Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik, Wiefel, Gustav Heubach Dolls German

Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik 23 bisque doll face
Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik doll mold 23 bisque face

The Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik (First Steinbacher Porcelain Factory) was founded in 1900 by Max Kiesewetter in Steinbach, near Sonneberg, Germany, in 1902 Mr. Hugo Zucker also joined the firm as a co-owner.

ca. 1905 Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik doll mold 23 bisque socket head girl doll, feathered eyebrows, sleep eyes, open mouth, mohair wig, five piece jointed composition body, doll marked EStP.

From 1900 until 1912 Steinbacher used the doll mark of company initials EStP inside an oval cartouche or EStP with an elephant symbol, as shown below.

Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik Doll Marks

Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik doll mark EStP Germany
Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik doll mark EStP Germany
Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik doll mark elephant symbol EStP
Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik doll mark elephant symbol EStP
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Wiefel & Company doll mold 350 bisque doll face
Wiefel & Company doll mold 301 bisque doll face 25″

Wiefel & Company Dolls 1912-1923

In 1912 Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik was sold to Hugo Wiefel and renamed Wiefel & Company, thus a new doll mark was used of W & Co or W & C with or without a doll mold number.

By 1914 Wiefel’s manufacturing was shut down because of World War I and restarted up again in 1918, although it doesn’t appear that bisque doll heads were resumed being made until around 1923.

Wiefel & Company Doll Marks

Wiefel & Company doll mark 201 W & Co. Thuringia
Wiefel & Company doll mark 201 W & Co. Thuringia
Wiefel & Company doll mark 250 W & Co. Germany
Wiefel & Company doll mark 250 W & Co. Germany by Max Oscar Arnold
Wiefel doll mark W anchor symbol
Wiefel doll mark W anchor symbol
Wiefel doll mark horseshoe symbol W & C
Wiefel doll mark horseshoe symbol W & C by Ernst Heubach
Wiefel & Co doll mark 1908 AM triangle DEP W & Co.
AM in triangle = Amandus Michaelis

Wiefel & Co doll mark 1908 AM triangle DEP W & Co. AM in triangle = Amandus Michaelis

Wiefel doll mark 1908 DEP W & Co. 121 AM AM = Armand Marseille
Wiefel doll mark 1908 DEP W & Co. 121 AM AM = Armand Marseille

Wiefel & Company Doll Molds Identified 201, 250, 301, 1908

Gustav Heubach doll mold 1904 bisque face
Gustav Heubach doll mold 1904 bisque face

Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik Wiefel & Company KG 1923+

In 1923 Robert Carl and his son-in-law Gustav Heubach became silent partners in the Wiefel firm and the company was renamed Erste Steinbacher Porzellanfabrik Wiefel & Company KG and doll heads were again being made.

Gustav Heubach used the doll mark GH, G & H, as shown below. In 1926 Mr. Wiefel left the company and in 1937 Mr. Robert Carl passed away, thus leaving Gustav Heubach the sole owner.

Gustav Heubach doll mark 510 G & H
Gustav Heubach doll mark 510 G & H
Gustav Heubach doll mark 520 G & H
Gustav Heubach doll mark 520 G & H
Gustav Heubach doll mark 19 GH 04
Gustav Heubach doll mark 19 GH 04
Gustav Heubach doll mark GH 1905
Gustav Heubach doll mark GH 1905
Gustav Heubach doll mark 1909 Made in German G & H
Gustav Heubach doll mark 1909 Made in German G & H

Gustav Heubach Doll Molds Identified 339, 500, 510, 520, 1904, 1905, 1909

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German Doll Encyclopedia 1800-1939 book in 1984, German Doll Marks and Identification book in 2001, both by Jurgen and Marianne Cieslik, The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Dolls, vol. I in 1968, vol. II in 1986 by Dorothy S., Elizabeth A. and Evelyn J. Coleman.