Steiff Dogs And Cats Are Rarer Than Bears

I have a Steiff dog on iron wheels. What is it worth compared to Steiff teddy bears?

Your Saint Bernard dog on iron wheels is an early Steiff toy. In Steiff catalogues, there are no iron wheels pictured after 1925. Your dog is worth $500 to $700, according to Bobara Pendergrast at Bear Cat Soft Toys, 15 W. Main St., Mendham, N.J.

The value depends on condition and whether there is a Steiff button in the dog's left ear. The button could be one on which the last "f" in Steiff has a flourish, or it could be blank. If the button on your dog is blank, it may be even more desirable, because some feel the blank button is even earlier.

Pendergrast said your dog is worth $600 to $700 with either type of button, and $500 to $600 without a button, depending on condition. Good condition means minimum loss of hair and no rips.

I have an old book and would like to know if it has any value. The name of the book is Mallory, Wheeler & Co. Door Locks, and it is dated 1871.

Jim Presgraves, at Bookworm & Silverfish in Wyethville, Va., a dealer who specializes in pre-1926 trade catalogues, said that the Mallory, Wheeler catalogue has a lot going for it. It has an enormous quantity of illustrations, is on a single subject (locks rather than hardware), is in good condition and has some age.

Presgraves said a retail price for the book would be $200 to $400. If the

binding is in bad shape, the value would be closer to $200. As a dealer, he would pay $110.