Dear Helaine and Joe: This doll is 36 inches tall and originally belonged to my great aunt. On the head it is marked "Simon & Halbig 1078." I do not know what happened to the original clothes. Any information would be appreciated. Sincerely, — J.C.W., Toledo, Ohio
Dear J.C.W.: Simon and Halbig was a maker of porcelain that was founded in Grafen- hain, Thuringia, Germany in 1869. Primarily, they manufactured dolls, but they also produced doll heads for other companies such as Kammer and Reinhardt, C.M. Bergmann, Heinrich Handwerck, Franz Schmidt and Dressel.
According to one authoritative source, animal figures were made also, but we have never seen one. Sources report that Simon and Halbig remained in business until around 1930, but they were reportedly bought by Kammer and Reinhardt in 1920.
Collectors of dolls are very fond of the pieces made by Simon and Halbig and are happy to find the "SH" mark on the back of a doll's head. This company produced a large variety of dolls and some of them can be very valuable.
For example, a circa 1909 number 153 Simon and Halbig child character doll should be valued for as much as $40,000 in the 17-inch size if it is in perfect condition with original or appropriate clothes. Size can make a big difference in the value of dolls, and the same number 153 in the 14-inch size brings only a little more than half the figure of the larger size.
Most Simon and Halbig dolls are far less valuable than this, with prices that range in the $500 to $5,000 range depending on style, size and condition. The particular doll belonging to J.C.W. is a number 1078, which is a child doll with an open mouth and a ball-jointed composition body.
This doll should have a bisque head with pierced ears and either sleep eyes or fine fixed paperweight eyes (paperweight eyes are hand blown and resemble real human eyes, which can be a little spooky). This doll came in a wide variety of sizes, and the smallest 7- to 10-inch size should be valued at $500 or less depending on the condition.
The largest size of this doll is 42 inches tall and in perfect condition retails for around $4,200 to $4,500. Unfortunately, J.C.W.'s example is in the next to largest size, and that is generally worth only about half this figure with all things being equal. To value J.C.W's doll with any certainty, the bisque head would have to be examined carefully for hairline cracks, and the wig would need to be judged to be an original (we think it probably is). Sadly, the clothes that make this doll look a little like "Disco Daisy" are inappropriate and will cause at least a small deduction of 10 percent to 15 percent.
If the head and body are in good condition, the insurance replacement value of this doll is between $1,800 and $2,000.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.