Expert: Anne Hoffmann - 12/10/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi Anne,  I found a doll in an antique shop that I was thinking about purchasing but I can't find anything about it online and one dealer that I know in this mall insists that it can't be AM because they only made bisque heads.  The head is compo and the cloth body feels like straw - it's a large baby (not a long dress) in it's original faded clothing.  (I'll have to double check but I think the head is only marked A & M - I'm going to take pictures of it Wed. if you need to see it)  To me, it reminds me of a style that would have been popular in the 20's.  She's probably 18" (maybe a little more) and her body is sorta "fat" in style.  Without seeing the photos, do you know if they made compo headed dolls and, if so, who she might be?  The dealer has her on hold for me and wants in the neighborhood of $200 + - could you give me an idea of if the price is too much?  I'd be happy to send you the pics on Wed. if you need to see them.  The compo is in Ex cond. the body is good - the clothing, although original is totally faded and dirty (attic find).  I'd appreciate any help you might offer.  Thanks for taking the time - Dee

ANSWER: Dear Dee,
I'm going to be extremely cautious here, because I don't want to recommend a purchase without actually seeing the doll. The choice of buying a doll and how much to pay for it ultimately resides in how attractive the doll is to you and how much you want it and are willing to pay for it. Doll "finds" are rare unless the seller is unaware of the potential value of the doll, which is less likely with a dealer.
That said, I can give you some information on AM markings and Armand Marseille dolls in particular to help you in your decision.
It would be very unusual to find an Armand Marseille head that isn't bisque. (Bisque being an unglazed porcelain that is hard-fired, non-porous, and notable for its translucency.) In fact, I haven't been able to find anywhere among my resources reference to an Armand Marseille compo head. It is also usual to find one without a mould number, although some later genuine Armand Marseille bisque character babies and child dolls, with glass or painted eyes, were marked "AM" without a mould number.
And here you must be especially cautious, as "A.M." was also a mark for American Character dolls and American Doll Company, both of which produced composition dolls. "A.M. © Co." and "A.M. Co." were some of the marks for Averill Manufacturing, another American doll company.
Armand Marseille was a Russian-born son of an architect and his family immigrated to Germany sometime after 1860. In 1884 he purchased a toy factory in Sonneberg and in 1885, a porcelain factory in Koppelsdorf. Since the origins of the factory were porcelain-making and composition was not a material for doll heads then, the vast majority of AM heads are bisque. The doll bodies were not manufactured by AM, but bought from other suppliers. These included later composition bodies. The dolls heads are various, including shoulder plate heads, socket heads and flanged heads.
Marseille produced dolls from 1885 until sometime in 1930, when composition was a prevalent doll material. During the period of 1900-1930, AM produced 1,000 dolls a day! The most common moulds were the 390 and 370 moulds.
Armand Marseille supplied bisque heads to many American  doll and toy companies and distributors, including Louis Amberg, Arranbee, Montgomery Ward, Wanamaker and Sears, to name just a few of the more familiar.
I would say that the doll in which you are interested is probably not an Armand Marseille, but another of the American composition doll era, which began in 1899 with Butler Bothers and gained momentum during WW I, when European imports were cut off. Horsman introduced the composition "Bilikin" doll in 1909 and Georgine Averill designed and made popular the "mama" type doll in the 1920's. The first US patent for a composition doll was issued in 1982 to Solomon D. Hoffman. He produced the "Can't Break Em," series until his death, when the company was taken over by Aetna.
As for the dealer price for this doll, I cannot say whether or not it is in line with the actual value of the doll, as I haven't seen the doll or examined its markings. Dealers do have an overhead and store prices are usually higher than auction prices. Providing an exact identification may prove difficult, as there were so many various manufactures of composition baby dolls. In addition, unless the clothing is correspondingly marked or identifiable, there is no saying whether or not it is original to the doll. Play dolls, which these dolls were, were frequently redressed and many good mamas sewed elaborate doll clothes, often far more beautiful than the originals!
By all means, do send me photos if you wish, especially of the markings and the undressed body. I may be able to provide you with a little more definite information, but please do remember, a doll purchase is best made for love rather than investment!
All the best to you,
Anne

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QUESTION: You were right - here's the pic - I have others if u need to see more - Thanks!

ANSWER: Dear Dee,
The style of the facepaint and the construction of this doll look to me like those of an American Doll and Toy Company doll. She should be marked "AM. DOLL" on the back of her shoulder plate. She is probably stuffed with excelsior, a wooly stuffing material made of very fine wood strips, which would account for the straw-like feel of her body. This was a common inexpensive stuffing until the use of polyester fiber.
Due to the fit, it's very doubtful that the clothing is original, but it is appropriate to the era. What she is wearing is most likely a small child's undergarment.
She is really quite over-priced, especially in that her condition is not as clean condition as one can still obtain these days for this type of doll.
If you love the doll, I suggest negotiating a price no more than half the $200.00+ you say the dealer wants for the doll. $85.00 should be a satisfactory price to both parties. The cloth-bodied composition dolls are not commanding large prices on the current secondary market. (As I have repeated in every other answer to queries on value, ebay sets the market standard for all but the rare and high-end genuinely antique dolls, as it is encompasses a worldwide market and has a competitive auction format. Check ebay listings for dolls similar to your own to assess present secondary market value and trends.)
Having said that, I am now going to contradict myself. If this particular doll has stolen your heart and you will feel wistful at not taking her home, buy her at whatever price she seems worth to YOU. If the dealer will not budge on the price and you are able to afford it without feeling cheated, you may feel the cost of ownership is worth the price. Whatever its present or projected value, it is not as if this doll were a modern production line doll that you could always find again.
Dolls stir the associations of childhood and, in that they are representations of human beings, have the ability to elicit an emotional response in us. The act of falling in love is subject to inexplicable personal variables.
If you are interested in the doll largely for its potential value, I would not recommend the purchase. There are far too many better examples of composition dolls in excellent condition available at that price.
Please do let me know what you decide and how you make out!
All the very best to you,
Anne

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QUESTION: Anne,  Thanks so much for the reply.  The back of her shoulder plates reads AM Doll Co and below that is either they copyright symbol or a C -  Her face is what attracted me and, after researching Armand M I couldn't find anything like her (and another antique dealer friend kept telling me it couldn't be because they didn't make compo dolls) thus I turned to you.  I do have a question - DID Arm/Mar ever make compo dolls?  She was and still is over-priced and I won't be buying her.  After I examined her, she has been repaired (probably by a father or gfather) in the legs (one has the metal cut from a tin can or something with writing while the other side is the original joint).  I have another one I'd like for you to identify if you can and I'll send u pics  - hopefully tomorrow - she is an internet purchase - thanks so much! Dee

Answer
Dear Dee,
Wise decision! I am hesitant in trying to dissuade a buyer whose heart is set on a particularly lovely face. But dolls can be vastly overpriced, especially by those who are unknowledgeable about dolls. Old is not antique and not all antiques have a high value. Value begins with the popular market interest and then includes rarity, condition and originality. That elusive quality that Jan Foulke, appraiser per excellence and compiler of the indispensable Blue Books of doll values, refers to as "presence" is that attractiveness that draws us to a particular doll.
I know the feeling of being attracted to a doll's face and then discovering the purchase has been one for complicated restoration. I once bought-and still have-a very sweet-faced unmarked hard plastic doll from the late 40's -early 50's. When she arrived, I cut the homemade clothes from her to discover that the clothing was holding her legs on! She is an old walker that someone broke thoroughly in trying to repair with yards of yarn and then had sewn snugly snuggly into a body suit! I still love the doll's face and am still searching for a diagram of her walking mechanism so that I can make a repair without replacing her legs. She has been rejected by doll hospitals as an unfeasible restoration. I don't want to disembowel a working walker to get parts and I want to restore her original walking function rather than stringing her. I prowl yard sales looking for a headless doll with a similar walking mechanism. Was she worth the price? Well, at $10.00, plus shipping, yes -to me. She was an online purchase that I could have returned for a refund.
Be very careful in making online purchases of a vintage doll to get from the seller a series of detailed photos, including all markings and the full undressed body, front and back and any areas of damage or wear. If the seller balks at supplying additional photos or undressing the doll, beware. Also make sure to inquire about the return policy. A responsible seller will usually make a full or partial refund on a doll with overlooked defects. Shipping costs are usually not refunded. If the seller is an online store, check an independent ratings service for their reliability. On ebay, cross-check the seller-buyer feedback for the nature of any negative feedback for the seller.
I look forward to seeing the next doll you are contemplating.

ARMAND MARSEILLE COMPO HEAD

DID Armand Marseille make a composition head? I have found a few inconclusive references to a composition AM head and some photos that are not well-documented. Apparently, there were a few, though, including a composition-mask- over-bisque Googly. Remember, AM made heads for other doll manufacturers and Fulper Pottery bought up some of the AM moulds in the 1920's. Fulper dolls are marked "Fulper", usually in a vertical line.
Apparently the 995 AM mould was used to produce a composition head doll which is marked Armand Marseille on the head, but I don't have a well-documented photo at the moment.
I have written to others with more expertise on AM dolls and will post the results of my research. I will keep you posted!