Dear Helaine and Joe:Please give me some information on the Armand Marseilla doll seen in the enclosed photos. The dress is original, and it was given to my mother-in-law as a child. Thank you. —MWD, Oradell, N.J.
Dear MWD: The marks on the back of the bisque porcelain heads on old dolls can be very hard to read, and in this case the maker is not "Armand Marseilla" but "Armand Marseille." This was an extremely prolific dollmaker who began manufacturing in Kopplesdorf, Thuringia, Germany in 1885 and continued in this endeavor until the 1930s.
Each year we get more and more questions about dolls (most of which are unanswerable because the photographs enclosed are out of focus or the image too small), and the majority of these are about Armand Marseille dolls. Many of these inquiries are about the No. 390 "Florodoro" doll (390 refers to the mold number found impressed on the back of the doll's head), and we want to take this opportunity to address this particular doll before focusing on the No. 750 belonging to MWD.
The No. 390 "Florodoro" must have been made in truly vast quantities because on today's market this charming toy is still fairly inexpensive. The 9- to 10-inch-tall size, for example, is worth (for insurance replacement purposes) only about $250, and then only if it is in perfect condition and in an appropriate old outfit.
The price of this doll does not reach the $1,000 level until it reaches the 35-inch size and tops out at about $2,250 at 40 to 42 inches (such large dolls are very hard to find). It needs to be pointed out rather strongly that while most Armand Marseille dolls have monetary values only in the hundreds of dollars each, some can be quite valuable, with insurance replacement values above the $3,000 mark.
Good examples of these more valuable dolls are the No. 230 "Fany" doll with molded hair, and the No. 231 wigged "Fany" doll. These can have values that approach the $10,000 level. Other valuable pieces include the No. 700 (up to $4,000), and the No. 225 (up to around $5,000).
When we saw the photo of M.W.D.'s charming No. 750 character baby, we were in hope that it had a high value as character babies often do. The term "character baby," refers to a doll with a baby body with a head that is molded to look lifelike with an expression that conveys some sort of baby-like emotion or state of being.
This bright-eyed, chubby-cheeked No. 750 doll is the embodiment of contentment, and, after examining the photograph, we wonder if she does not have "flirty" eyes, which means that her eyes move from side to side when the head is manipulated in a certain way. This is a very cute and desirable feature, and if this doll does indeed have "flirty" eyes, the values listed below would go up in the range of $50 to $100.
This doll appears to have (as it should) a wigged socket head, an open mouth, a composition bent-leg baby body, and glass eyes. Unfortunately, we were not told the size so, we will have to give something of a list of values. If this doll is 12 inches tall, the value is about $300. If it is 15 inches tall, that rises to $450, and at 17 inches it goes to around $600. At 21 inches the doll should be valued at $800, and at 24 inches the price comes closer to $900.
In her letter, MWD states that the clothes are "original." We cannot tell from the photograph if this is true, but if this is a factory original gown, the values listed above would rise considerably and in some instances almost double.
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.