Hi Gordon,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Hummel figurines and other forms are a popular line of porcelain collectibles that depict children in various endearing and nostalgic scenes. They are named after Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, a German Franciscan nun and artist who created the original artwork that inspired the figurines.

Hummel figures were made by the W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik, which was founded in 1871 by Franz Detlev Goebel and his son William Goebel in Oeslau, near Coburg, Germany (today part of Rödental). The company initially produced porcelain and related ceramic goods and became an important manufacturer of decorative wares.

However, W. Goebel is important to collectors because the company was much more than simply the maker of Hummel figurines. It was a major German porcelain manufacturer whose long history encompasses decorative ceramics, figurines, tableware, Art Deco pieces, and eventually the enormously successful M. I. Hummel line.

The Goebel name is particularly interesting because “Goebel” and “Hummel” are not interchangeable terms. Goebel was the manufacturer; Maria Innocentia Hummel was the artist whose drawings inspired the Hummel figurines.

A Goebel mark- which these have - does not automatically mean that an object is a Hummel because Goebel produced many other types of porcelain and earthenware, including Art Deco and modernist figural pieces, animals, birds, decorative objects and tableware. The same basic Goebel trademarks were used across its product lines for much of the 20th century.

Your pieces are modeled after Friar Tuck, the jovial, portly Franciscan friar associated with Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Although the character does not appear in the earliest surviving Robin Hood ballads, he became firmly established in later English folklore, theatrical Robin Hood traditions, and especially 19th-century literature. He was also famously included by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe. The American Toby Jug Museum specifically identifies Goebel’s figure as the Friar Tuck of Robin Hood tradition.

Goebel turned the character into an extensive line of functional and decorative ceramics, beginning in the early 1950s. The line ultimately included roughly 125 different objects—not simply figurines, but creamers, sugar bowls, pitchers, mugs, decanters, cookie jars, banks, ashtrays, egg cups, salt and pepper shakers, clocks and other household objects.

As you point out, the large one in the center of this photo is a cookie jar with removeable head, flanked by hollow mugs and individual bottle stoppers. At auction, this group would most likely sell for between $150 and $200; if you're looking to sell these privately, I would recommend asking $100 for the cookie jar, $75 for the pair of mugs and $30 each for the stoppers. That comes out as a bit more than these would sell for at auction.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

Five pieces of Goebel Friar Tuck ceramic collectibles
bearing the date mark in use from 1964-1972
Comprising a covered cookie jar, pair of mugs and two bottle stoppers
Cookie Jar: Height: 9 inches
Mugs: Height: 5 inches
Bottle stoppers: Height: 3 inches
CONDITION: These appear to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: inherited
$ 150-200*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia