RARE Gray Version Earliest Year Of The Earliest Production Tiny Adorable 5xJointed Steiff Niki Hase Rabbit Bunny 2 IDs

I am delighted to introduce you to Niki in his smallest size and this rare gray color. And, as his complete flag demonstrates with its early font and wording, Niki was almost certainly made during 1952, the first year of production of his earliest article number, 5314. That series ended in 1958.

Niki’s flag has the format (words and font) of flags going back decades before WWII. The early 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. Niki’s chest tag would have had his name printed in red ink.

The ”14” in Niki’s article number indicates his catalogued size to the top of his head in centimeters, and he is not far off that number. He measures just under that at 13.5 centimeters, or 5 3/8 inches. If you want to display Niki standing, you’d want to know his total height with ears included. Niki measures 6 3/4 inches high to the tips of his ears, and his seated height depends on what pose and posture you want to give him.

Niki has several “issues,” but I believe his rarity and cuteness make him a desirable addition to your collection nonetheless. His main gray color has faded, although you can see he is most definitely gray. He also once had lots of brown accents, most of which are gone, although you can see the brown spot above his tail and the curved brown areas that almost completely surround each of his glass eyes. Those are probably as strong as they ever were and nicely enhance Niki’s expression.

I have mentioned Niki’s eyes, which started out as clear glass. The backs of his eyes were then painted, with brown for his irises and black for his pupils. I am showing what happened to his right eye in the large inset in my fourth composite image. You can see that some of the brown paint on the back of that eye has apparently worn off, leaving the clear glass showing. I can’t think of how that would happen AFTER his eye was attached to his head, and if the eye was defective before a seamstress chose to use it, why did that happen? In any case, that little missing area of Niki’s right iris is no big deal and is really not that noticeable on display. Like everything else I am telling you, I just want to be complete.

Returning to Niki’s ears, their insides are lined with velveteen that was originally white and is now a very pale orange, actually much less intensely orange than my pictures make it look.

Still staying on his head, there is wear in the longer mohair that surrounds the lower part of his head and comes around to the sides to form sideburns. Actually, compared to the wear of that same longer hair that covers Niki’s (still cute!) bunny tail, the hair on the back and sides of his head is not too terribly worn.

Niki has very little wear in the shorter mohair that covers most of his body; what there is is mainly along the seams.

Finally on the issue of wear are the felt soles of Niki’s feet. While the color of the felt is still a nice ripe cantaloupe, it does show some wear, especially on Niki’s right foot. I am showing the large inset version of that foot in my sixth image. The wear does not go all the way through the felt to make actual holes, but the surface shows some thinning, revealing a hint of the excelsior stuffing below—not of the excelsior itself, just a darker color showing through some of the felt. I am not sure how that would have happened, even if Niki were a child’s toy, but I can’t see how the wear would get any worse, and like everything else, I just want to mention it.

Since I am nitpicking poor Niki to pieces, I will tell you that his ribbon is my addition.

OK; I am finished with all Niki’s issues, which are numerous, but they aren’t so bad in terms of their effect on Niki’s appearance and his desirability as a collectible rare Steiff animal. I do want to end on a positive note—two actually. Niki has all eight of his original whiskers, four on each side of his nose. They are straight and equal in length. And staying on his face, Niki retains that little dab of rose-colored airbrushing, under the upside-down floss “v” depicting his mouth.

I believe that each of the condition items I have mentioned is minor and would, by itself, not be a serious detraction. However, because there are several, I wanted to be sure I pointed them out to you. Notwithstanding everything I have told you, and as I said initially, I believe this rare little bunny is worthy of your collection. Or if you can bear to let him go once you see him, the person who receives him as your gift will be delighted.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT NIKI 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.