Dear Helaine and Joe: I have a Lenci doll that was purchased in Italy in 1929 by my grandparents. The doll is in good condition with only a bit of soil on the tops of the socks, the hem of the dress, and on the tip of the nose. Does this doll have any value as an antique?
Thank you, —V.T., Naples, Fla.
Dear V.T.: In the past, all the dolls that we have discussed have had bisque porcelain heads — but the doll in today's question is 100 percent ceramic free. This particular doll has a face made from pressed felt with features that have been skillfully painted with oil colors. These dolls are subject to soiling, moth holes, color loss and other types of damage, and many did not survive their owner's childhood in very good condition.
Lenci was founded in 1919 (one source says 1918) in Turin, Italy, by Enrico and Elana (or Helen) Konig Scavini, and the company reportedly continued making dolls into the 21st century (there is some conflicting information about this). However, the dolls made at Lenci during the 1920s and '30s are particularly desired by collectors because of their superb craftsmanship and because they are irresistibly adorable.
These early Lenci dolls have the pressed felt and oil-painted faces we mentioned earlier, but they also had double felt ears that were sewn on individually, heads that swiveled on their bodies, jointed shoulders and hips, and in some instances rooted on mohair wigs.
Often, they had side-glancing eyes (as does the doll belonging to V.T.), and were dressed in elaborate costumes made from either felt or organdy.
Sometimes, these Lenci dolls can be found carrying things such as carved wooden animals, felt baskets, felt flowers or perhaps a broom made from straw and a stick. Later Lenci dolls are somewhat less well-made and many have fabric-covered cardboard torsos, and their felt faces are hard and have been compared to cloth-covered cardboard. These later creations might be dressed in clothing made from cotton, rayon and taffeta, and they are generally less well-accessorized than their earlier counterparts.
In addition to making felt dolls, Lenci also crafted dolls from wood with composition heads, as well as some porcelain dolls and figures. In the 1950s, Lenci made porcelain figures of Disney characters such as "Bambi," "Dumbo" and, of course, "Mickey Mouse" and "Donald Duck." Interestingly, these figures are marked "Lenci" but do not carry a Disney copyright.
The fact that this doll can be traced to 1929 is very much in its favor monetarily, and it appears to have a 149 Lenci face, but we cannot be absolutely sure of that from the photograph that you supplied. Unfortunately, V.T. failed to tell us the size of her doll, so we are going to have to suggest several insurance replacement values to cover the contingencies. If it is approximately 13 inches tall, its value would be between $750 and $1,000, but if it around 17 inches tall, that value should double, and if its height is more than 19 inches, the value is between $1,700 and $2,200.
All the above values are based on the soiling mentioned in V.T.'s letter being very light and not serious. Dirty Lenci dolls, or ones with badly rubbed color on their faces or with significant moth holes tend to be worth much, much less.
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.