Steiff Factory Promotional Moving Display Bear - Never for sale - Very Rare

Description

Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, Steiff produced and serviced large moving display animals for holiday installations and large public displays.  If you spent any time in Europe during any of the holidays, you were sure to have seen some amazing Steiff pieces celebrating the event and of course displaying the amazing creativity of Steiff Germany.
Unlike "Studio Animals" that have always been available to customers, these moving displays animals were never sold.  Unlike their stationary counterparts (Studio pieces), these amazing displays bring the animal to life.  From production to their final days in Europe, Steiff had their own team that would service and maintain these pieces.  They are designed to run for long periods of time, in some cases 24 hours a day.
A special team of Steiff craftsmen built each and every moving display piece for a specific event or location.  Part of this team came directly from the Studio workshop at Steiff Germany.  These were built to be the nicest pieces that Steiff ever produced.
After changes in Steiff management, the decision was made to have these pieces removed from use due to high maintenance cost and potential liability.  They do have motors and moving parts including but not limited to chains and rubber belts.  Not many people agreed with the removal of all of these pieces from Europe.  Keep in mind that Steiff is in business to sell new items that they make every year and the "secondary market" does not directly benefit them financially.
I was able to legally secure the moving displays before they were set to be stuck in the dark back corner of the Steiff archive and I had them moved to the United States.  Import and fees have all been paid and I have had multiple conversations with both Steiff Germany and Steiff US.  What is even more interesting is that after these pieces were rescued at a very high cost financially, Steiff seemed to have a change of opinion.  It seems that not everybody in the company liked the idea of removing some of the most magical pieces of Steiff ever made.
This amazing bear is unrestored, I felt it was very important to keep the piece exactly like it was when Steiff Germany owned it.  It is completely functional and I will convert the unit to any voltage in the world for the new buyer.  As they were built they are 240v, but of course they run perfectly on 120v with a converter.  The bear is just over 6 feet tall and just over 80" tall on the base.  The base is 32" square.
You will never have an opportunity to purchase a Steiff moving display like this again.  There were not many ever made, they were never meant to be sold and this is the very first piece available anywhere.  The piece is heavy and very well built.  It will be professionally crated here in Los Angeles free of charge.  Crating will cost just about 0.00 but again, that will be done free of charge.   Shipping will be via freight and we would be happy to help to set up a shipping company to work with you.  You will only be responsible for the cost of shipping.  If you are located with 150 miles of Los Angeles, shipping will be free.
This bear is in amazing condition.  He smells and looks basically new.  Steiff clearly put quite a bit of work into making sure these pieces were kept in top condition.  The "Steiff Green" base is very standard for display pieces and has not been repainted since Steiff Germany painted it last.
I would recommend to anybody that is going to purchase Steiff to go with "Blue Chip" items.  Purchase rarity and quality.  Collect "prewar" pieces.  Always wait for the impossible piece.  If you follow these rules, you collection will retain the money you put into it and then grow.  "Limited Edition" new releases rarely go up in price, if you love them then follow your heart and purchase the piece.  If you want to be able to have Christies or a major auction house want to sell your pieces down the road, you need to have exclusive rarities.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.  I am one of the foremost Steiff experts in the world and I want you to be thrilled with your purchase.
SteiffBear - YouTube
Video will open in a new window
[isdntekvideo]