Hummels

Hummel figurines have been around since 1935. I'm sure you have seen or even owned one at sometime in your life. When I was growing up my grandmother and several of my aunts had them in their homes. I remember being told to look but not touch. Although there were other porcelain companies, especially in England, who made look alike figurines it was always easy to spot a real Hummel. They have a special look, a sparkle about them that the copies have never been able to duplicate.

Most Hummels depict either children or religious figures. Hummels are still being produced and a certain number of new ones hit the market every year. They can make a great gift for a special occasion since there are so many to choose from and each one has a theme to fit a particular situation. For example, if it is your sister's birthday, there is a Hummel titled, "Sisters". If your son has joined the military, a perfect gift for his wife or girlfriend could be the Hummel titled, "Soldier Boy." You get the idea. They are wonderful keepsakes to be treasured and passed down from generation to generation.

Over the years, Hummel has become well known for their trademarks. There have been eight of them since 1935. The value of a Hummel is based as much on the trademark as it is on the subject matter. For your convenience, we have provided a list of the trademark numbers and what they look like. In the antiques business, they are referred to as TMK1, TMK2 and so forth. The first and most valuable is the Crown Mark followed by the Full Bee. Hummels also carry an incised "M.I. Hummel" mark usually on the back bottom of each figurine.

Although you may be familiar with the figurines themselves, you may not know the history of how Hummels came to be. The story behind them is both wonderful and tragic. The children and religious figurines that have been produced by the Goebel Company during the last 74 years were the creation of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel who was born Berta Hummel in Germany on May 21, 1909.

Berta was one of six children. While attending a religious boarding school her artistic talent, which started to emerge at the tender age of 6, really began to blossom. This was evident in the wonderful drawings she created of her childhood friends. At the age of 18, her family enrolled Berta in the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin where her abilities were carefully nutured. However, while attending the academy, she became torn between her love of art and design and her profound devotion to religion.

With Hitler's Socialist Party on the rise, Berta was drawn more and more to her religion and the peace and solace it gave her. At the time of her graduation from the academy, with the threat of war looming, she decided to withdraw and join the convent of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. She hoped she would be able to continue with her art as well as serve God.

Two years after her graduation from the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin, Berta was ordained Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. While a novice at the convent, she taught art to the local children. The convent decided to send the religious sketches of Berta Hummel to a publishing company who specialized in religious art.

Her artwork first became known to the public via a series of religious cards produced for the convent where she lived. Now in the public eye, her work came to the attention of Franz Goebel, the head of F. & W. Goebel, a German porcelain company that had been in business since 1871.

In 1934, Goebel sought permission to take Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel's religious drawings and sketches of the children and turn them into three-dimensional figurines. An agreement was reached between Goebel, Sister Hummel and her convent. The figurines, especially the children, were a huge success as they captured the same innocence of childhood as the Sister's drawings.

After the outbreak of war, the convent of Sister Hummel was taken over along with her studio. She stayed at the convent in a small damp room in the basement and cared for sick German Nationals. While living in these conditions, she developed a lung infection, which was to later be diagnosed as chronic tuberculosis.

By November of 1944, she was so ill she was admitted to a sanitarium. Sister Hummel died at the age of 37 on November 6, 1946. She was remembered as full of spirit and love and those traits live on in the sparkling faces of the Hummel children. The Hummel and Goebel relationship continues to this day, long after Sister Hummel's death.

Collecting Hummels became so popular over the years, that a club was formed in 1977, The M.I. Hummel Club. There are special Hummel figurines issued exclusively for its members. It affords its members the opportunity to make contact with other members all over the world. In addition, the club offers a travel program that includes visiting the Goebel factory in Germany.

When we had our auction house, we sold many of the special club Hummels. It was a chance for collectors to get figurines they would not otherwise have access to unless they were members of the club. Many of these Hummels can also be found at online auctions.

The world of Hummels can be fascinating. There are variations of some Hummels, little subtle changes made to the design of a Hummel from one year to another. Each carries a different value. Some older Hummels have a book value of thousands of dollars. There are also Hummel anniversary plates, miniature plates with matching figurines, ornaments, a complete Nativity scene with all of the appropriate figurines which can also be purchased separately, and much more.

During the past several years, the value of Hummels has steadily declined. The exception to this would be the early Hummels with older marks or the ones that are larger than the standard size - these still command decent money if they are free of damage. The economy is responsible for some of their decline. I think it is safe to say that a lack of interest is responsible for the rest.

It is my belief that many of the really serious Hummel collectors have passed away and that many of their descendants are not interested in maintaining or adding to the collections they have inherited. This was evident by the number of Hummel collections we sold at auction over the years. We had one or two serious buyers for them but for the most part they sold to dealers for only 20% to 30% of book value. If someone were interested in buying them at their present value, there is a chance for that person to make a lot of money should Hummels come into their own again. There is just no way to know if that will ever happen.

Written by Anne Benedetto, Auction House Talk
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