Adorable Tiniest And Earliest Steiff Hexie Dachshund Puppy Dog All ID

Although many of my Steiff kitties have been adopted recently, the remaining few are annoyed. They think the canine population of my shop is fine the way it is, and there is no need to offer a new puppy to you for adoption. Yes, I do, indeed, consider myself a “cat person,” in life as well as in Steiff collecting, but little Hexie is so adorable, I had to give her a chance to find a new home.

Hexie is the smallest size of the four in which this dachshund pattern was made. The catalogue lists her as 9 centimeters tall (and this is to the top of her head). Because Hexie’s head is so sweetly cocked to one side, she is a tiny bit more than her catalogue designation on her right side (left as she faces you) and a tiny bit less on her left side, averaging to about 3 3/4 inches tall. Her head is stationary, but this sweet coy twist makes it appear that it swivels.

Hexie’s article number indicates her 9-cm size as well as the fact that she is the earliest made of this smallest of four sisters. The very bottom of Hexie’s flag is gone, but you can clearly see her number, 1309,0. You can also see another indication that she is early (or rather NOT see it ;-)); the name “Steiff” is printed above the word “Original” on her flag, but I did not want to risk damage to the flag by pulling Hexie’s ear up any further.

This series of Hexie was made between 1954 and 1958, which makes her over 60 years old, even at her youngest. Despite (not the meaningless “for”) her age, Hexie is in very good condition. I am conservatively stopping short of “excellent,” because Hexie’s airbrushing is faded. She once had darker accents on her head, face, and ears, and now there is only a small amount on her forehead.

There is nothing OBVIOUSLY deficient about Hexie’s coloring; it is actually very nice for the most part. I know what she must have looked like at one time, because I can compare her with her near-mint sister, who lives in my vitrine.

Actually, I am not totally happy with the way I have rendered Hexie’s color. The amount of red in her coat looks different under different lighting conditions. In general, I would say it is a dark copper color, and, of course, I have no idea how she looks on your monitor. Hexie’s underside is a nice deep gold color, but there are very strong dark accents on her chest. I have neglected taking a picture of that area, but perhaps I will add one later. In any case, know that those accents are there, and they form what looks like the number “8” lying on its side, which takes up the entire space between Hexie’s front legs.

Hexie’s collar passes though the metal ring that holds her chest tag; the grommet covering the hole in the tag (now slightly loosened but still embedded in the tag) is for protection from potential damage caused by rubbing of the tag along the ring. The string that originally anchored the ring with Hexie’s tag to her chest is now gone, but because the ring and grommet are intact, she is not in any danger of losing the tag, because her collar, permanently fastened, is threaded through the ring. The absence of the string that once anchored the ring to Hexie’s chest means that the ring (with attached tag) can move freely along her collar. This is no big deal since you can set the ring in place in the middle of Hexie’s chest, and because you will have her on display, there will be nothing to change the tag’s position once you have done that.

That last paragraph goes down to the level of nitpicking, but I like to tell you everything. One more thing, which is perhaps a little more serious than the attachment of her tag, is the fact that the tag is faded. The red periphery (less so on the top) and the blue ink around the bear’s head are faded, but the blue ink of Hexie’s name appears to be its original color. I would rate the tag about an 8 on a 1-to-10 scale.

This next bit of nitpicking is not an uncommon feature of the little Hexies. In fact, I said what I am about to tell you about the last little pup I helped relocate. Hexie left Giengen left with a comical “birth defect.” The seamstress who put her together made her left rear leg shorter than her right. I have ALMOST totally compensated for this by bending her legs in a way that looks like she is walking. There is still a TEENY/TINY bit of space between her left rear leg and the surface she stands on, but if I had not told you this, you, almost certainly, would not have seen it. Hexie’s stance is stable, and that is really what matters. And, as I said, this is a “birth defect,” not damage.

The only other thing I want to mention, which you might have assumed was the case because of Hexie’s age. But I will tell you that her black and white googly eyes are glass.

I can’t think of anything else, but please write if you have any questions. Hexie is an adorable puppy, and one who should be in every Steiff collection.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT HEXIE 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 MARCH, 2023.