Since the beginning of Steiff's company history in 1880, Margarete Steiff and her nephews have kept samples of their newly developed products. Over the years, our Steiff Archive has evolved from this sample store, where we carefully preserve nearly all Steiff products ever made by Steiff – from iconic plush articles to magazines, patterns and wooden toys. Our archive is a veritable treasure trove of Steiff history, often filled with several examples of every item that has ever left our workshops. But after more than a century of growth and tradition, it is time to reorganise this heritage and make it accessible for our future.

Due to the abundance of different articles, it is time to move this treasure to a new home. Our current archive does not offer enough space and facilities for the future. In order to secure our archive in the long term and make it expandable for future Steiff generations, a comprehensive digitisation project is also imminent. Digitisation will not only enable us to quickly identify the most valuable and important articles, but also to make the entire collection accessible and searchable. This is a necessary step, as our archive was previously managed without digital structures and therefore not all articles can be accessed quickly.

This project requires considerable investment, which Steiff will consciously make to ensure that our archive continues to meet the highest standards in the coming decades. As part of this modernisation, we need to say goodbye to some pieces to make room for our future plans. These pieces are primarily items that we own in multiple copies, and we therefore decided to achieve this with some very special auctions.

We are pleased to confirm that the independent auctioneer Ladenburger Toy Auction will offer the items for Steiff in auctions, soon to be announced. We will of course inform our Club members of the exact dates and items concerned as soon as the auction dates have been finalised. The best way to stay informed is to sign up for our digital Steiff Club newsletter. There will be special items and limited edition numbers in these auctions that have never been freely available in this way before and presents a unique opportunity to secure your own piece of Steiff history.

Archiving old items is more than just a journey into the past – it's a bridge to the future. Our historical pieces tell stories, they document the development of designs, materials and technologies and serve as a source of inspiration for future innovations. Every single item contributes to the identity of our company and allows us to preserve our traditions as we evolve.

Our large Steiff archive is not just a look back, but a valuable tool that helps us to learn from the past and lay the foundations for the future. That is why we remain true to our commitment to preserve our heritage while taking the necessary steps to prepare it for the digital era. In this way, we ensure that our archive is not just a relic of the past, but a living part of our future.