Hummel figurine made in 1935 original

I posted this entry on my other blog here. I found this Hummel figurine made in 1935 and it definitely an original.

I have the first trademark on mine

THE FIGURINES THAT CHANGED GOEBEL HISTORY

In 1934, Franz Goebel was searching for something new. Like his predecessors at the helm of W.Goebel Porzellanfabrik, Franz understood his market. He believed that in a world of political turmoil, customers would respond to a product depicting the gentle innocence of children.

The artwork of a Franciscan Sister, Maria Innocentia Hummel, a gifted, academy-trained artist, came to Franz’s attention. Her drawings of country children had been printed as art cards and were becoming quite popular. An enthusiastic Franz, with the approval of senior sculptors Arthur Moeller and Reinhold Unger, decided to pursue the creation of figurines based on the artwork of Sister M.I.Hummel.

The artist was contacted at her home, the Convent of Siessen, and shown clay models. With assurances that she would personally approve the sculpting and painting of each piece…that a facsimile of her signature would appear on each piece…and that Franz Goebel himself would oversee the production process, Sister Hummel and the Convent of Siessen granted sole rights to Goebel to create ceramic figurines based on her original artwork.

A new palette of warm colors was created to duplicate the tone and feeling of the artwork. It was determined that earthenware, pioneered by Goebel in the 1920′s, was the proper medium for the new line. Moeller and Unger became the “fathers” of M.I.Hummel figurines, their work based on friendly and frank cooperation with Sister Hummel.

The new product line was launched in March, 1935, at the Leipzig Spring Fair — a major show for the industry. The reception to the first M.I.Hummel motifs was enthusiastic. The line was an immediate success!

When World War II began, the German government allowed M.I.Hummel figurines to be made for export only and directed Goebel to produce dinnerware for the military. Despite hardships, the Goebel family maintained their relationship with Sister Hummel, and some new figurines were modeled and approved. The artist’s fragile health suffered during the war years, when fuel was scarce and she was forced to work in a cold, unheated space.

It took time for Germany to recover once the war ended. But the German people slowly began to spruce up their homes and exchange gifts. They remembered the timeless appeal of M.I.Hummel figurines and asked for them in shops. American soldiers occupying Germany wanted mementos to send home. M.I.Hummel figurines were in demand once again.

A TRAGIC PASSING

In 1946, following a prolonged respiratory illness eventually diagnosed as tuberculosis, Sister M.I. Hummel died at age 37. Despite this tragedy, the production of her beloved figurines never ceased. Sister Hummel was a prolific artist and left behind a treasure-trove of drawings on which to base new figurines. The Convent of Siessen appointed an Artistic Board to carry out the legacy of Sister Hummel. All clay models and painted figurines would be approved by this board. And so they are, to this day.

A NEW GENERATION

During the postwar years, Goebel enjoyed remarkable expansion and evolution. The factory was modernized, kilns updated, techniques improved. But traditional handcrafting and hand painting was strictly maintained.

In 1969, Franz Goebel passed away. His son, Wilhelm Goebel, inherited the leadership of the firm, sharing it with Eugen and Ulrich Stocke.

Innovations and development continued. When Goebel issued its first annual M.I.Hummel plate in 1971, plates quickly became prized collectibles.

M.I.Hummel children were now the world’s most beloved figurines. To respond to the enthusiasm of collectors, Goebel introduced another innovation — the first collector’s club. The Goebel Collector’s Club was founded in 1977. By 1989, the Club had expanded internationally and the name was changed to the M.I. Hummel Club®.

In 1996, as Goebel celebrated its 125th anniversary, the future looks bright. The Goebel Group consists of seven firms and employs some 1,800 people worldwide. Goebel’s quality craftsmanship has earned the admiration of millions. And the Goebel tradition of artistry and excellence will continue well into the next millennium.

