Stuffed Pomeranian a Steiff toy from 1930s
By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
Q. I acquired a Steiff animal a few years ago from a relative and wondered how much it might be worth. It is in fair condition and still has the yellow collar tag that reads “Zwergspitz.” It also has the Steiff button in its ear.
A. A “Zwergspitz” is more commonly called a “Pomeranian,” “Pom” or “Pom-Pom.” This dog breed is descended from the larger German spitz, and the Pomeranian name is derived from Pomerania, a region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea that is now divided between Germany and Poland.
The popularity of the Pomeranian can be traced to the British royal family. Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, owned two that were depicted in paintings by Thomas Gainsborough. But at that time, the Pomeranian was a larger animal — Charlotte’s dogs weighed between 30 and 50 pounds each.
Soon after, Britain’s Queen Victoria became the most important proponent of the Pomeranian breed; she bred them in such a way that their size was reduced to something like 12 pounds. She tried to import the smallest Pomeranians she could and also tried to acquire these animals in a variety of colors.
We have covered the story of Margarete Steiff and her stuffed toys in the past, so we will only briefly touch on it here. Born Appolonia Margarete Steiff in Giengen, Germany, in 1847, she developed polio as a toddler, but survived and lived her life in a wheelchair.
“Gretle” — as her family called her — attended grade school and learned to sew from her two older sisters. Margarete learned to operate a sewing machine and, along with her sister, Pauline, established a home-based enterprise making women’s clothing.
By age 32, Margarete was making felt clothing and outerwear under her name. In 1880, she crafted elephant-shaped pincushions as gifts for family and friends. These were so popular that they became the basis for the later toy business.
In 1889, she moved her operation to a toy factory. Brother Fritz joined the firm as a sales representative in 1893, and many of the later animal toys were based on sketches that her nephew Richard made at the zoo.
Margarete Steiff GmbH is still in business, but collectors tend to prefer the items made before 1950. Steiff manufactured many versions of the Zwergspitz over the years, but this standing version, with its white mohair coat, brown and black eyes, and black stitching, appears to come from the 1930s.
We are concerned about the description of the condition of your Steiff Pomeranian as just “fair.” Condition is everything in these pieces, but we cannot see what the problems with this particular example might be, if any.
On Oct. 13, 2010, a Steiff dog exactly like this one sold for $395 at Christie’s in London. If your dog is in a similar condition, it should have an insurance-replacement value in the $500-$600 range.
Ÿ Contact Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 18350, Knoxville, TN 37928.