Metal Antique Dolls Identified 1861+
By 1886 the majority of metal head dolls were made in Germany, best known to doll collectors today are: Buschow & Beck, Minerva dolls (1888-1930s), Karl Standfuss, Juno dolls (1898-1930s), Alfred Heller, Diana dolls (1901-1910) and are all shown below, with an image of their doll marks. Around 1902 the United States was producing metal head dolls, best known is probably Atlas Doll & Toy, Giebeler-Falk plus others and Bucherer of Switzerland (1921+) made character dolls with a metal body.
German metal doll heads were made from stamped sheet metal that is welded together and then painted. Metal doll heads were primarily made as replacement heads for bisque or China doll heads that were easily broken. The German word metallpuppenköpfe means metal doll head maker.
Brief Metal Head Doll History: France first recorded in 1861 a patent for making dolls heads and limbs of metal by René Poulin. In 1876 Lucien Vervelle of France secured a patent for dolls heads made of metal, too. Sommereisen in 1898 obtained a French patent making hollow aluminum doll heads.
Metal Head Antique Dolls & Makers Identified
1888-1930s Buschow & Beck, German was the most prolific of the German metal head doll makers. American partner was Alfred Vischer (marked Minerva). Buschow & Beck metal head dolls are used on the Sears brand name of Wearwell dolls, Knock Out dolls and Violet dolls. Buschow & Beck’s metal head dolls also came without molded painted hair so the doll could wear a wig, glass eyes, open mouth.
Buschow & Beck doll mark Minerva helmet symbol, sometimes with Patent.
1898-1930s Karl Standfuss, German, JUNO metal shoulder head doll 20″ tall, molded wavy painted blonde hair, painted eyes and facial features, closed mouth, on a cloth or kid leather body.
Karl Standfuss doll mark crown symbol JUNO
1901-1910 Alfred Heller, German, Diana metal shoulder head doll 16″ tall, with molded painted blonde wavy hair, multi stroke eyebrows, stationary glass eyes, painted upper and lower eye lashes, open mouth, on cloth body, doll mark shown below. Some Heller metal head Diana dolls have a solid dome head meant for a wig, applied ears, glass eyes, open mouth.
Alfred Heller doll mark Patent, Diana D.R.G.M 160638
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Metal Doll Co doll mark Patent Pending Made by Metal Doll Co. Pleasantville, N.J.
1902-1904 Metal Doll Company of Pleasantville, NJ, USA, made entire dolls of thin steel sheet metal, fully jointed steel body, some have jointed wrists and ankles, strung with steel springs in 12 and 18″ tall, called All Steel Doll, distributed by Borgfeldt, doll mark Patent Pending Made by Metal Doll Co. Pleasantville, N.J.
1919-1920 Aluminum Doll Head Works USA, made aluminum doll heads and hands on composition ball jointed or cloth stuffed bodies, doll mark unknown or unmarked. see Giebeler-Falk.
1915-1923+ The Art Metal Works USA, made metal head dolls with bellows, Mama walking, talking dolls by Louis Aronson. In 1923-1930 Louis Aronson founded Voices, Inc., to license his doll talking patent to other doll makers.
1917-1930 Atlas Doll & Toy Company USA, made all metal dolls, metal doll shoulder heads, sleep eyes, wigged and metal arms on cork stuffed bodies, Atlas doll mark A.D.T. Co., but most dolls are unmarked. In 1919 Hug Me Kid all metal doll with sleep or stationary eyes, molded hair or wigged, doll unmarked. In 1928 Dolly Jump Rope doll who came in a metal push cart, doll unmarked. If you have an unmarked metal head Baby doll, THIS is the company we’d check out first as the possible doll maker.
1917-1921 Babs Manufacturing Corp. USA – a non-mechanical metal and composition wood walking doll.
Giebeler-Falk doll mark G six pointed star US Pat. Nov. 19, 19′
1918-1921 Giebeler-Falk Doll Corporation USA – used the doll trade name Gie-Fa, made aluminum doll head doll with a wooden body, phonograph doll named Primadonna, with a clockwork mechanical mechanism in the dolls torso, a crank handle in the neck works the turntable located in the top of the head. Dolls have a metal head, hands and feet with wooden or composition bodies or made entirely of aluminum. Giebeler-Falk doll marks Gie Fa Trademark New York, NY., Aluminum Heads ~ Hands Guaranteed Unbreakable or the initial G inside a six pointed star US Pat. and some marks include a patent date November 19, 1919.
ca. 1920s Horsman Doll Company USA – made a metal head Baby doll with painted molded hair, painted eyes, closed mouth, jointed composition bent limb baby body, doll mark Horsman. We have been unable to find a reference, documentation in any resource, as to the doll or it’s name.
1921-1935 Bucherer Doll Company Switzerland – character dolls have a composition head on an all metal jointed body, dolls or figures are well marked on the torso of the body Made in Switzerland.
1982+ B. Shackman & Company USA – made a metal head doll, box states; Collector’s Old Fashioned Metal Doll “Minerva” is 5 1/2″ tall, has white painted aluminum shoulder head, lower arms and legs with black painted shoes, cloth stuffed torso, wore a cotton striped or floral dress. A reproduction of an antique metal shoulder head Minerva doll.