About Anne Hoffmann Expertise As a modest collector of appropriately vintage age, I'm good at identifying American vintage dolls (largely late 1940's-1970's) and have the interest and resources to research particularly challenging identifications. I would hesitate to make specific value estimates, however, as markets fluctuate and I am not a professional appraiser. I can recommend at-home repair methods and resources for particular repair instructions and supplies. I can differentiate repairs that will enhance or devalue the historical significance of your doll.
Experience For one, I am 58 and a life-long doll lover. I played with many of these dolls! I am an adult collector, hampered only by my inability to afford the high-end and rare collectibles. I do some doll identification for sellers on eBay and am in demand for local yard sale and church pricing of doll "finds". I like folks to be able to realize a good return for their offerings by correctly identifying their dolls for collectors. I am highly literate and like people as well as dolls! I was briefy a customer service associate for JC Penney (one of those "filler" jobs) and enjoyed resolving issues to customer satisfaction. I am retired and spend a lot of time studying dolls. On the down side, while having an excellent command of the English language, I am a poor typist.
Education/Credentials None for doll collecting. I was a draftsman and machine programmer for an architectural metal firm.
Question I have been left a doll by an aunt of 87 who I believe had this doll from the age of 5. It is a bisque doll, with glued hair, open and close eyes and a painted face, eben shosing 2 teeth.She is dressed in what I belive is the original cotton/lace gown. On the back of the head it reade Armand Marseille, 991, and A 4/0 M. Any info would be appreciated.
Answer Armand Marseille, of Sonneberg & Koppelsdorf, Thuringia, Germany, was a major German manufacturer of bisque (an unglazed translucent white ceramic) doll heads from 1885 through the 1950's. The company was started by Armand Marseille, a Russian emigré born in 1856, when he acquired both a toy factory in Sonneberg and a porcelain factory in Koppelsdorf. The doll bodies were supplied by other manufacturers. Some bodies are marked, others not. AM supplied doll heads to many other doll producers and distributors. It has been estimated that the company produced 1,000 dolls a day during the period between 1900 and 1930. As the production was prolific, there are many AM dolls on the market today.
The markings indicate that your doll was a popular mould introduced around the turn of the 20th century. Since your aunt would have been 5 years old sometime around 1925, I imagine, the doll may have either been purchased new then or handed down to her by a member of the previous generation. The "A 4/0 M" stands for A(rmand)(head size) M(arseille). You describe her face very nicely as typical of the 991 mould, but don't include a description of the body nor her overall size. The body should be a ball-jointed composition-over-wood body. The doll should be weighty, as composition dolls are quite a bit heavier than their all-bisque counterparts. A photo of this type of body is available at http://dollreference.com/marseille_armand_dolls.html.
The value of this doll is very much dependent on her size and, most importantly, her condition, values ranging from $75 to perhaps $500.
I strongly recommend that you have appraised by a professional NAADA (National Antique Doll Dealers Association) appraiser with expertise in dolls.
You can find an appraiser near you through The International Society of Appraisers website at http://www.isa-appraisers.org/ISA_form.html
or a Naada appraiser through the Member Directory at www.nadda.org.
Theriault's, the famous doll auction house, also has an appraisal service or may be able to recommend an appraiser in your area. You can access their website at www.theriaults.com.
There is a small charge for an appraisal and it requires the doll to be physically viewed by the appraiser. A very well-qualified appraiser may also be able to confirm the originality of the clothing, a difficult task without label or reference documentation.
