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I will start right off by telling you that the most important factor in valuing your collectible is the condition of the item.

Items that are in mint or near mint condition will always yield a much higher profit. Chips, cracks and crazing, etc., will always bring down the value of the item and are worth just a fraction of what an item in mint condition would be.

If you are looking for collectibles, here are a few pointers to watch for:

On items such as glassware, porcelain and pottery a good way to detect for chips is to run a finger around the rim and handle areas.

For glass items, hold it up to the light to look for hairline cracks. If the item is glass or has a handle make especially sure to check the base as these types of items are more prone to crack at the base.

Look at the surface for scratches or films that can be caused from harsh dish detergents. If you see a film, test it by getting it wet. If the film comes back after being dried then it’s permanent.

If you are interested in selling a collectible piece, it is always best to keep the box. Believe it or not, having the original box the item came in can sometimes increase the value. Why? We really don’t know why.

Keeping the boxes started back in the 1970’s. It was an advertising method where people would advertise “Mint in Box” (MIB) or “New in Box” (NIB). The intention was to convey the idea that the item has been unused and is still in the original factory condition regardless of age.

In my opinion, it really doesn’t make a difference whether you have the box or not. After all, what’s to keep a person from displaying the item for years and then when it’s time to sell, just put it back in the original box? Never the less, it’s a good idea to keep the boxes with your items.

People have been stuck on the theory that having the original box will bring more value and in reality, it does. But by all means, I would never turn down a good deal on a valuable collectible just because it didn’t have the box.

Just to clarify, there is nothing wrong with purchasing an item that may have a small crack or a few scratches. Just don’t pay a high price for something that is not in good condition.

Evelyn Whitaker writes articles for Deutsches Haus http://www.deutscheshaus.cc which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Deutsches Haus offers German collectibles, souvenirs, gifts and foods.

Did you know that doll collecting is rated as the second biggest collectible hobby in the United States?

With all the different doll manufacturers there are today, it can sometimes get confusing on what kind of doll is best to buy. Besides having to determine which manufacturer is the best one to go with, you then need to figure out which kind of doll is suited best for the purpose. Do you want a hand crafted doll, Artist doll, play doll, designer doll, licensed doll? It can get confusing.

Which manufacturer you go with is a matter of personal taste. Germany although, is known throughout the world for their quality made dolls. There have been many countries that have tried to follow but have never been able to match. To this day, Germany is still the leader in quality doll production.

No matter which manufacturer you decide to go with, there are still other considerations. The following is a list of the different types of dolls most manufacturers produce today.

Artist Dolls:
These dolls are specialty dolls often designed to look very much like a real child or person and are among the most expensive. Most often, they are produced in limited editions making it more affordable for the merchants and customers to buy. Newly made original Artist dolls can cost up to and over $5,000. That’s a hefty price to pay for most doll collectors. Once the dolls are sold out, the mold is broken and the dolls are not made again. This is another reason for the high price tag.

The artists that make these dolls usually have contracts with specific manufacturers. For example, Hildegard Guenzel is a well known artist that produces dolls for Goetz.

Artist dolls are not the type of doll you would want to buy for child’s play. These sorts of dolls are bought mostly by doll collectors between the ages of 30 - 45 and average in price of around $600 give or take a few hundred.

Variation Dolls:
These dolls can also be made by artists as well as the companies that manufacturer them. A variation doll is a doll that stays in production usually for a few years or longer. From year to year certain features of the doll may change. It may be something as simple as a different outfit, or the hair style or face shape may change a bit in the following year. Schildkroet is a good example of this. They carry a classic collection line of dolls which pretty much stays the same year after year. Each year you may see slight variations in the same dolls.

Variation dolls are not as expensive as Artist dolls. They can start as low as $40 on up to $500 or more.

Classic Collection Dolls:
Classic dolls are usually replicas of older dolls dating back to the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. I have even seen some replicas from earlier dates. They usually come in limited editions and average in prices from $100 - $500 depending on the manufacturer. These types of dolls are usually bought by people that remember having a doll of this sort as a child. These dolls should sit on a shelf for display only.

