Hummel marks: how to date M.I. Hummel figurines by trademark

Turn the figurine over: the trademark (TMK) under the base dates it to a span of years, from the incised crown with WG used from 1935 to about 1949-50, through the bee marks of the 1950s to 1970s, to the missing bee from 1979. Then confirm it is a genuine M.I. Hummel by the incised M.I. Hummel signature, usually on the edge or side of the base, and the incised model number.

By the Antique ID team · Updated 2026-10-13

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Who made Hummel figurines

The Neue Deutsche Biographie records that Berta Hummel was born on 21 May 1909 in Massing, Lower Bavaria, studied at the State School of Arts and Crafts in Munich from 1927, joined the Franciscan convent at Sießen in 1931 and took the veil in 1934 as Sister Maria Innocentia. From 1935 the firm of W. Goebel in Oeslau made and sold small figures based on her drawings of children. She died at Sießen on 6 November 1946. Goebel's own company history describes an exclusive contract in 1935 with Sister Maria Innocentia and the Sießen convent, and records that it spun off its Hummel division in 2008, after which the figurines were made by Manufaktur Rödental. Kovels reports that Manufaktur Rödental was sold in 2013 to Hummel Manufaktur GmbH, which continues production in Rödental.

The trademark sequence

The two references disagree by a year or more at several changeovers, and overlapping ranges are real: marks were phased in and out, molds stayed in use, and some figurines carry both an incised older mark and a stamped newer one. Kovels adds two useful location clues: "U.S. Zone" appears in marks from 1946 to 1948, and "W. Germany" from 1960 to 1990. Antique Trader also notes that from 1990 a "First Issue" backstamp marked a figurine's first production year and from 1991 a "Final Issue" backstamp its last, and that a special backstamp was used on all figurines made in the 125th anniversary year, 1996.

Other marks on the base

• M.I. Hummel signature. Incised, usually on the edge or vertical side of the base. Without it, the piece is not an M.I. Hummel figurine.
• Model (HUM) number. Antique HQ describes an incised one- to four-digit number that identifies the design and stays the same even if the figurine's name changes. It may carry a size designator, as in 47/III.
• Painted numbers and dates. A small hand-painted number is a factory control number, not a date. A second incised number can be a year, but not reliably the year that piece was made. Antique Trader notes that from TMK-6 the artist's mark could include the date painting was finished.

Hummel versus Hummel-like

Many figurines look like Hummels without being M.I. Hummel figurines:

• Other Goebel figurines. Goebel's own history describes the crown over the WG monogram as a company mark going back to William Goebel's takeover in 1893, and the bee marks were also used as Goebel company marks. A crown or bee alone does not make a figurine a Hummel.
• Berta Hummel (BH) figures. Kovels reports that porcelain figures inspired by Berta Hummel's drawings were introduced in 1997, marked BH with a number and made in the Far East, not Germany.
• Licensed items by others. Kovels notes that Schmid Brothers has made items from Hummel drawings since 1971.
• Imitations. Look-alike children figurines by other makers lack the incised signature, the Goebel or Rödental trademark and a matching model number. Compare the model number, size and painting with a reference photograph of that number.

What drives value

Trademark era (earlier marks are generally sought after), the model and its size, whether the design was produced only briefly, condition (chips, cracks, glued repairs, worn paint) and original boxes or papers. Condition matters greatly: a repaired early piece can be worth less than a perfect later one. Compare completed sales of the same model number, size and trademark, as explained in how to find the value of antiques.

Next steps

Photograph the base in good light so the trademark, signature and model number are legible, then scan the figurine with Antique ID for an identification and an estimated value range. An estimate is not an appraisal; for early crown-mark pieces or rare models, ask a specialist dealer or appraiser.

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