Rare Early Series Steiff 5xJointed Little Brother Gold Original Teddy Bear All ID

This gorgeous golden guy joins several of his Original Teddy (OT) relatives in my shop, now making all four colors of this all-time favorite bear available to add to your hug. He is the next-to-smallest OT brother in his family, and he is the earliest OT produced, not long after WWII. You know this from his article number, 5315. The “3” is hard to read in my picture, but you can make it out in person.

Teddy’s entire production spanned between 1950 and 1958, although his blue-printed name on his chest tag means that he was not made before 1953. Because the name “Steiff” in printed above the word “original,” it is very likely that he was made no later than 1955 or 1956. The “15” in Teddy’s article number indicates his catalogued size, determined by measuring to the top of his head. He is not far off, measuring 14.5 cm. high, about 5 3/4 inches.

Speaking of the top of his head, although Teddy is standing unaided in all of my pictures, that was somewhat of a challenge to persuade him to do. The anatomy he was given at the factory makes his legs bend toward the middle instead of heading straight down from his hips. His hips are the same height along his sides, and his legs are the same length, but to get him to maintain a standing pose, I had to pull his legs outward away from each other (and get them to stay that way!). I believe that even this next-to-smallest OT was designed to display seated. I always like to challenge myself when I am photographing them to see if they will stand. Teddy’s seated size will depend on what posture you give him, of course.

Teddy has a couple of, really minor condition issues (and I am NOT counting his anatomy, since he got that at the factory). The subtraction from perfection is very slight, so I am comfortable saying that he is in excellent condition (and I don’t mean the silly “for his age” that others use).

Teddy has some all-over thinning to his mohair, and I am not even sure that he did not already have some of those areas when he left Giengen. Teddy has no major areas of wear; nor, as sweet as he is, has a moth ever kissed him. 😉

Teddy’s second “issue” is his ribbon. But I would say that his ribbon is still in very good condition. It has some fraying and fading, although the color of Teddy’s ribbon is still what I would call a dark salmon. Another positive aspect of the ribbon is that it is still anchored to Teddy’s neck and chest.

Speaking of Teddy’s chest, there is one other thing I will mention, but like his anatomical issue, his chest tag’s off-center placement is something that he got from the seamstress who put him together. If you have hangups about symmetry, I guess that could bother you, but I believe if you pose him sitting, as I have suggested, you could minimize the asymmetry to some extent. Teddy is otherwise so wonderful, it would be a shame if you passed up the opportunity to make him yours because of that! The tag, itself, is in excellent condition.

I do want to comment on Teddy’s gorgeous gold color. It is absolutely uniform, with not a hint of fading. To the extent that some parts of him may look different in color from other parts, my lighting is at fault.

The only other thing I want to add is the fact that Teddy’s dark amber eyes are glass, which you might have surmised because of his production dates.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but please write if you have a question. Teddy would make a fantastic addition to your hug, or to the hug of the lucky person who receives him as your gift.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT TEDDY 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.