Description
Made between 1954 and 1957 this is an older vintage Steiff Leo the Lion in medium size measuring 14″ east to west when sitting if tail is close to body. With tail extended he measures larger. Height is 6″ from top of mane to bottom of body. All mohair seems to be intact. It has a partial original hang tag which reads Original Marke helping to identify it as 1954 to 1957. There is no ear button. Also confirming the age is the following: hand stiched inverted Y mouth with black embroidery floss, 2 color glass eyes, translucent whiskers, “crunkchy” stuffing, honey blonde hues with the mane having darker ends. Dark brown airbrush work behind paws, ears and on face. There are no bald spots. See photos of all angles. There is a very old jagged stitch repair underneath the body shown in photos. There is also a very small spot on back spine which may have expertly stitched many years ago but you can’t see any stitching. So, not sure if it’s stitched or just a little normal age wear. Other than this it is excellent condition. Nice big large fluffy mane is also all intact. It came from an estate decades ago where it had been well kept over the years. This is a lovely older vintage Leo the Lion is a full 14″ medium size for your antique and vintage Stieff collection.
Identifying Leo the Lion Chest Hang Tag AI:
The Chest Tag (Varies by Exact Year) Steiff updated their round cardboard chest tags right in the middle of the 1950s. Depending on the exact year your Leo was made, his chest tag will say one of two things:Early 1950s (1949–1953): The round chest tag features a bear head design and reads “Original Steiff” arching over the top. Mid-to-Late 1950s (1953–1971): The chest tag was changed specifically to feature the animal’s name. For this era, the tag will prominently say “Leo” in bold red text. A Helpful Tip on “Original Marke” If you are seeing a tag that explicitly says “Original Marke” with a picture of a bear head, that is typically a paper chest tag used primarily on classic Steiff Teddy Bears and a few select animals from the LATE 1940s INTO THE EARLY 1950s. While Leo lions usually received the standard “Original Steiff” or named “Leo” chest tags, Steiff factory crossovers did occasionally happen.
The primary differences between the 1951-1953 and 1954-1957 Steiff Leo Lions lie in their jointing and ID tags, as the 1954 redesign introduced new cub lines alongside the established, fully jointed models. Both eras utilized spotted mohair, but production focus shifted.Key Differences at a Glance1951–1953 Line: The standard release during this initial post-WWII window was the “Young Lion” (Jungloewe), a 5-way disc-jointed cub available in sizes from 10 to 15 cm. They had block-lettered script buttons.1954–1957 Line: Steiff expanded Leo options, continuing the 5-way jointed cub (often the 10 cm and 15 cm sizes) but heavily introducing new lines like a standing cub and reclining cats. The ear button also transitioned slightly in style on the yellow ear flag.Markings & IDs: Identifying these exact years relies heavily on the “Button in Ear”. The 1951–1952 lions featured Steiff’s block letter button. From late 1953 onwards, the iconic raised script button became the standard. Furthermore, pieces manufactured from mid-1953 to late 1957 might feature a “US-Zone” tag in the leg seam for export to America.
