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WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay

by Philip Hawkins and Mike McLeod

$6,687: 31 bids, 7 bidders): 6-inch, Antique, Beautiful & Rare 2 $3,176 (36 bids, 11 bidders): Cast iron train, Carpenter, Huge
Figure Porcelain Half Doll, Marked. A 6-inch half doll – very unusual Locomotive, 1880. The locomotive only, having number 500 on the
to have two dolls on a base. It is marked, but I am not familiar with the cab sides, is 14 1/8 inches long; it is no. 1067 (A) in Cast Iron Floor
marking. No cracks, chips, or hairlines. There is a dent or paint skip on the Trains. A similar locomotive shown on page 203 sold at auction several
female’s left arm, but it looks factory. years ago for $4,840.
This is only the second time I have seen these 2 figures on one base. The tender is 8 3/8 inches long. This huge locomotive and tender
weigh almost 17 pounds. It was professionally restored in 2010. (Photos
courtesy of eBay seller rralston.)

PH: F.W. Carpenter set up shop in Rye, NY, and was one of the first two
manufacturers to apply for a patent on a cast iron toy locomotive, filing an
application on October 1, 1879. The company had two predominant
lines: horse-drawn toys and trains made of cast iron. The Carpenter shop
moved to Harrison, NY, in 1882 and then to Port Chester, NY, where
peak production occurred from 1884 through 1888. In 1890, the business
was turned over to Pratt & Letchworth of Buffalo, NY. Carpenter
re-entered the toy business in 1892 but did not return to making trains.
I was able to find several examples of this particular train selling
PH: Porcelain half-dolls come in many through public auction: RSL Auctions sold an example in May 2021,
styles. Many were made in Germany in retaining 95% original paint, for $900 (half of its low estimate); Pook &
the last part of the 19th century and Pook Auctions reported a sale in December 2020 for $600 (again at
particularly in the early 20th. Most were about half the low estimate) in restored condition and lacking its bell;
intended, whether singles or doubles, to and Pook & Pook Auctions also reported the sale of a professionally
be attached to some sort of base, often a restored example in June 2019 for $1,400. (This locomotive was sold
cloth skirt, creating the impression of a previously at Sotheby’s in 2001 as part of the Hagerty Collection.) Given
full figure. As such, they became lamp- the price realized on eBay, our seller should be very happy. Hopefully, the
shades, dresser box tops, whisk brooms, buyer is as well.
tea cozies, and pin cushions. Some
castings included molded clothing (then
painted); some were fashioned nude
which allowed for cloth bodices or for
boudoir use.
This particular half-doll of an
unclothed dancing/embracing couple
bears the painted blue mark of Dressel &
Kister (Passau, Bavaria, Germany, the
mark was used 1907-1922) and given the
woman’s hairstyle is probably circa 1920.
Porcelain half-doll figures were also made
in the UK, the U.S., and Japan. Figures
with arms away from the body, with hands touching the hair, etc., took
skill to craft and are delicate; examples like this in good condition are the
most collectible and bring the highest prices.
Most half-dolls sell for under $100 to several hundred dollars. The
most expensive half-doll I could find reported sold at auction realized
$6,400 at Theriault’s Auctions for Serving Cocoa, depicting a woman
holding a tray with a cup and pot. There may be something about this
particular half-doll, not readily evident, that drove the price – more
research is indicated.

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Philip Hawkins, ISA AM, AAG is an accredited member of the
International Society of Appraisers and a founding member of the
Appraisers Association of Georgia. He can be reached via the ISA website
or at 404-320-7275.

8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles