Hummel Themes – Candleholders

        I was curious as to what figurines were created as an candleholders since I have a few and had no idea there were so many. I was able to locate the following individual figures listed here but there may be more added as the information provides. There are many more M.I. Hummel candleholders than I had imagined. Here are a few I was able to find with a little information on each one with many more to come. A few of these may be either samples or prototypes that never made it to production . . .  yet. This list begins with the lower number HUMs and increases as you scroll down. It is also, in some ways, an historical chronology of the Hummels as they were created. Enjoy.

This page was updated  4 February 2023.

HUM 9 – Begging His Share

     Height – 5¼”
     No base
     Crown TMK-1
     This rare Hummel was created without a base to be used as a candle holder. Molded by master sculptor Arthur Möeller in 1935, this piece was also known at first as “Congratulatory Visit”. Notice how the earlier faces appear more round and the eyes and mouth on this one are smaller. The figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $650.00.

HUM 9 – Begging His Share

      Height – 5½”
      Double Crown TMK-1
      Molded by master sculptor Arthur Möeller in 1935, this next piece was also known at first as “Congratulatory Visit”.  This rare Hummel was created to be used as a candle holder where later models did not have a hole in the cake for a small candle and unlike the one previous, this one has a standard oval base on which the boy and dog are placed. The little boy has brightly colored socks in this different figurine very much like the one above. Other than having a base as normal HUM 9 figurines have, this one is very much like the previous one with the baby face and colorful socks. The Hummel measures approximately 5½ inches tall with an incised Crown TMK-1 as well as a stamped Crown TMK-1 trademark (Double Crown). The figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $100.00. 

HUM 24/III – Lullaby, candleholder

     Height – 6”
     Archivmuster (working sample)
     Red X
     This M.I. Hummel figurine has the trademark TMK-3 with the MASTERPAINTER signature PW 6/62 which indicates Werner Pohlein in June of 1962. Also, under the base of the figurine is a red X which indicates that this is a MASTERPIECE. The size of this figurine is 8.27 inch long (21 cm) and has a metal tag which is written ARCHIVMUSTER W.GOEBEL OESLAU and means it is a working sample from Goebel in Oeslau which is the old name for the city of Rödental which changed in the 1970. This one was located on the website WorthPoint reportedly selling on eBay on November 23, 2014.

HUM 25 – Angelic Sleep, candleholder

     Height – 3½”
     Originally modeled in 1935 by both master sculptors Arthur Möller and Reinhold Unger. In some of the old catalogs, this figurine is listed as “Angel’s Joy” and may be shown in error as 25/I. It is made in only this size and has the incised 25 on the base bottom. It was Temporarily Withdrawn (TW) on 31 December 1989.

HUM 27/I – Joyous News, candleholder

     Height – 2¾”
     Originally modeled in 1935 by master sculptor Reinhold Unger, this figurine came in two sizes with the smaller size being the only one with a holder for a candle. The small size candleholder is no longer produced and is considered rare and usually found only in the Crown TMK-1 trademark. It can be located with the candle holder on the front side or on the back side and sometimes with light purple shoes. Some models were designed to hold a 0.6 cm size candle like the one shown while others have a slightly larger hole for the 1 cm size candles. The larger size was designated as III/27/1. According to Robert Miller’s price guide, the small size was only produced in the Crown TMK-1 and Full Bee TMK-2 trademarks. However, I was able to find one in the Stylized TMK-3 trademark on eBay on 2 February 2021.

HUM 31 – Silent Night with Black Child

     Height – 3½”
     Double Crown TMK-1
     The figurine was modeled in 1935 by Arthur Möeller but was not produced in quantity. It was also sold with all white children and they too are considered extremely rare. This certain item is probably the best known of all the rare M.I. Hummel figurines with the black child having an embossed earring and bare feet. The rest of the figurine is similar to HUM 54 – Silent Night, candleholder. According to factory representatives, a few HUM 54 were produced with a black child, but wearing shoes instead of bare feet or without shoes with white marks to indicate toes. This figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $1,600.

     A more recent auction with the Stein Auction Company on 10 August 2022 offered many beautiful examples of rare figurines in one place. There was no indication as to where the collection or collections came from. The starting bid was set for $500 and is reported to have a wing tip missing. The final auction winning bid was $500 plus a 25% auctioneers fee.

HUM 31 – Silent Night with White Child

     Height – 3½”
     Crown TMK-1
     The figurine was modeled in 1935 by Arthur Möeller but was not produced in quantity. The child on the left on Hum 31 is molded with an earring and bare feet with toes showing. On most Hum 31’s this child is painted black. On this piece this child is painted white, which makes it rare. Incised crown. The figurine was purchased from Robert Miller as evidenced by the sticker on the bottom. The Hummel measures approximately 3½ inches tall. This figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $1,400.00.

