Middle Brother (or Sister) Steiff Black Tom Cat All ID Halloween And All Year Round

I am delighted to offer you another black “tom”cat, (who could just as easily be a “Thomasina”). But I have to start with an explanation and an apology, both of which pertain to Tom’s chest tag. The apology is for my failure to get an accurate representation of the two colors of the tag. The yellow part of the tag in most of my images is OK, even with a touch of variance among them. The red part was much more difficult to get, and I am still not happy with what you see. The best color combination I could come up with is the enlargement of the tag in center my second composite image.

That image of the tag displays the subject of my explanation. As you can see in most of my images, the tag is attached by a plastic “pin” with a rounded top. That pin was not sufficient to hold the tag in place during the course of all my manipulations and poses, and the tag fell off into my hand. 🙁 I tried to reinsert the pin, but it would not cooperate, so I abandoned that effort and reattached the tag with a black embroidery floss thread. I retook my first picture of Tom with the newly-attached tag, and, as I said above, it is that newly attached tag in my second composite image. This attachment looks much better than the original one, and it is much more secure.

OK, on with my description. Although many people refer to this cat and his brothers as “Halloween” cats, to me, Tom is just another neat Steiff kitty. But I present him, as well, for those of you who would consider having him as part of your Halloween display at the appropriate time of year—which is now! His exceedingly rare 17-cm brother is also in my shop. Tom is the next smaller size of the five brothers, and although he is much younger than his brother, he, too, is worthy of your collection.

The “14” in Tom’s article number, 2860/14, faded on his flag, but absolutely legible, indicates his catalogued size in centimeters to the top of his hump. His actual size is 15 cm, about 6 inches. Of course, you need to know Tom’s total height to plan your display, and he is about 8 1/2 inches high to the top of his bushy tail. That height is variable, since Tom’s tail has a wire in it, making it possible to adjust the tail’s position.

This series of Tom was made from 1968 to 1976. I can be a bit more precise, since Tom’s flag is anchored by a “lentil,” incised script button. That button came into use in 1969, so that would be the first year during which Tom may have been made. That is nothing to sneeze at, since Tom could be over a half century old. Despite his age (notice I am not saying “for his age”), Tom is in very good-plus condition. I am not counting his original faulty chest tag attachment against him; I consider that a “birth defect” Tom acquired at the factory. I am refraining from saying his condition is “excellent” because he has a really slight touch of wear, which is mostly along his seams. I can’t even say with conviction that what you see was NOT what Tom looked like when he left the factory. Because the fabric underlying his mohair is black, you can barely see much wear anyway. If you shine a bright light directly on him, you will see what I mean, but the wear is no big deal. I tend to be more conservative than most in evaluating my Steiff animals (and all my items for that matter). I am sure there are some people who would say he is “near mint.”

A few nice things I want to mention are Tom’s original ribbon, which has no fading, essentially no fraying and is still tacked to his neck. Tom has what I believe are all his original whiskers—four on each side of his nose and four in front of each ear. The whiskers on either side are straight and all the same length, but they point in almost-opposite directions. The “upward’ swing of the whiskers on Tom’s right side is more pronounced. I think this is because of the way he was stored. I originally said that this minor issue would be “easy to remedy,” and I have done just that! I will try to get a new picture posted soon.

As I always point out when I am helping one of these fabulous cats find a new home, Steiff refers to him as a tomcat; which is “Kater” in German. I don’t see anything particularly male about him, and if you have a black female cat you want to see represented in mohair, you can call this cat “Thomasina,” as I said above.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but please write if you have a question. I believe that Tom (or Thomasina) is a wonderful exemplar of this popular Steiff critter, and his new owner will be delighted with him, whether he is joining a Steiff, cat, or Halloween collection. And please consider adopting his brother!

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT TOM 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.