©2011 Maders

Managed by Autumn Consulting

Pasted from <http://www.mihummel.net/W.%20Goebel%20Porzellanfabrik.php>

September, 2001 Monthly Newsletter

How Can I Tell the Value of My Hummel?

The value of an authentic Hummel Figurine takes a lot of things into consideration. I receive many emails from people wanting to know what I think the value of their Hummel is. The truth is, the best way and most effective way of getting an accurate appraisal is by going to a certified appraiser. But….there are some things that can give you a rough idea and I will explain those below.

There are 4 very important factors in determining the value of your Hummel.

1. First , is the trademark.
2. Second, is the mold number,
3. Third is the size of your Hummel
4. And last but not least is the condition your Hummel is in.

Since the explanations can get very detailed, I am just going to give you a short course so that you will have some idea.

Trademarks

Trademarks identify when your Hummel was made and have varied over the years. You will find this on the bottom of your Hummel usually stamped or incised into the underside base of the Hummel. There are currently a total of 8 trademarks each representing a specific era. The trademarks you see listed here are pretty general for the eras. Within each era there were variations of the trademarks, so keep this in mind when you are looking at your Hummel.

Mold Numbers

This is the most important factor in identifying any MI Hummel Figurine. Mold numbers are like an identification to the specific piece. It tells the number the Hummel was assigned usually with a slash and another number after that which usually refers to the size or size suffix. For example, when a new Hummel is made, it is always assigned a new number. Then years later when a different size of the same Hummel is born, they will assign it the “mold number plus /I or mold number plus /II”. After 1952 with the introduction of the figurine, Serenade (mold 218) they decided to identify the standard size of a Hummel by putting a “0″ after the slash. Also, some of the earliest Hummels you will notice do not even have a second number because they did not start implementing this procedure until the later years. Actually, it can get pretty confusing to go into greater detail on this, because there were variations in this too. But at least you should have a general idea.

Size

The reason I list this feature is because some sizes are rare and some are common. You may have a Hummel where many were made of that specific size. But the person next to you may have the same Hummel in a size where only a few were made and thus can increase the value quite a bit.

Condition

If your Hummel has cracks or crazing, chips or broken pieces, this will definitely affect the value of your Hummel. Even if it has been repaired and it is not noticeable, a certified appraiser will be able to detect this. Nowadays the technology has gotten so good that you can’t tell with the naked eye that a Hummel has been repaired. They used to use black lights to detect glue on repaired Hummels. Now because of advanced technology, they have to x-ray them in order to tell.

Many people have asked me and have not understood why an older Hummel they have is not worth as much as a newer Hummel. When you take all the above into consideration it can make quite a difference on the value of your Hummel. So just because you have a Hummel that is not so old, don’t think for a moment that it can’t be worth too much. It all depends….

How can you find out the value of your Hummel? That’s easy. Aside from everything I have mentioned here, there are also several books that will help you determine the value of your Hummel. I have a couple listed below that we recommend. We use them ourselves…

Pasted from <http://www.deutscheshaus.cc/html/newsletters/newsletter_september_2001.html>

You will also find Goebel figurines bearing the signature of Goebel employee artists who reached the position of master sculptor. These include Unger, Frobek, and Schrobek. Not even the Goebel company knows how many different items were made since their inception in 1871, but we serious collectors put the figure around 40,000. What really keeps me excited about collecting Goebels is that I have no idea what 15,000 of them might look like until I find one at a mall or a show or someone like you sends me a picture.

Right is a picture of a Goebel plaque which illustrates all the Goebel marks. It was sold at the last Hummel festival in Germany sponsored by Wolfgang Schwatlo. I’ll be referring to this picture throughout the rest of this article.

The first crescent moon mark must be quite rare as I never even heard of a single item with this mark in my life. The second crescent moon mark is usually found on the neck of antique bisque dolls, but I have seen it once on a figurine of an animal and once on a ginger jar.

