Because the subject of Goebel trademarks used on M.I. Hummel figurines can be either simple or complex, let's consider it that way.
Let's deal with it in two parts, which we'll call the short course and the long course
But we'll preface both parts by repeating, again, that it's difficult to use this or any other price guide on Hummel Figurines without a rudimentary knowledge of the trademarks (TM's) and how to identify them on a figurine.
Outside of condition, trademarks are the most important factor in determining values and prices on M.I. Hummel figurines. A figurine such as Cinderella(mold 337) may be worth up to six times more in TM4 (trademark 4) than it is in TM7, for instance.
If you have acquired an older Cinderella, this information won't help you unless you know how to identify which trademark was used on your figurine.
Many people seem to be intimidated by having to learn the "Hummel marks."
Don't be one of them. It's really rather simple, and, if you don't already know the system, we're here to explain it.
The Short Course
While Goebel has used numerous different marks to stamp its factory "brand" on M.I. Hummel figurines, these have been consolidated by common usage into seven distinctive TM eras, beginning with the very first Hummel figurines in 1935 and ending with the figurines leaving the factory in Germany as you read this.
These TM eras are what you will find referenced repeatedly in this book as TM1, TM2, TM3, TM4, TM5, TM6 and TM7.
If a figurine you are examining has a back stamp under the base matching one of these trademark designs, you should have no trouble identifying the TM era in which it was produced.
If we do a skin-deep examination of the TM eras, here's what we'll find.
TM1. This is the so-called crown mark era which identifies the earliest (and usually most valuable) Hummel figurines. The crown itself had been part of the company's trademark for decades, and the WG entwined initials honored William Goebel, a founder of the company.
The era extends from the beginning of production in 1935 through the World War II years to 1950, but...
In the 1946 - 1948 period after WWII, Hummel figurines were commonly marked simply with some sort of U.S. Zone mark, a postwar mark used to identify the items as coming from the U.S.-controlled region of divided Germany.
These U.S. Zone marked figurines, coming as they did within the crown era, are valued and priced as TM1 pieces.
TM2. In 1950, Goebel officially adopted its now-famous full bee mark in honor of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, who had died four years previously.
The bumblebee in the mark represents Sister Hummel, Hummel being the German word for bumblebee. The V in which the bee flies stands for Verkaufsgesellschaft, or distribution company.
The TM2 era extends through 1959. Through 1955, the bee is quite large in relation to the V and is easily identified. From 1956 through 1959, it was diminished in size, and its placement in relation to the V was changed several times.
Common to all TM2 era pieces, however, is a bumblebee that looks like a bee. That is contrary to...
TM3. The so-called stylized bee era begins about 1957 and ends officially in 1972. The bee now can be identified simply as a round dot with wings.
Though the trademark wasn't officially put aside until 1972, it wasn't used as often after 1964 as the concurrently running...
TM4. This is the so-called three-line mark - always easily identified on a figurine by the use of the stylized bee inside V mark in combination with three short lines of text to the right of the V as you view it.
The TM4 era officially extends from 1964 to 1972. The three lines mark is said to be the prevalent mark in the years its use overlapped that of the stylized bee.
In 1972, it gave way to...
TM5. This is sometimes called the last bee mark and at other times the Goebel bee mark. It was officially used from 1972 until 1979. It was adopted to help identify Goebel as the producer of the M.I. Hummel figurines, for the figurines had developed such a strong identity that many did not associate them with a maker.
This trademark varied little in the era in which it was used and can be easily identified by the word positioned above the letters be, and by the small text W.Germany centered beneath.
It represented the last use of the bee in any form, because in 1979 Goebel adopted...
TM6. In use from 1979 through 1990, this mark incorporates the text Goebel with its now-familiar registration symbol and, again, the small text W.Germany centered beneath.
The purpose for the dropping the bee with V altogether hasn't been detailed, but I think it probably had to do with Goebel's desire to strongly promote other products it produced. By closely identifying Goebel with Hummel, it could be argued, the immense popularity of Hummel could be conveyed through the Goebel name to other Goebel-made figurines.
The change also came at a period that may have been the heyday in Hummel/Goebel popularity. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, retailers were fighting over available product, as the company could not produce enough to meet demand.
In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and West Germany subsequently became Germany again. The small line of text in the trademark needed to be altered, so why not just create...
TM7. For a combination of nostalgic and promotional reasons, Goebel in 1991 resurrected the Crown with WG initials mark, but incorporated it as the bottom tier in a three-tiered trademark topped by the large word Goebel, under which is the smaller word Germany to indicate country of origin.
This mark is found on figurines of contemporary production and is quite easy to identify.
The Long Course
Now, if the short course sounds a bit too simple to be true - if you think there might be a bit more to this trademark thing - you're right on. Here, we'll reexamine the TM eras to see how they relate to figurine values.
Warning: we'll deal somewhat in suppositions, so if you feel like you've been saturated with all the trademark data you can handle, it's time to tune out.
TM1
The crown era, as we have seen, begins with the first production of Hummel in 1935 and continues all the way through the decade of the 1940s.
It is documented that the earliest pieces were nearly always marked with what is called the wide crown WG mark in its incised form. (The WG initials in the company of a copyright symbol can also sometimes be found on the side or top of the base of a model.)
The incised mark is usually colorless
Soon thereafter - but we don't know exactly when - the company also began applying the mark with the use of a print under glaze (PUG) decal, commonly referred to as the stamped crown mark.
This printed or stamped crown mark will normally be either blue or black. (There is a very limited range of mineral colors which will print under glaze.)