     A more recent auction with the Stein Auction Company on 10 August 2022 offered many beautiful examples of rare figurines in one place. There was no indication as to where the collection or collections came from. The starting bid was set for $200 and is reported to have had excellent repair on the right angel. The final auction bid did not receive any activity and was passed over.

HUM 31 – Silent Night with White Child (glazed)

     Height – 3½”
     Crown TMK-1
 The figurine was modeled in 1935 by Arthur Möeller but was not produced in quantity. The child on the left on Hum 31 is molded with an earring and bare feet with toes showing. On most Hum 31’s this child is painted black. Hummel is mold 31 and is not painted. The black child figure has bare feet and molded an ear ring.  The Hummel measures approximately 3½ inches tall. Notice the white sticker with a price written on it. This figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $1,100.00.

HUM 37 – Herald Angels, candleholder

     Height – 2¾”
     
Originally modeled in 1935 by master sculptor Reinhold Unger, the older models have a taller candle holder and the placement of where the three figures are situated may vary. This makes for an interesting collection to have one of each variation. Another difference to spot is on the early Crown TMK-1 trademarks where some are found with light purple shoes rather than the dark brown shoes found on the newer models. This was Temporarily Withdrawn (TW) from production on 31 December 1989. Be sure to look for a few that were created with the bright colors and glossy finish of the Faience technique as these are some of the earliest and there were very few making them quite rare and valuable.

HUM 38 – Joyous News Angel with Lute, candleholder

    Crown TMK-1
    Height – 2”
    This was first modeled by master sculptor Reinhold Unger in 1935. Early pieces, like this little candle holder, did not carry a size designator due to the small size. The color you can expect to find this HUM 38 in would be in an medium blue dress with tan colored shoes but this one shown clearly has the dress painted in a deep shade of red and red shoes. The seller says he purchased it at the closure of the M.I. Hummel Museum in Massing from Alfred Hummel and believes it may be a Faience version due to the white colorization of the face. Compare the glossy appearance with HUM 33 above. The eBay Buy It Now asking price is $1,750 along with a shipping charge of $60 from Germany.

HUM 39 – Joyous News with Accordion, candleholder

    Height – 2”
  The three candleholders HUM 38, 39 and 40 were typically sold as a set and known as the Angel Trio  or the Little Heavenly Angels in old company catalogs and literature. These were each originally modeled in 1935 by master sculptor Reinhold Unger and were typically only 2 inches tall. Due to the small size, the M I Hummel signature on the back or leg of an angel may just read the word “Hum”. Another variation you may find is the color of the shoes which have been found with green, brown, tan and purple. 

HUM 40 – Joyous News Angel with Trumpet, candleholder

     Crown TMK-1
     Height – 2”
     First modeled by master sculptor Reinhold Unger in 1935. Early pieces, like this little candle holder, did not carry a size designator due to the small size. The color you can expect to find this HUM 40 in would be in an orange dress with tan colored shoes but this one shown clearly has the dress painted in a shade of blue and blue shoes. The seller says he purchased it at the closure of the M.I. Hummel Museum in Massing from Alfred Hummel and believes it may be a faience version due to the white colorization of the face. The eBay Buy It Now asking price is $1,750 along with a shipping charge of $60 from Germany.

HUM 54 – Silent Night, candleholder

      Height – 3½”
      Crown TMK-1
      This candleholder was first modeled by master sculptor Reinhold Unger in 1936 where the candle socket is smaller than later versions. Also, the Crown versions are usually very light in color and the wings of the angel are known to have some color variations. It is almost identical to HUM 31 – Silent Night with Black Child with the exception of the embossed earring and bare feet. Factory representatives say that a few of this mold number were painted with a black child in the standing position, usually wearing shoes but also found with bare feet and painted toes and a painted earring rather than being embossed. There was also one located with two black children which is even rarer. This figurine was listed as Temporarily Withdrawn (TW) on January of 1999 and is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida where one sold for $125.00 and a second one sold for $1,400.00.

      A more recent auction with the Stein Auction Company on 10 August 2022 offered many beautiful examples of rare figurines in one place. There was no indication as to where the collection or collections came from. The starting bid for this figurine was set for $300 and is reported to be in mint condition. The final auction did not receive any activity and was thus passed over.

Another HUM 54 – Silent Night in mint condition was offered for auction the same day but had a black child standing on the left. This piece had a starting bid of $500 and realized a finishing bid of $625 plus a 25% auctioneers fee. 