Hand Crafted Dolls:
These dolls can be manufactured by the companies themselves or sometimes you will even find these dolls designed by artists. Some can come with certificates and others wont. It can vary. These dolls can be played with and are usually a higher quality than the simple “play doll” varieties. Facial features may be more realistic and the materials are designed with play in mind, meaning you will find many of the soft bodied and bath babies in this category. These dolls are mostly bought for older children. Hand Crafted dolls are also sought after by collectors..

Licensed Dolls:
These dolls are dolls that the manufacturer has licensing rights to sell or produce. For example, Goetz manufacturers a “Harry Potter” doll under a special licensing agreement. Engel-Puppen has a special licensing agreement with Goebel to produce the Hummel dolls. These dolls can vary from expensive limited editions to play dolls.

Play Dolls:
Play dolls are made especially for children. They are designed to be dragged around by an arm, left lying on the floor for you to trip over, squeezed to death, spanked and thrown in a toy box.

There are hundreds of variations of play dolls. Some designed for a little less play in mind to the ones that couldn’t break if a bulldozer ran over it. Manufacturers of play dolls are always careful to make sure the dolls are made of non-toxic materials and flame retardant clothing. Most of these dolls are made especially soft for children’s play and includes the bath babies as well. Many of them are very easy to clean just by putting them in a tied pillow case and into the washing machine.

In closing, the doll you decide to purchase most likely will be one that just strikes you, no matter who made the doll. Most often, this is how dolls are purchased. You see a doll in the window that either reminds you of your childhood, or one that has a striking resemblance to a loved one. Many times, this is all it takes, and before you know it, you have the doll in your hands.

Evelyn Becker writes articles for Deutsches Haus http://www.deutscheshaus.cc which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Deutsches Haus offers German collectibles, souvenirs, gifts and foods.

In California you can find a shop called Goebel Miniatures where they produce miniature renditions of the M.I. Hummel figurines. These miniatures are about the size of a dime. This shop is the only shop and the sole producer of these little miniatures.

A few years before this shop came about, an artist by the name of Robert Olszewski made several miniature replicas of Hummel figurines in gold. He was not aware that he needed to get permission from Goebel in order to do this. Before Goebel found out about Robert’s work and stopped him, he had made the following five miniatures:

Barnyard Hero
Stormy Weather
Kiss Me
Ring Around the Rosie
Ride into Christmas

Robert had also made a few solid gold bracelets with each one of the above named miniatures attached. These bracelets and the unauthorized miniatures have since become highly sought after and are worth alot of money.

Goebel recognized Robert’s talent and realized there was a market for the miniatures. The interesting result was the birth of the Goebel Miniatures Shop where Robert was hired under contract with Goebel. As of 1994, Robert no longer works for Goebel.

When the very first Hummel miniatures were released in 1988, they all got a circular backstamp trademark which carried the mold number, the year and the name Olszewski along with Goebel’s name. These are also highly sought after.

People are sometimes surprised at the cost of these little miniatures. What most people don’t realize though what is all involved in creating these little treasures. First of all, they are not made of earthenware, but of bronze instead. It also takes the artist about 200 hours or more to carve the new creation in wax. The wax sculpture is then converted into a sterling silver master mold. From this silver mold the plaster molds are made and the moulten bronze is poured into these. The final steps is the painting and packaging.

Goebel Miniatures has made many other types of miniatures besides just the M.I. Hummels. Of the M.I. Hummels there was a series that they call “Kinder Way” It was a set of six little Bavarian buildings and settings that were all connected by little bridges and are named as follows:

Market Square
Flower Stand
Countryside School
Wayside Shrine
Bavarian Cottage
Bavarian Village

In early 1992 Goebel announced that the Kinder Way Bavarian Village settings would be permanently retired. They also announced that the production of the M.I. Hummel figurines miniatures would also be suspended indefinitely. To this day, Goebel has no plans to resume production of these cute little miniatures, although there have been at least three produced since 1992 as special editions only. They are:

Ring Around the Rosie
The Mail is Here
Honey Lover

M.I. Hummel miniatures are cute and different and add extensively to any Hummel collection. Robert Olszewski’s work is also highly sought after, so if you have any miniatures by him, you may want to consider hanging onto them!