Not infrequently, Hummel figurines will be found marked both with the incised and the stamped wide crown WG mark. These examples are referred to as "double crown" figurines. They are highly prized by advanced collectors and usually command a modest premium in price.
From 1937 to 1945, the wide ducal crown with Goebel mark (also called the narrow crown mark) became prominent for a while on certain Goebel products. However, the products did not normally include figurines, and the mark is thought to be rare to nonexistent on Hummel figurines.
Before advancing beyond the World War II years, there are factors which should be considered. They help explain why early crown-marked Hummels in good condition are so rare and valuable today.
We can start with the supposition that, in the 1930s, Hummel figurines were not produced in anything resembling the abundance of later generations.
Produced by a major manufacturer and of obvious appeal, the figurines were no doubt well received. However, the prewar 1930s period was not one of voluminous export from Germany to the U.S., where the M.I. Hummel figurines would later find their greatest market.
Moreover, it can be assumed that production was abated in almost direct proportion to Germany's military buildup of the late 1930s. This may be reflected somewhat in the history of the molds themselves.
A quick, rough count shows some 33 new models were credited to the year 1938. In 1939, this figure is 17. In 1940, it is nine.
In 1941, it is six, two of which were never produced. In 1942, it is three. In 1943, it is 11, eight of which were never produced.
In 1944, a single mold was produced, and it wasn't until 1948 that such production again hit double figures.
Figurines produced by Goebel during the World War II years bore the crown mark, but it's very unlikely they were produced in any abundance.
The point is that M.I. Hummel figurines made between 1935 and 1946 - never plentiful by today's standards - needed to survive the physical tumult of a world war, dislocations, shipping to the U.S., and more than 50 years of wear and tear in order to sit today on collectors' shelves looking new and fresh from the factory.
Not many did.
The remainder of the TM1 era - the post war years of 1946-1949 - formed a new, important epoch in the history of the Hummel figurine as a favorite American collectible.
Its mission to conquer Germany completed, the American military began the task of reconstructing its part of the country, which fortunately included the Coburg/Roedental area where the Goebel factory is located.
From 1946 to 1948, figurines intended for the U.S. market (for practical purposes, the only market of this period) were marked with several U.S. Zone, Germany back stamps, usually with print under glaze decal but sometimes stamped over the glaze.
The U.S. Zone, Germany mark definitely dates any TM1 Hummel to postwar production. Quite often, however, it is accompanied by one of the crown marks. And, it is even known to be accompanied on one figurine by both the crown mark and the full bee mark (TM2)!
The more important happening of the postwar period, however, was discovery of Hummel figurines by American servicemen and their families.
Oh, it wasn't just Hummels they discovered. With the war and the efforts to destroy Germany over, there came the time to study, appreciate, and enjoy the country's treasures.
This seeking of treasures coincided with a time when the German people had little in mind except restoring order to their lives. To most Germans of the period, nonessential possessions held little importance.
Americans bought cheaply and bartered favorably for classic Black Forest clocks, for wonderful antique German steins, for exquisite Meissen porcelain, for original works of art, for woodcarvings and ivory carvings - and, of course, for M.I. Hummel figurines.
For the most part, this is how the bulk of the early Hummels came to America - in the company of or shipped by American servicemen in the years of 1946 through about 1972. During this extended period, Germany's finest goods were cheap, and the German people were more than willing to part with them.
(Today, there are literally caravans of German antiques dealers scouring the U.S. for these clocks and steins and Meissen pieces and art and carvings and Hummels to send them back to a rapidly growing German/European market.)
Before we leave the TM1 era, there are still other important things to note.
First there was a period, say 1948-1950, when the crown mark was used without the U.S. Zone mark. Surviving examples of this marking will likely be indistinguishable from the pre-1946 pieces if they were produced in both periods.
Second, we discover early on that there is a major overlap in the TM eras. Recall, we said, "In 1950, Goebel officially adopted its now-famous full bee mark in honor of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, who had died four years previously."
However, it has been verified that the full bee mark was used on at least some pieces as early as 1948, two years before its supposed inception.
A few paragraphs back we alluded to a figurine marked with the crown, full bee and U.S. Zone marks. Note this occurred even though, officially, the U.S. Zone mark was not used after 1948 and the full bee mark was not used before 1950.
In his book, Luckey's Hummel Figurines and Plates, Carl F. Luckey does a fine job in explaining the progression of trademarks, and he says: "The dates of the early trademark changes are approximate in some cases, but are probably accurate to within 5 years or so." Five years or so!
Almost assuredly the crown mark appears on a number of figurines which were actually produced in 1950 or later. It appears frequently in combination with the full bee mark on a single figurine.
(Best rule of thumb for these TM1 + TM2 marked figurines: Price or value them on the TM1 scale as they are considered to be made during the crown era.)
Finally, you should understand that the TM1 era did not come to an abrupt end. At some point around 1950, Goebel was busy phasic in its full bee mark and shipping out the last supply of figurines bearing the crown mark. We do know that figurines first introduced after 1949 are not found with the crown mark.
A point made repeatedly in this book is that these phase-in periods - when one trademark was phased in to replace its predecessor - should be of great interest to advanced collectors because they created trademark scarcities and rarities.
In the TM1 era, for instance, it can be assumed that any figurine first introduced on the market in 1948 or later will fit somewhere between relatively scarce to quite rare in TM1.
After all, it could not have been in production long, and only so may pieces would have been manufactured before the total change to TM2, which we'll take up next.
(Footnotet: The crown mark was used for an unspecified period and on an undetermined number of pieces both in 1960 and in 1969-1971 in conjunction with the prevailing mark in order to protect Goebel's copyright of the mark. Examples on Hummels must be few as they seldom turn up.)
TM2