RARE GORGEOUS Steiff Middle Brother Stalking Leopard Wild Cat ID 1956-1958 ONLY

Wow! I did not appreciate how rare this guy is. Before I start writing a description, I check to see others I have written in the past for the same animal. I found only one for a stalking leopard of this size, and that was way back in 2014!

My previous lack of experience with this gorgeous wild cat is understandable, since he was only made from 1956 to 1958, fewer years than his two siblings—one smaller and one bigger. Leopard has only his chest tag, but there is only one possible article number that would have been on his flag: 1314,0. I am assuming Pfeiffer’s information is correct.

The “14” in Leopard’s number denotes his catalogued height in centimeters, and he is fairly close, measuring 13.5 centimeters tall, about 5 1/4 inches. I mention this because some time ago, I saw this same size leopard sold online, and not only was he misidentified as the largest one (whose toe demarcations are STITCHED), but to go along with the misrepresentation, he was given a flag doctored to make it look like 1317,0—the article number of the largest leopard. If that case weren’t so sad, it would be comical: an ignorant (and deceitful) seller taking advantage of an equally ignorant buyer. 🙁 This is precisely the reason I wrote my article on Steiff ID fraud (which you can find on my shop home page under “Favorite Links”).

Leopard is in excellent condition, and there are only three reasons I am not saying he is “near mint.” One of those does not actually relate to his physical condition, but I take “near mint” to mean looking like he just came from the factory, which he doesn’t because of his lack of button and flag.

One other “issue” is Leopard’s slight loss of the longer white hair of his left sideburn. You can see from the enlarged insert in my fourth composite image, that the hair is thinner on the right side of the seam.

Finally, is the issue that is almost always at the bottom of my list, which is Leopard’s muteness. You can feel his squeaker depress, but the only sound that comes out is the crunch of his excelsior stuffing. The reason this is low in my hierarchy is the fact that Leopard’s lack of “roar” is not something you would be aware of when you admired him sweetly standing on display in your vitrine.

Everything else about Leopard is spectacular, not least of which is his extended tail with no stuffing settlement! The tail points back to the left, but I don’t count that as a detraction. Leopard’s coloring is amazing, not only are his black rosettes their original black, but the dark brown accents on his face could not have been stronger 60-plus years ago when he left the factory.

I could continue to list more positive attributes, but you can see them yourself in my pictures. Of course, if you do have a question, by all means, write!

Leopard is really striking, and he is sure to make the Steiff cat and/or wildcat collector who is his lucky new guardian absolutely delighted, whether that is you or the person destined to receive him as a gift.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT LEOPARD 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.