces is the crunch of excelsior. Looking at him on display, you, or any other admirer, would not know whether he made a sound or not.

I think I have covered everything you’d want to know about Bison, but please write if you have any questions. He is a rare and fantastic beast, and one that should be in every serious Steiff collection. Please consider keeping him and his little brother together!

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT BISON OR ANY OF MY OTHER STEIFF ITEMS, PLEASE BE SURE TO SEE THE ARTICLE I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT STEIFF ID FRAUD—INCLUDING COUNTERFEIT CHEST TAGS—(AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR COLLECTORS). YOU WILL FIND THE LINK ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF MY SHOP HOME PAGE UNDER “FAVORITE LINKS.” IF YOU HAVE NOT LOOKED AT IT RECENTLY, I UPDATED AND EXPANDED IT IN DECEMBER, 2024.

****!!!!YOU MUST READ THIS!!!!**** If you are buying more than one item from me, you can save on shipping. To complete your purchase, it’s safest to say you will PAY BY CHECK. If you want to use PayPal, I CAN CHANGE TO PAYPAL WHEN I SEND YOU AN INVOICE.
Item id: rl-3060
Color: Brown, Champagne, Gold, Maroon
Item type: Vintage
Fine plush age: Post 1950