Evelyn Whitaker writes articles for Deutsches Haus http://www.deutscheshaus.cc which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Deutsches Haus offers German collectibles, souvenirs, gifts and foods.

I’m sure you’ve all seen it, you look at the bottom of a stein or German made product and it says “Made in Germany”. You think you’ve acquired an item that was made in Germany. Right? Not necessarily so!

Whether you are aware of it or not, there are some German manufacturers that actually have their steins manufactured in China! They are then shipped back to Germany where the relief decoration, pewter lids, etc. are applied and before the items are put on the shelf, they are labeled “Made in Germany”.

This practice was only discovered during the late part of last year. A company by the name of Ziler and Born, along with their attorney wrote to all the companies involved and threatened legal action. So far, two of these firms, Armin Bay Keramic & Prasente GmbH and DOMEX Geschenk-Manufactur GmbH, just recently settled out of court after admitting to what they were doing wrong. They have also agreed to pay approximately $26,500 for each future violation.

You may now be thinking that you have nothing to be concerned about, but you should be aware that the agreements signed by these two companies have no application in the United States and you, as an American consumer, really have no protection against the mislabeled steins.

So how do you deal with this problem? The best way is to limit buying steins to those that have the marks of German manufacturers who are well known to be making their own products. Avoid the companies that are known to be outsourcing their steins to China or elsewhere. Below you will see an Armin Bay logo on the bottom of a Chinese made stein and also a picture of a DOMEX logo which came from a stein also manufactured in China.

Another way to be safe about making sure you are getting a stein that was really made in Germany is to make sure that the “Made in Germany” is etched or embossed into the clay. This has to be done before the stein is fired and it is illegal to import into Germany any product which already bears the words “Made in Germany”.

In an article dated May 21, 1999 of the Westerwald Zeitung in Germany, the following was published (this has been translated from German to English):

“Gerz Sells, Only the Name Remains

SESSENBACH/HILLSCHEID. The name of the beer stein manufacturer Gerz, who went bankrupt in Sessenbach, remains preserved, however, apparently not the production. As the Westerwald Zeitung found out yesterday, the DOMEX Geschenk-Manufaktur GmbH in Hillscheid bought the Gerz “mark”.

This means that in the future DOMEX will sell ceramic vessels with the name Gerz. However, these products will no longer be produced in Sessenbach. Oliver Sahm, Managing Partner of DOMEX: “The production is Sessenbach is not profitable. We will purchase the Gerz articles worldwide and finish them in Hillscheid. As much as possible we will use local suppliers for that.” Sahm initially expects to create ten new positions in his company. At present he has sixty employees. In their heyday, Gerz employed more than 200 people.

These steins have already begun to reach the marketplace. Buyer beware!

Evelyn Whitaker writes articles for Deutsches Haus http://www.deutscheshaus.cc which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Deutsches Haus offers German collectibles, souvenirs, gifts and foods.

Charlot Byj started out by creating her famous redheaded children and others as greeting cards. This brought her to the attention of Franz Goebel of the Goebel Company in the mid 1940s. At Goebel they turned her artwork into three dimensional figurines just as they had done with the Hummel figurines. Today, they are sought after by collectors around the world.

After Charlot graduated from art school, one day she sought shelter from the rain in a greeting card store. She admired their greeting card line, made note of the publisher’s name and called for an appointment for a job interview. She was hired and began designing illustrations for cards, books and advertising posters. All her artwork was with children. It was while she was working at the card shop that she created her now famous characters; some of which were “Shabby O’Hair,” his little sister, “Raggy Muffin,” Shabby’s plump mother, “M’Lady O’Hair” and many others.

