Meissen Figurines, ca. 1915
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GUEST:
These two I got in New York before 1960. The other two I got in 1973, Prescott, Arizona
APPRAISER:
Okay, do you remember about what you paid for them at the time?
GUEST:
For this one $75, for this one $65.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
And then for these two, $50 each.
APPRAISER:
So do you know who made them?
GUEST:
It's, uh, Meissen.
APPRAISER:
You're right. They're made by Meissen.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And what attracted you to them? Why did you buy them?
GUEST:
They're gorgeous. I don't like the flowery ones.
APPRAISER:
Beautiful. Right.
GUEST:
I just like the straight figures.
APPRAISER:
Right. Meissen was known for making, uh, figurines, very fancy, very froofy, with ladies in fancy dresses.
GUEST:
I hate them.
APPRAISER:
And foppish gentlemen in frilly clothes.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Then, right after the turn of the 20th century, they started introducing figurines depicting people in dress of the period...
GUEST:
Hm.
APPRAISER:
Instead of the way people dressed in the past. And that's what these are examples of. The two figurines in the back were designed by Alfred König. The babies in the front by Konrad Hentschel. Now, we know that the babies were designed in around 1905, and the taller figures were designed around 1910. They all four have the same Meissen mark, which was used up until 1924. So we know kind of a narrow little 15- or 20-year period during which they were made. Now, figurines have been popular for hundreds of years, and really, in the last 20 years, there's been such a changing taste in collecting and in decorating, that figurines of all kinds by all manufacturers have plummeted in popularity and in value, because a lot of today's buyers just don't want cabinets full of fragile, precious figurines.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
It just doesn't appeal to them. However, this particular period of Meissen figurines have retained their value fairly well because they're so much more interesting to our eyes today.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Um, the two figurines on the front, the children, a retail price for those would be around $1,500 to $2,000 each.
GUEST:
Really.
APPRAISER:
In today's market. This little girl here, with just a little chip, uh, she would probably retail for around $1,000 to $1,500. Might be closer to $2,000 if she were perfect. But the tall lady is an exceptionally rare figure. Even with about three damaged places on her, my guess is she's still probably worth somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000. If she had been perfect, the only price comparable that I could find was $8,000.
GUEST:
Mm.
APPRAISER:
Uh, and we wish she were, but she's not.
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