The 16-inch doll featured a bisque socket head, pierced ears and a kid body with paper label, and fetched $23,100.

Bru Circle Dot “2” with factory original silk brocade over silk pongee and garnet earrings, $15,950.

HATFIELD, PENN. – Working around the scheduled United Federation of Doll Club’s annual convention in Atlanta, Ga., the Alderfer Auction Company held their summer catalog Doll, Toy and Holiday auction on August 15 and 16.

Two twilight auctions took place August 15. The first comprised of 150 lots of antique bisque heads, body parts and related books. Good quality leather bodies and marked papier-mâché bodies brought the best prices, with the exception of an 11 ½-inch 122-9 Belton-style bisque head doll with missing body parts and no wig that sold for $495.

In the second auction of the day, candy containers and holiday related rdf_Descriptions were featured. Papier-mâché candy containers of roast turkeys, jack o’lanterns, Easter eggs, American flag hatchets, turkeys and musical instruments brought prices in the $99 to $187 range. Glass candy containers including three different guns – a diamond grip six, medium gun with fancy grip; medium gun with bulls-eye and diamond grip; and a nine inch trout fish – sold from $27.50 to $220.

Nearly every holiday was presented with Christmas being the strongest. Santas, wax angels, chicken feather trees, Dresden and a two faced child celluloid ornament sold from $121 to $330.

The August 16 doll auction brought a standing room only audience from more than a dozen states. Two fine estates and a partial collection, all from Pennsylvania, made up the majority of the 700 plus lots of dolls, toys, furniture and accessories. Featured were many larger bisque dolls, mainly German. A 21 inch Kammer & Reinhardt, Simon Halbig 117A, closed mouth, original mohair wig but no original clothing, brought $3,630. A 31 inch Heinrich Handwerck marked 16 19 DEP Germany, original mohair wig with antique dress and shoes, $1,210; and a 32 inch Heinrich Handwerck, Simon Halbig marked German “7,” original mohair wig in an antique silk embroidered coat, brought $1,320.

Many times, smaller choice dolls bring higher prices than the large dolls. Such was the case with a 9 1/2 inch marked 862 3, German doll with her domed trunk, clothing and many accessories. A French-type with Paris genre, expecting to sell in the $2,000 range, brought a final price of $3,850. One of the larger babies, a 30 inch Kammer & Reinhardt, Simon Halbig 126 Germany 12, with flirty sleep eyes, and open mouth and woggle tongue, although redressed, brought $2,090.

The French dolls had been consigned from the three main collections. Nineteen dolls were in this category including a 33 inch Tete Jumeau (red stamp) DEP 15, (incised), that had pull cords on the side and was in working order. The paper label on the body read “BEBE JUMEAU” (blue stamp) and it had a factory original dress marked “Bebe Jumeau” on the belt. The doll had its original factory shoes (marked “Paris Depose 12” with bee) and its original box with labels. It was sold for $2,640. The smallest doll was a nine inch Tete Jumeau marked #9 (red) “7,” The body was marked with a blue stamp “Jumeau, Medaille d’Paris.” It had its original mohair wig but no original clothing or shoes. This doll brought $1,760.

There were several exceptional dolls in the auction, all from one consignor. A very pretty 24 inch Jumeau marked E.J.A. 10 was most likely not on the original body but had beautiful paperweight eyes and a closed mouth. She was beautifully redressed in the style of the period and brought $11,000. A favorite of many attending the auction was the 13 inch marked Bru Circle Dot “2” with a swivel neck bisque socket head, deep shoulder plate with molded breasts, a closed mouth with slightly parted lips. She had a beautiful leather body that was marked. The clothing appeared to be factory original and marked Bru-Jne Paris (in oval) shoes; the doll sold for $15,950.

There were two marked Bru-Jne dolls. The female, a 17 inch “5” was quite charming with a bisque socket head (swivel neck), brown paperweight eyes and an open/closed mouth with molded tongue. She was dressed in what appeared to be her original clothing and in spite of her lower bisque arms having seven broken fingers, she went home with a very happy new owner for $11,555. But clearly, the star of the auction was her little brother, a 16 inch “4” bisque socket head (swivel neck) with beautiful brown paperweight eyes, and an open/closed mouth with molded tongue. His kid body was marked “Bebe Bru” in red lettering on a paper label. Dressed in a black waistcoat/tails, gray pants and an unmarked top hat over his original fur wig, the doll brought $23,100, well over the book value of $15,500- 16,500.

One of the more interesting dolls with provenance was a 16 inch Millner’s model type. It had the original family history attached to it. It returned to a distant family relative at a price of $3,300.

Two lots in the china sets were a four piece Continental silver set, Nineteenth Century, with swag and medallion decoration, which brought $412.50, and a 34 piece set of china with nursery rhymes “The House that Jack Built.” Unboxed, it sold for $880.

There were many miniatures and dollhouse size dolls in this auction including all bisque and a lot of eight hand carved wooden minidolls that brought $357.50. A funny little 3 1/2 inch all bisque Googly girl holding a 1 1/2 inch papier-mâché skeleton sold for $715.

There were 50 lots of child and doll size furniture. Several high chairs were offered and they sold in the $27.50 to $385 range. A child’s upholstered Victorian chaise brought $467.50. A possible salesman’s sample-type French-type dresser with bow front brought $522.50 and a child-size glass china closet with an ornate carved header brought the top price in this category at $990.

A grouping of various toys closed the auction. With bidders on the phone as well as in the audience, interest was high in a French papier-mâché mechanical dog with a nodding head and growler that brought $1,650 and was sold to a phone bidder. A German dry goods store with the original drawers, counter and weight scales brought $1,705; and a Foley and Williams toy sewing machine in the original wood box brought $770.

All prices reported include the ten percent buyer’s premium.