Tiny Sister Rare Steiff Seated Rough Collie All ID Made For U.S. Market Only In 1960 Only

This rare puppy is the smaller of the two sizes of the seated collie Steiff produced, and, with this article number, 3312,90 (faded, but absolutely legible on her flag) in 1960 ONLY, and only for the U.S. market! I am guessing that the U.S. market “test” was successful, because Steiff brought out three subsequent series for a worldwide market, although, if you go by Pfeiffer’s information, not immediately. The first worldwide production started in 1962, and, with other gaps, was produced only until 1969. These dates also apply to Collie’s big seated sister.

This same bifurcated production history also applies to Collie’s reclining sister (again, made in two sizes), the smaller of which you can see in my last image. Lest you get confused, I refer to her reclining sister in my last image as her “big” sister, but only because the reclining collie is bigger than this little girl.

The “90” in Collie’s article number is what indicates she is from a special market. The “12” in her number indicates her catalogue size, which I believe means measured to the top of her head. Collie is slightly shorter, measuring approximately 11 centimeters. If you do include the tips of her ears, she is, indeed, just about 12 centimeters, or just under 4 3/4 inches high. Since you’d want to know her total height for deciding on the proper display place for her, this latter measurement may be more useful. However, there is not much difference between 11 and 12 centimeters. 😉 In any case, since Collie is so tiny, you should not have much trouble finding an appropriate display space for her, no matter how you measure her.

Back to Collie’s flag, itself; I will note that it is somewhat worn around the bottom of the button and tends to flop forward rather than jutting stiffly out and away from her ear. I considered (but rejected the idea) of giving her flag some additional reinforcement by putting a stitch or two through the flag and fastening it more securely and directly to her ear. I decided against this because I don’t believe her flag is in any danger of tearing away from the button at that point of wear. I say this because I assume that Collie will join the collection of an adult, who will safely display her away from the prodding and curious hands of a child.

I had a hard time deciding how to describe Collie’s condition, since almost everything about her is superb! She does have some thinning in her mohair, but on most of her body, this is minor. Collie’s still-very black back shows more thinning than the rest of her, but the visual effect of that can be moderated by how she is lighted. I am guessing that you might want to display her facing front, so you can appreciate her sweet face and glass eyes. And, in that case, her back will not be in view. Even if you display her facing sideways, you get the nice effect of the dark black added to her overall coloring, and you don’t see any thinning; see my third and fourth images. In any case, because Collie’s coloring is fantastic, I would say that she is in very good-plus condition, and I mean absolutely, not “for her age,” whatever that is supposed to mean.

I want to say two other specific things about Collie’s coloring. The first pertains to her gorgeous open mouth. There are a few teeny-tiny stains on her upper palate, and if you don’t see anything but the darker dot that is closest to the right edge of her palate (left as you look at her in my second composite), that is understandable; I can barely see them in person. However, even the dot looks far worse in my closeup picture than it is in person; it is smaller than the head of a pin! Not only is the background felt snow white, but there is substantial rose-colored airbrushing above and below her cute felt tongue. Because her tongue sits right in the middle of her palate, you may not be able to see how much airbrushing there is. I can’t imagine the airbrushing having been any darker or more plentiful when Collie left Giengen more than 60 years ago.

The other thing I want to point out is that the velveteen backs of her cute turned forward ears are midnight black. And, as I just said about her airbrushed mouth, the color could not have been any different the day she left Giengen.

Collie would be a terrific addition to your collection, even if, like me, you are a “cat person” (in whose collection is Collie’s identical sister). ;-). If you are thinking of Collie as a gift for that Steiff or collie person in your life, I think this puppy would delight them. Please write if you have any questions.

My “cat-person” credentials do not prevent me from also owning Collie’s reclining sister, a relative of whom can be seen in my last image. Please consider adopting them both!

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT COLLIE 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 JANUARY, 2023.