The first crown mark on the plaque was used beginning in 1900. I own but one figurine with this mark. The next crown mark, used from 1914 to 1923, is called the ducal crown, or narrow crown. I have about 40 pieces with this mark, so you may find one too. The letters below the crown are WG for Wilhelm Goebel, the founder of the company.

The wide crown was used from 1923 to 1950 and is called TMK 1 by hummel collectors as this is the earliest mark a hummel can be found in. The first hummel was produced in 1935. This mark is found quite often, both incised into the bottom of the item or sometimes stamped or both ways on the same piece. When both ways are present, the piece is c alled a double crown. Most of the items made during this period were functional pieces such as reamers, creamers, salt and pepper sets, vases, planters and on and on. However, the crown will be found on half dolls and many series of figurines especially of the religious type.

TMK 2 or full bee mark has a large discernible fat bumble bee inside a V. So many dealers call any item with a V and something inside a full bee. It must be the fat bumble bee. This was used from 1950 to 1956 and during this period, Goebel really geared up production as this mark is quite common. The mark is usually accompanied by a black stamped Germany or West Germany if made in 1956. Don’t automatically think that if it says Germany, it must be pre-war. Sometimes, we find an item with both the crown and the full bee marks. This simply means that the mold was made before the war, but the figurine was produced in the 50′s. We also find dates incised into the bottom of Goebels. Again, this is the year when the mold was made. You must go by the mark to estimate when the item was made.

TMK 3 or stylized bee is a large dot with wings inside a V. I’m am now going to confuse everybody but the most advanced collectors. The hummel books are wrong about TMK 3 and TMK 4. I have spoken to at least one of the authors about making the correction, but he felt it would generate too much confusion so he passed. But I think you should know the facts. The mark on the plaque was used from 1957 to 1959. It usually is found with a black stamped West or Western Germany somewhere also on the bottom. We call this TMK 3a.

TMK 3b is a stylized bee with W Germany to the right of the V and is part of the same decal. This was used from 1960 to 1962. TMK 3c is a smaller V with W Germany below it. This is the same trademark as that which is called TMK 4 or the 3-line mark which is the first mark on the bottom row in the picture. Confused? Yep! The 3-line mark was used on items that were copyrighted and the small stylized or TMK 3c was used on items that were not copyrighted. They were used together and are really the same mark. Copyrighted items with earlier marks have a stamp that says copr by W Gobble or c by W Gobble. Every hummel book says TMK 4 was first used in 1964. Wrong, it was used in 1962. My niece was born in Germany on July 4, 1962 and my mother went over to be with her only daughter whose husband was in the army. My mother brought back dozens of Hummels from her trip and many of them are the 3-line mark or TMK 4.

TMK 5 is the word GOEBEL with the V and stylized bee. ( I’ve noted dealers calling even this mark the full bee from the 50′s, so be careful) This was used from 1972 to 1978.

TMK 6 is the same as the previous mark but with the removal of the V. Used from 1979 to 1990.

TMK 7 is the same as 6 but with Germany replacing W Germany. You will find the little crown below TMK 7 only on Hummels. The other Goebel products will not bear the crown.

Let me hear from you as to what you might like to read about in future articles. Please e-mail me directly at Goebel1@gte.net (what looks like the second l in Goebel is the #1) If you have any specific questions, I’ll be happy to help you as much as I can. I cannot and will not give estimates of values, not because I want to keep this to myself, but because there is no established market for the 40,000 Goebel items and therefore no market values. There are a few exceptions such as the Friar Tucks, but generally, you need to find a buyer and he is the one who will determine how much a piece is worth to him. Speaking of buyers, you found one of the biggest buyers of Goebels in the country right here. I am more than willing to pay what I consider retail for any Goebel piece I do not have. I’m sorry, but I have no interest in buying Hummels.

Pasted from <http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/magazine/issue9/iss9p3/>

http://www.drloriv.com/appraisals/hummel.asp

Here it is sideways, original: my grand mother gave it to me over 100 years ago. I thought I lost it.

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