Franz Goebel, head of W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik, noticed her artwork on the greeting cards and soon she was invited to visit the production facility. Her first figurine, “Strike,” was modeled by the master sculptor Arthur Moeller and the mold date on the bottom of that figurine is 1957. More than 100 different figurines were designed, molded, and produced before the series ceased in 1988. Gerhard Skrobek worked with her on 64 different figurines and they made a great team. Charlot was a perfectionist. She would not agree to a change simply for cost sake. Together they produced a wonderful series. She was under exclusive contract to Goebel until 1980 until she got sick and was forced to cut back on her designing.

Working with Miss Byj, Goebel master sculptors Arthur Moeller and Gerhard Skrobek made the initial four Redhead figurines “Strike,” “The Roving Eye,” “Oops,” and “Little Miss Coy.”

Most of her artwork features children and motherhood in two styles. One style was the very popular “Redheads” as the Goebel Charlot Byj Redheads became known. The other style was the blonde series of about 16 different figurines. The redheads were designed as bouncy characters and full of life and mischief, however, the blondes were designed to be more serene and gentle in their young approach to life. There were also a few figurines that were painted as children with brown hair.

As previously mentioned, Charlot’s little characters were produced by the Goebel Company from 1957 until 1988 in many different forms. The most popular were the figurines, but they also came out as annual baby ornaments, annual Christmas ornaments, annual plate series, art prints and three different music boxes which used the figurines as the center pieces. There were also three different lamps, only one of which was placed in Goebel production. Last, but not least in importance, they produced the dolls in a variety of different sizes. The doll series production continues today with Goebel doll designer Karen Kennedy.

Charlot lived in New York City and was a caring and sincere person. Her nature is encapsulated in the following recollection by Joan N. Ostroff which is entitled “In Memoriam.”

“Charlot Byj”
Mischievous. Impish. Witty. Redhead.
Gentle. Tender. Precious. Blonde.
Charlot Byj

Charlot’s drawings seemed to appear as if magic and those that have known her personally witnessed all the aspects of this remarkable talent. Those who know her through her figurines are not disappointed, for Charlot’s spirit shines through.

The world lost a very talented artist on August 7, 1983

Evelyn Becker writes articles for Deutsches Haus http://www.deutscheshaus.cc which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Deutsches Haus offers German collectibles, souvenirs, gifts and foods.

Between 1948 and 1963 the silver half dollar was known as the Franklin Half Dollar and on one side could be seen a picture of Benjamin Franklin and on the reverse side was the Liberty Bell with a small eagle. At the time of it first being minted this coin was required to have a small eagle to the right of the Liberty Bell by law. But what is ironic is that Benjamin Franklin actually opposed the use of the eagle as the USA’s national symbol and would have preferred that they turkey (a more noble bird) was used instead.

Then in 1963 the coin was changed upon the death of John F Kennedy the president at that time he was assassinated. But what is the 1963 half dollar coin value and how is it calculated. But the value of this coin changed also because the value of silver had risen between 1962 and 1963 and as this coin contains such a high amount of silver compared to those that were minted in 1964 and onwards.

In the beginning the 1963 half dollar coin was being hoarded by many people for sentimental reasons (as a reminder of a US President who was truly loved) and also because they were the only precious metal US coin that remained in circulation at the time.

At present the 1963 half dollar coin is worth around $4.8141724190 and this relates to its rounded silver value. In order to reach this value a coin dealer will use the following equation. First they will need to get hold of the latest metal prices which at present are $13.31 an ounce for silver and $3.1256 an ounce for copper. They will then take the weight of the coin (12.5g) and convert the weight of the silver and copper within the coin in ounces. They then times the weight of the silver in the coin by the price of silver at the time and then times this by the weight of the coin and then times this finally by the percentage of silver that is contained within the coin and this will give you the final rounded silver value of the coin.

