Goebel Figurines

Who hasn't heard of the Hummel line of Goebel figurines? These beautifully made porcelain figurines have been around since 1935. Created from art work drawn by a Franciscan nun, Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, they became the fastest selling porcelain pieces of the whole line of Goebel figurines. Goebel closed its doors in 2008 but they were bought out by a firm found near Frankfurt, Germany and will remain produced, some still based on Sister Hummel's design. Lots of the original craftsmen, some now in their 70s, have been rehired to continue this wonderful practice of manufacturing fine porcelain mannequins. The Hummel line of Goebel models have become a valuable collectible over time. A fan club of the Hummel line sprang up in Yankee over twenty years back and has over 13,000 members worldwide . A quick check on eBay will assure you that these pieces are still very much in demand. Costs for one piece can go up into thousands of bucks. There's a Hummel line of Goebel mannequins piece titled Forever chums that latterly sold for $1,650.00 on eBay. A woman found a Hummel figurine at a garage sale and paid 2 bucks. The next week, she sold it for close to five hundred dollars. Goebel marked all of their Hummel line of Goebel figurines on the bottom of each piece. Sister Hummel died in 1937 but up till that time, she signed all the Hummel pieces. Some other Goebel marks to have a look for are a double crown, a picture of a bee trademark, the word Goebel, and a mold number. The mark used from 1991 until Goebel closed its doors is a bee over the word Goebel with the word Germany underneath. If you like browsing thru thrift stores and going to yard sales, you might be sufficiently fortunate to find one of these very collectible Hummel line of Goebel miniatures.