How to Buy a Steiff Animal

Learn about the history of Steiff by visiting Web sites or going to the library. Pioneered by German seamstress Margarete Steiff in the 1890s, Steiff animals have a century-long history.

Learn about what makes Steiff bears identifiable - the button in the ear, for example - and different.

Know that each Steiff bear is handmade. Up to 30 small sections of fur fabric are sewn together for each product, and a teddy bear's nose can take 15 minutes to sew by hand.

Learn about how Steiff bears are classified and valued by collectors. Values are determined by a complex combination of factors including animal number, year of introduction, introductory price and year retired. In most years since 1980, Steiff has offered a range of collector's items including miniatures, "Classic" products and replicas of former favorites (some in limited editions complete with numbered certificate and presentation box).

Decide on a bear and allocate a budget - always an important step when dealing with collectibles.