In order to arrive at the 1963 half dollar coin value if the half dollar were melted down, they need to use the same calculations shown above for the copper contained within the coin. Once you have the value of the copper held within the coin you then add this to the value of the silver and this provides the coin dealer with the 1963 half dollar coin melt value.

For more information on how to value coins using a coin value guide visit http://www.find-coins.com where will find useful tips, articles and resources to help you find old coins.

Pewter is an alloy consisting of mostly tin and it is the fourth most precious metal. It also has very small amounts of antimony and copper which is added mainly for strength and/or color. The percentage of tin can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but most often you will find at the least 91% tin and the rest in antimony and copper.

European pewter has a minimum tin content of 92% although many of these manufacturers raise this to 95% and some even to 97% tin. The higher the tin content, the more silver the final color.

Pewter dates back to the Roman days and was only something the rich and wealthy could afford.

Despite contrary beliefs today’s pewter is perfectly safe to eat and drink from. Modern pewter contains no lead as it once did. How can you tell if your pewter items have lead in them? This is a question that gets asked quite often. Read on to find out…

The result of lead in pewter is a grayish-black patina on the surface of the item. The amount of darkening and type of oxidation can vary depending on the type of environment the items are left in.

Most often, people will leave this patina on because it creates an antique look that many manufacturers try to simulate today. If you should try to remove it, the layers underneath are then exposed which will in time once again corrode and the patina comes back. In all actuality, the patina layer that forms on lead based pewter acts as a protective layer and should really not be removed.

Lead free pewter can also oxidize over time, but it takes much longer and the color is usually more grayish compared to the lead based pewter which is a darker gray or black in color.

General Pewter Care Tips:
- Pewter can be pitted or stained from certain foods such as citrus juice, types of salad dressings etc., so please remember to wash your items immediately after use.

- Do not place in the oven on a hot plate or near hot flames because pewter melts easier than other types of metals. Pewter melts at only 450 degrees.

- Always hand wash rather than placing in a dishwasher.

Pewter Cleaning Tips:
Unlike silver, pewter doesn’t tarnish, so you will not need to clean it all that often.

There are generally three different types of finishes you will find in pewter items and each has a preferred method of cleaning.

Polished Pewter:
This type of finish is very shiny and smooth and only really needs to be cleaned a couple of times a year. The recommend method of cleaning this type of pewter is with a very soft cloth and some polish. You can try making your own paste of vinegar, salt and flour. Rub it in circular motions with a soft cloth gently to shine up your pewter. You can also find polishes at your local hardware store or auto parts store. Look for a polish that contains very fine grit if none at all.

For taking out fine scratches, we recommend using a polish called “Mothers”. You can find this at your local hardware store. It has a very small amount of very fine grit in the polish and this must be applied with care. Just apply a little bit to the affected area and rub with a soft cloth in circular motions. You will notice that your cloth will turn black. This is normal, as it is actually taking off a very fine layer of pewter to reveal the new shiny layer underneath. Just keep turning the cloth so you are always using a clean part and your pewter will once again shine. If you should notice that the now cleaned area is shinier than the rest of the area, you may have to do the entire area to get an even effect.

Another type of polish that works well is Rottenstone. You can find this at some hardware stores or lumberyards.

Satin Pewter:
This type of pewter has a little bit more of a rougher appearance. It is not shiny, but has almost a grain type of finish. You can use warm water and a mild soap to clean this type of pewter.

Every couple of years you may want to buff out or brush this kind of pewter using very fine steel wool. You can find this in any local hardware store. Always remember to rub in the direction of the grain and do not press very hard. It will not take much to return it back to it’s original appearance.

Oxidized Pewter:
Oxidized pewter usually has a darker finish and has an antique look to it. Just washing with warm water and a mild soap is all you really need to do with this type of pewter.

You should also note that pewter from earlier periods can oxidize easily because of the higher lead content.

Evelyn Whitaker writes articles for Deutsches Haus http://www.deutscheshaus.cc which is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Deutsches Haus offers German collectibles, souvenirs, gifts and foods.