Baby Sister Steiff Standing Yellow Duck Duckling Bird STUNNING Coloring 2 IDs

This gorgeous duckling is a rarity among the birds I have helped find new homes; I have done so only twice before. The last 10-cm yellow Ente (“duck” in German) I helped relocate left in 2016, and the only other one was her big sister, way back in 2012. Those two sizes (10 cm and 17 cm) comprise the whole family.

I am calling her a “baby” in my title because earlier series of this duckling had article numbers starting with a “6,” which is Steiff’s way of indicating a young animal. Ente was produced during the final series, and her article number did not retain the “6” format. Although she is from the last series, Ente was not made after 1975, so she is now rare in the secondary Steiff market, not only to me. Ente’s article number is 3250/10, which I am showing you as best as I can in my second (composite) image. Her button’s placement prevents me from lifting her wing any further.

The ”10” in that number indicates Ente’s catalogued size in centimeters. She is actually about a centimeter taller, measuring about 4 1/4 inches to the top of her head.

I do want to make a comment about Ente’s flag, which is crisp and clearly printed on the article-number side. I was NOT drunk 😉 when I took the picture of the button side of the flag. The printing is blurry, something that obviously was caused at the factory. Despite that, it is absolutely legible.

I have told you that Ente was not produced after 1975. The complete production range of ducklings with this number was 1968 to 1975. I can be a bit more specific because Ente’s flag is secured by a “lentil,” incised script, button, which came into use during the second year of the series, 1969.

I am not absolutely certain, but I believe Ente’s eyes may be glass (I always have trouble with the smaller black eyes), and if that is true, it suggests she may be from early in the series. Generally speaking, glass eyes were not commonly used after the mid-1960s. I guess nothing important hinges on this; I am thinking “out loud.” 🙂

Ente is in spectacular condition! And although she may not be far from the half-century mark, I am not rating her “for her age,” whatever that is supposed to mean. I rate all my Steiff animals on an absolute scale, no matter when they were made. If you want to bring age into it, Ente is in spectacular condition DESPITE her age.

Her mohair is complete and nicely colored bright yellow. Her intense brown airbrushed markings could not have looked any different when she left Giengen, and her felt parts are also pristine. Speaking of “brown,” Ente’s cute little turned up felt tail (with separate feathers) is also brown. I admit that her tail is less apparent in my pictures than the rest of her because of my black background; I wanted to show off her bright yellow color. Notwithstanding that, I think you can see her tail fairly well in my third image.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but please write if you have any questions. This sweet bird is not seen very often, and she would be a nice addition to your collection—or the collection of the bird lover in your life.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT ENTE 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, 2022.