 

 

HUM 113 – Heavenly Song, Candleholder

  

 

     3¾ inches tall
     Crown TMK-1 and Full Bee TMK-2
     Originally modeled by master sculptor Arthur Möeller in 1938 and was produced in limited quantities. Due to it being very similar to a previous figurine, HUM 54 Silent Night, the factory decided it should not be produced again as such and was listed in 1980 as a closed edition. There is at least one piece that was found with a TMK-5 trademark but production ended with the Three Line TMK-4 trademark. All specimens of the HUM 113 Heavenly Song, candleholder are considered to be extremely rare. The figurine shown here with both Crown TMK-1 and Full Bee TMK-2 trademarks was available on eBay on 10 December 2020 with a relatively low Buy It Now price of $1,725 plus $41.90 shipping from Ohio. This figurine is 3¾ inches tall to the tip of the angel’s wings and contains a base that measures 5 inches long and 3 inches deep to the candle-well. The seller indicates they are aware of no more than a total of seventy-five of this figurine in private collections.    

 

This next figurine comes from the Donald Deeks Collection, a major Hummel collector and a good friend of Robert Miller. There was another located with the Faience technique applied with very bright colors and a glossy finish and this may be it. A faience piece is finished in bright colors and a glossy finish due to an early technique of adding brilliant colors to the figurines. As a comparison, the children’s clothing are mostly reversed colors from other piece shown above. This Hummel measures approximately 3½ inches tall and is a Double Crown TMK-1 with both the incised as well as a stamped trademark also referred to as TMK-1 + 1. This figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and this one sold for $700.00.

 

HUM 115 – Girl with Nosegay, candleholder

HUM 116 – Girl with Fir Tree, candleholder

HUM 117 – Boy with Horse, candleholder

   2½ inches tall
     All three of these were originally modeled in 1938-9 by master sculptor Reinhold Unger as small candleholders with a Christmas theme. They resemble HUM 239 A, B and C but these do not have a holder for a candle and are also very similar to the earlier versions of Mel 1, Mel 2, and Mel 3 which were reportedly only sold in Germany. These figurines, HUM 115, 116 and 117 were Temporarily Withdrawn (TW) 15 June of 2002. 

HUM 192 – Candlelight, candleholder

     Height – 5”
     Full Bee TMK-2
   Originally modeled in 1948 by master sculptor Reinhold Unger with a long red ceramic candle but restyled by master sculptor Theo R. Menzenbach in 1958 with a short candleholder ending in the angels hands. Older models were slightly larger and had the name of “Carrier of Light”. This one does not have the incised copyright date of 1948 but does have the incised mold number 192, a lower portion of the incised Crown TMK-1 trademark to the right of the M I Hummel signature, a blue stamped Full Bee TMK-2 trademark and has the blue stamped “© W.  Goebel” mark with a black stamped “Germany” on the bottom of the base. The figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $125.00.

HUM 193 – Angel Duet, candleholder

     Height – 5”
     Full Bee TMK-2
     Originally modeled in 1948 by master sculptor Reinhold Unger and later restyled by Theo R. Menzenbach in 1958, the older pieces had the position of the angel’s arm in rear view and was changed by Menzenbach because it was thought it would be easier for the artists to paint. According to factory records, this figurine was also sold in white overglaze finish at one time and is considered extremely rare. Listed as Temporarily Withdrawn as of January 1999. This piece has © WG on the side of the base. It is similar to Hum 261 – Angel Duet, except that it has a candle holder and girl’s arm is on the shoulder of other girl instead of on the back of the other as in Hum 261. The figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $100.00.

HUM 241 – Angel Lights with Plate, candleholder

         Height – 10
         Originally modeled in 1976 by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek, this plate and arch was first released in the U.S. market in 1978 with a suggested retail price of $100. The number was assigned to this newly designed piece in error as it had been earlier given to Joyous News, Angel with Lute designed by Reinhold Unger in 1955. This is an adaptation of HUM 21 – Heavenly Angel figurine placed on a “bridge” for four candles above a plate. It was suspended from production since 1 January 1990.

HUM 388 – Little Band, candleholder

     Height – 3″
     Originally modeled in 1967 by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek, this 3-inch tall candleholder has the three figurines HUM 389 – Girl with Sheet Music, HUM 390 – Boy With Accordion and the HUM 391 – Girl With Trumpet attached to a round ceramic  base. It has an incised copyright date of 1968 and was Temporarily Withdrawn (TW) on 31 December 1990. 

HUM 388 M – Little Band, candleholder & music box

     Height – 3″
     Originally modeled in 1967 by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek, this is the same as HUM 388 – Little Band, as seen above, but sits atop a music box and rotates counterclockwise when the music is played. There are variations of the type of music that is played as well as the tunes. The music box is made in Switzerland and was not produced by Goebel and was Temporarily Withdrawn (TW) on 31 December 1990. 

