Rare Early Post WWII Adorable Little Sister Steiff Molly Puppy Junghund Dog 2 IDs

This adorable puppy has been a favorite of Steiff collectors since she was introduced in 1925. One of the interesting things about Molly is that she seems to be a mutt. She is not identified by breed, but merely called a “Junghund,” German for “young dog,” or “puppy.” I am a “cat person,” and I admit to have learned most of what I know about dogs from Steiff ;-), but I would say Molly has a touch of terrier to her.

This particular Molly is among the rarest of the post-war Mollys. I know that because of her size, which is 14 centimeters, as is by denoted her article number, 3314, on her crisp and easily legible flag. Actually, Molly is just a few millimeters taller; she is 5 5/8 inches high to the top of her adorable swivel head. This Molly is the next-to-smallest of the six sizes that were made.

Molly’s button, by itself, would tell you Molly was born probably no earlier than 1951, although the complete duration of her production in this size was 1949 to 1955. (I just want to mention that Molly’s flag has torn around a bit of the button’s circumference, but the button is not in danger of being separated from her flag or her ear).

Back to dating Molly, her button dictates her probable earliest manufacturing date, but the other end of her date range is the very next year, 1952! I know that because of what else is printed on her flag, and the specific font of the printing.

The words are “Original geschützt.” The second word means “protected,” and such a marking is equivalent to the “®” or the “©” we see all the time for items that are protected by trademark or copyright. Sometimes (and I don’t know if there is an underlying “rule” for when), you see those words abbreviated as “Orig. gesch.” In fact, another early pup in my shop has just such a flag, the gorgeous seated brown and white Cockie. If you look at Cockie (by all means do!), you will notice that her chest tag is printed in red ink. If Molly had retained her chest tag, it, too, would have her name in red.

Molly is very good condition—and I mean DESPITE her age, not the meaningless “for her age!” She has some overall wear to her mohair, most of which is along her seams. One is the seam that runs down her face from the top of her head, and although that seam stops at the top of her perfect and lustrous black floss nose, there is some wear around her nose too. Because Molly’s white mohair is the same color as the underlying burlap-type fabric, the wear does not scream out at you, And, because her hair is long, it can be brushed in such a way to camouflage the wear.

For the reasons just stated, Molly looks sweet and pretty on display. Note, when you look at her face, that not only is her nose perfect, as I said, she even retains small touches of rose-colored airbrushing above her nose and below her mouth (which is perfect too). And the black floss is not the only lustrous thing; Molly’s mohair shines too! And not only does Molly’s white mohair look like it must have 70-plus years ago, but the auburn parts of each strand probably are their original color as well.

Speaking of color, Molly’s ribbon is faded, but it is otherwise intact, with just a bit of fraying, and it is still tacked to her neck.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but please write if you have a question. This rare early sweetie will make a fabulous addition to your Steiff doggie collection, or if you are particularly fond of mutts and puppies, there is no better dog to adopt than Molly. If you can part with Molly once she arrives, she would make a fantastic gift for the Steiff doggie lover in your life.

As you can see in my last picture, Molly’s smaller and bigger sisters are also available for adoption. How wonderful it would be if they all stayed together!

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT MOLLY 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.