Featured Hummel Figurines?

A few weeks ago I was at an estate auction and there were a bunch of Hummel figurines from the 1980's-90's that were selling for $8-$12 each. I didn't want them .... but I remember about ten years ago, when I first started going to auctions, there used to be tons of dedicated Hummel collectors who paid out big money ($50-100 each) for the most common of figurines.

What has happened to the Hummel market? will they rebound or are they going the way of Precious Moments and Longaberger Baskets? Once hot collectables but now, for all intents and purposes, nearly worthless. I remember sage advice that some antique dealers told me when my family started attending auctions; don't expect things that were manufactured as collectables to remain collectables in the long term. I believe that this is the case with Hummel figurines.

Their once numerous collector base is now gone and the market is oversaturated.

 

Sadly that is true.

 

Hi,
Just agree with Judy. Hummels are going down the tubes. The really valuable ones are old with different paint colors than normal. Back in the 60s I paid almost a thousand bucks for a set of Umbrella boy and girl. It was a large size. Now I see them listed for 200 bucks. Since the Goebel's have gone out of business, perhaps in the future the prices might rise.
greg

 

I don't collect Hummels myself but the bright side is that the low prices may bring new collectors to the market. The market is saturated now because the folks who purchased these as new or collected these are either downsizing or singing in the choir eternal. I think a lot of collectibles go through this cycle - everyday, then desirable, then oversaturated, and then?. Once the excess is absorbed over the next couple of years (or decades) I think we'll get a better idea of how the Hummel market will play out. They'll either become collectible again or they won't. Hummels at least have quality workmanship and a certain aesthetic appeal going for them. But it all depends on the tastes of the generations to come.
Don

 

Thankfully I never bought any. As a manufactured collectable that was hyped as "something that will be valuable someday" and which was genuinely popular for decades, there are tons of them out there. Well I guess a positive is that they are easily damaged, I can't count the number of damaged Hummel's I've seen at auction in the past few years, probably more damaged ones out there than ones in mint condition.

 

@Joe2007 , I remembered this thread today when I saw this link posted in Facebook. http://germangirlinamerica.com/history-hummel-figurines/

The person who wrote the blog post still seems very positive about certain Hummel figurines, at least. I am not an expert but would agree that there might be some individual ones with more value than others. I also think people here are correct that they were produced in such quantities that most have little value. I think she is being very optimistic!

 

I took an antique appraisal class - 15 sessions - about 20 years ago. The very first subject was Hummels. Our teacher - "They came home from WWII with the soldiers returning from Germany. Really neat gifts, very well loved by the wives and moms. My advice to you? Don't even think about them. A typical short lived fad. Values plummeted. Way too many to consider collectible."

 

Hi,
The price of Hummels have dropped over the last 10 years. HOWEVER some of them are really holding their value. These are ones that do not have the same color of clothing or background. 99% of them have the same clothing color and etc. I sold one very common piece three years ago for over 300 dollars. It was a very common one worth about 20 dollars, mine had a red plaid dress instead of the common green one. Sometimes the color of the shoes or something makes it rare. My most valuable one was the boy baker from back in the 1970s. He is very common with his white cake but mine had a white cake with chocolate icing looped around it and three tiny pink roses on top. I sold it for 625 bucks and the lady who bought it from me turned around and sold it for almost 2000 dollars. That made me think about what was available and I sort of did some research.
greg

 

I remember my parents had a few Hummels. In fact, in some home movies, they were teaching my older brother how to walk as he clung to their bed and my dad
moved the Hummel further away so my brother would keep on walking to get to it. That was back in the mid 1950's.
I don't know what happened to them.

 

Well, I DO know what happened to the few that I inherited...........................

 

If they were being used as toddler bait I think I can guess what happened to them.
Don

 

Do tell Mansons.

Don, I don't think my older brother ever got to touch the Hummel, my dad just held onto it as incentive to get him to walk.
Probably what did happen is that when we moved across the country, the movers lost them along with too much other stuff. Mayflower movers as I recall.

 

My mom collected Hummels...I still have some packed in boxes in her basement..she also has the set of annual plates (and we all know how very uncollectable those are now!!! ). Gee...maybe by the time I get to finally clean out her house..they will be a big upsurge in prices

 

I have one left "Can I Play?" and I am considering listing it on ebay next week, expecting a sale for $449.

 

Very sweet!

 

It is indeed very cute. If you list it on ebay, perhaps you would consider returning to the thread to tell folks how the bidding went. It would add some real and current information to the discussion.

 

I did list it at $478 as a five day listing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/202021365701?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

SOLD. $478

Nevermind, not yet. No commitment

 

Seven watchers, though. That's promising.
Don

 

Someone offered $450 through email and I agreed and sent offer but it hasn't been accepted.......

Same thing yesterday on my babe ruth check.....agreement in principle but no commitment.

Crazy the number of people wanting to transact outside ebay but I play by the rules.