Circa-1880 Bru bebe commands $18K at Morphy's doll auction

23in French circle dot Bru bébé, $18,000. Morphy Auctions image.

DENVER, Pa. – As expected, the top lot in Morphy’s September 21 doll auction was a magnificent 23-inch French circle dot Bru bébé (Lot #262) made in 1880. An impressive representation of the golden age of French doll manufacture, the bisque beauty with amber-threaded, deep-brown eyes sold for $18,000. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium.

Another French highlight was a very rare circa-1877 Fernande Sustrac all-bisque mignonnette (Lot # 130) with ball-jointed elbows. A delightful package, just 5½ inches tall, she was dressed in a blue silk and lace original factory costume, including ribbon-wrapped feet to simulate boots. Her new owner paid $4,200. A 25in Phénix Bébé (Lot #532) wearing an antique cream wool dress with black velvet trim was purchased for $5,400.

The German bisque category was brimming with desirable Hertel, Schwab & Co.; Kley & Hahn, Gebr. Heubach, and Kammer & Reinhart characters. Top honors went to a splendid 21-inch K & R 114 doll (Lot #289) with rare glass eyes, pouty mouth and crisp modeling, which sold for $9,000. A rare 16-inch Heubach 7746 character (Lot #163) with a cheeky grin was ready to entertain in an antique gold and black clown suit for a $6,600 price. Also by Heubach, an 11in candy container doll on a sled with pouty bisque head went to a new home for $2,160. Other notable dolls were a 20-inch H.S. & Co. 141 (Lot #435) with painted eyes and closed mouth ,$4,200; and a rare variant of the same mold (Lot #288) with glass eyes and open mouth, $2,700.

Lady dolls were quite popular. A 24in Simon & Halbig 1159 (Lot #291) in original red and white striped nurse’s uniform sold for $2,280. A dainty 14in painted bisque Armand Marseille 402 doll with slender lady face and body sold for $1,560. A 17in French lady doll (Lot #131) with wistful face and desirable kid-over-wood body with bisque lower arms and legs brought $5,700, even though one arm was repaired.

Other items of interest included a 15in Neapolitan crèche figure of an elderly lady (Lot #205) with wonderful character face, $3,600; an early Moravian cloth doll “Polly Heckewelder” (Lot #600), $3,200; a boxed H. Handwerck child doll with original clothing (Lot #167), $1,560; and a boxed DEP Jumeau (Lot #260), $2040. A Kathe Kruse 1931 “Hampelchen” (Lot #352), all original with label, brought $2,700; while a desirable Door of Hope small boy in silk (Lot #587) went for $1,920.

In addition to antique dolls, the 623-lot auction featured compositions, hard plastics, Sashas, R. John Wright and other high-end artist dolls; antique and vintage teddy bears, antique doll clothing and shoes; accessories and period furniture.

Morphy’s next cataloged doll sale is scheduled for March 22, 2014. Consignments will be accepted through December 2013. For more information, contact Morphy’s doll specialist Jan Foulke at 717-335-3435 or e-mail janfoulke@aol.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog from the Sept. 21 auction, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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