Rare Tiny Sister Steiff 5XJointed Teddy Panda Bear ID

This sweet little girl is the smallest size of Teddy Panda. Although she has only her button, I can narrow her dates of manufacture somewhat. That is because her paw pads are made of suede-like rubber and not wool felt.

Panda’s production was split into two series, the first of which was made between 1951 and 1958, with article number 5315, and the later one was from 1959 to 1961, whose members had article number 5315,00. I don’t know the exact date Steiff switched to the rubber pads, but I think it was in 1955 or 1956. Therefore, Panda could actually be a member of either series—the later part of the first one or the entirety of the later one.

The ”15” in either article number Panda might have had denoted her height in centimeters to the top of her head. She’s a bit shorter than that, measuring about 13.5 centimeters tall, about 5 1/2 inches. There is a good explanation for that slight difference between Panda’s actual height and her height in the catalogue. She doesn’t stand very well, and in order to get her to pose in my numerous pictures, I had to bend her forward a bit. Of course, this lack of stability is not damage, but came about because of the way Panda was put together at the factory. Although I did get her to stand in all of the requisite poses, it was quite a chore. I am guessing you would want to display her seated anyway, so this is not a big deal. Her seated position allows you all kinds of poses; you can vary both her posture and the cute tilt of her head.

The only other thing I can think of to tell you is that Panda has some minor all-over thinning, and even with that, I am not sure how much mohair she had when she left Giengen vs. what she has these 60-something years later. In any case, you should be able to see that what thinning there is does nothing to detract from Panda’s wonderful appearance. Her black mohair is midnight black, and her white mohair is snow white.

Speaking of black and white, Panda’s eyes have very generous black airbrushing around them, and I am guessing that Panda’s face looks pretty much the way it did when she left the factory. Because Panda is so rare, you may not have seen many instances to make a comparison, but I assure you that she is one of the best I have seen.

I have two additional positive things to tell you. Panda is wearing her original ribbon, which is still tacked in place. The color, which I would characterize as coral, does not seem at all faded, and the ribbon has only minimal fraying

Finally, I want to point out Panda’s amply airbrushed velveteen mouth. The rose coloring does not show very well in my various images, so I wanted to make sure you got a better look.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but please write if you have a question. Panda would do any Steiff collection proud, whether it is yours or belongs to that lucky person who would receive Panda as your gift.

And while you are in a Panda frame of mind, check out this little girl’s big brother.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT PANDA 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.