Rare Steiff Mohair Lion Cub (or Maybe Not ;-)) Wild Cat Hand Puppet ID

This handsome guy joins several of his wild cat relatives in my shop, among whom are several other lions and many tigers. Because this puppet has only his raised script button, I can’t say for sure whether his article number was 317 (meaning that he was born sometime between 1954 and 1958) or 0317,00 (meaning that he was born between 1959 and 1961).

There is another unknown feature, which, if it were the case, I would not have referred to him as a “guy” or a “he.” I learned something about this puppet from a Steiff-expert friend in Germany, which I almost did not believe was true, and the reason for my doubt is that it meant that Steiff got “lazy” 😉 and assigned it two identities, which depended on what chest tag was attached.

I had always thought of this puppet as simply the slightly later version of the wool plush lion cub puppet that Steiff made from 1949 to 1954 (and he, too, is looking for a new den; see him elsewhere in my shop). But, thanks to my friend in Germany, I have learned that this puppet could have worn a Lea lionESS chest tag, and “she” then would have been the mate to the Leo lion puppet (who is also in my shop). I say that Steiff was lazy because they did not come up with a design that was a puppet version of the rare seated Lea lioness (also available in my shop!) who has a distinct look. Rather, they assigned a new identity to a previously conceived puppet and gave it the appropriate chest tag. Although I learned of this double Identity before I ever saw a Lea puppet, I have since sold one, and you can see from my last image, that she is identical to the puppet available here. Even better, a new (named!) Lea puppet is now in my shop.

I think I will continue to think of this sweet wild cat as a cub (and call him “LC” for the rest of this description), but I just wanted to share my recently-acquired knowledge with you. If s/he comes to live in your den, you may, of course, assign her/him the identity that seems right to you.

OK enough history. The main thing you should know—and which you can easily see—is that LC is in very good condition! Except for a few tiny moth kisses—and I am not sure the tiny narrow linear area on the bottom of the right side of his back (see my fourth image) is from a moth. It may be that a former user caught a ring or a buckle in the fabric causing a “run.” Whatever it is, it is small.

The three bare areas on LC’s front side are also small; each of the top two circular moth nibbles is about 2 mm wide, and the one at the very bottom on his right side (left as you look at him is much smaller than the others; I even feel a little silly bringing to your attention.

Actually, I’ve decided to add a “plus” to my condition evaluation, since those small bare areas are all I have to tell you that is in any way a detraction. And, LC’s wonderful condition is not “for his age” (whatever that means). If you want to bring age into it, you can say that LC is in very good-plus condition DESPITE his age.

LC’s coloring is wonderful, both his gold back, covered with tawny baby spots, and his front side. His front is probably a touch less white than what it looked like all those decades ago when LC left Giengen, but its darkening is uniform, and the very light gold color it is now is quite attractive.

LC’s coral-colored embroidery floss nose is perfect and lustrous, and his airbrushed nostrils are strong. Finally he has all 12 of his whiskers, 6 on each side of his nose.

Two final details, which you might have guessed because of his age, are that LC’s beautiful amber eyes are glass, which you could probably tell just by looking at them. The other thing is something you can’t see (unless you have Xray vision ;-)), which is his cardboard finger tube.

If you happen to own a copy of Pfeiffer’s book, Steiff Sortiment, you can appreciate all the more what a special guy LC is. If the only example Pfeiffer could find is the rather pathetic one he has pictured, that tells you something about how rare LC is. Even though his wool plush cousin is earlier and was made for fewer years, I have helped more instances of that puppet find a new home than I have of the mohair LC.

You should now have all the information you want, but please write if you have any questions. Whether your thing is lions or puppets, this wonderful piece of Steiff history will do your collection proud. If you can bear to give him up when he arrives, the Steiff collector in your life will be absolutely delighted. If LC has not finished his Thespian life, I am giving you a few ideas.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT LC 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.