Rare Adorable Little Sister Steiff Basset Hound Puppy Dog ID

This tiny pup is rare. According to Pfeiffer she was made only from 1961 to 1963, and this was for the worldwide market. But she may be from a special U.S. edition that Steiff put out to test her popularity, as it did for the two sizes of sitting collie. In fact, I KNOW this to be the case with Basset’s two bigger brothers (this pup looks like a girl to me). One brother, the largest size, 22-cm Basset, whose flag said 3322,90, was adopted from my shop a couple of years ago, and the middle-sized basset, whose flag said 3314,90 was reported to me by a customer who was lucky enough to have him in her collection. She could not quite remember the year she received him, but she thought it was 1957 or 1958. Therefore, although this sweet pup’s flag MIGHT HAVE SAID 3312,00, I believe it could have said 3312,90.

Although Pfeiffer’s information about catalogue numbers and dates of production may be incomplete, it is safe to say that there were only three basset hounds made in this design, and this sweet pup is the smallest. If Basset had all of her IDs, I would not hesitate to say that she was near mint, but I have no problem saying that she is in excellent condition.

The “12” in either possible article number that could have been on Basset’s flag denoted her height in centimeters. She’s a tiny bit smaller at 11 cm high to the top of her head, about 4 1/4 inches.

Because I present Basset with lots of big and clear pictures, I don’t have to say very much about why I think her condition is so nice. Her complete mohair coverage and fabulous coloring can do the talking for me. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I am giving you 12 thousand.

If I really want to nitpick, I will note that Basset’s green leather collar as a touch of wear along the edges. Her chest tag also shows a bit of wear in the top layer of paper in the red periphery of the tag. There is also a mysterious puncture hole, just to the left of her name (since it is only one hole, I don’t think there was ever a staple there). Finally, there is some slight creasing on the left of the tag as she faces you. The location of the creases is not a serious threat to the integrity of the tag, as the horizontal crease you often see across the bear’s head, threatening to decapitate him.

These minor defects in the tag would cause me to say that it rated an 8.5 on a scale of 1-10, but they don’t cause me, in the least, to rate Basset anything less than the “excellent” I already said. Of course, you should know by now, if you have ever read one of descriptions, my condition rating is absolute, not relative to an animal’s age. You can find pristine antique Steiff animals as well as recently-made animals who are ready for the trash.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but, of course, please write if you have a question. This rare sweetie will make a fabulous addition to your Steiff doggie collection, or if you are particularly fond of bassets, she should join your others. And, if you are particularly fond of STEIFF bassets, please consider this girl’s two big brothers, who are also hoping to be adopted. It would be fantastic if the family stayed together!

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT COCKIE 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.