HUM 680 – Wayside Harmony, candleholder

     Possible Future Edition (PFE)
     Height – 6½”
     TMK-7
     This figurine is a possible future edition (PFE) and has never been released for production. This is very much like the HUM 111 – Wayside Harmony figurine with the addition of a tree for a candle holder behind the figurine. It has the M I Hummel signature on the back of the base, with an inscribed number 680 and inscribed copyright date of 1993 beneath. This figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $125.00.

HUM 681 – Just Resting, candleholder

     Possible Future Edition (PFE)
     Height – 6
     TMK-7
     This figurine is a possible future edition (PFE) and has never been released for production. This is very much like the HUM 112 – Just Resting figurine with the addition of a tree for a candle holder behind the figurine. It has the M I Hummel signature on the back of the base, with an inscribed number 681 and inscribed copyright date of 1993 beneath along with the master painter Franz Kirchner’s initials “Ki” having painted this in August of 1993. This figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $125.00.

HUM 682 – Birthday Serenade, candleholder

     Possible Future Edition (PFE)
     Height – 6¼”
     TMK-7
     Similar to the HUM 231 – Birthday Serenade table lamp, this candleholder figurine came from the Goebel Archives and is listed in Robert Miller’s 2006 Price Guide as being an Open Number (ON). The bottom of the figurine shows an incised mold number 682, an incised copyright date of 1994 and a blue decal of the TMK-7 trademark.

HUM 683 – Happy Days, candleholder

     Possible Future Edition (PFE)
     Height – 6¼”
     TMK-7
     This figurine is a possible future edition (PFE) and has never been released for production. This is very much like the HUM 150 – Happy Days figurine with the addition of a tree for a candle holder behind the figurine. It has the M I Hummel signature on the back of the base, with an inscribed number 683 and inscribed copyright date of 1993 beneath. This figurine is part of the Donald Deeks Collection held at auction on Saturday, 16 January 2021 in Clearwater, Florida and sold for $250.00.

MEL 1, 2 and 3

     Height – 3½”
     The Mel figurine series were considered a very early “catch all” for the rejected items as well as possible experimental including two International designs. Notice that the word “Mel” is the last three letters of Hummel. The Mel 1 – girl with nosegay, Mel 2 – girl with fir tree and Mel 3 – boy with horse were the more common of all the Mel figurines and these three were modeled by master sculptor Reinhold Unger in 1939. The rear view of Mel 1 and Mel 3 show the word “Mel” on the base. Click the image to see it better. Robert Miller placed a value of between $300 and $500 each on these in 2003. In the mid-1950s, these three were remodeled by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek and assigned the model numbers HUM 115 – Girl with Nosegay, HUM 116 – Girl with Fir Tree and HUM 117 – Boy with Horse candlesticks with the M.I. Hummel signature. These were designed from the original drawings of Sister M.I. Hummel but some reason were not approved by the Sießen Convent. There were 29 different Mel figurines accounted for with the last one bearing the number 54 so be on the lookout for the remaining 25 unaccounted for. Some of these were appraised for upwards of $15,000 each! These three were on eBay with a Buy It Now option of $1,000. The first two are of the Crown TMK-1 trademark and the third is a Full Bee TMK-2 trademark.

MEL 3 – Girl with Fir Tree

     Height – 3½”
     Here is another example of the MEL series with MEL 3 – Girl with Fir Tree.  As mentioned previously, the MEL figurines were some of the earlier “What If’s” and were very limited in production and may be one-of-a-kind in some cases. According to “Luckey’s Hummel Figurines & Plates”, the MELs were created as samples only. This one was also produced as HUM 116Advent Candlestick, Girl With Fir. This figurine has shown up a number of times as indicated by the one above having a different note on the base. This one, however, has the incised letters “Mel 2”, the transitional markings with both the incised Crown TMK-1 as well as the stamped Full Bee TMK-2 trademarks on a rather flat bottomed base with an earlier German penciled in price of 3.75. The MEL 2 in this case was located on 1 January 2021 on eBay and the seller of this fine little figurine has a Buy It Now asking price of $232.95 with free shipping from Grove City, Ohio.

References

Auction.net (2022). The Stein Auction Company. Hummel Figurines, Breweriana, Beer Steins, Porcelain, Glass, Wood Carvings and more. Retrieved from https://tsaco.auction.net/auctions/catalog/id/91 on 10 August 2022.

Blackwell Auctions (2021). Blackwell Auctions. Retrieved from https://www.gotoauction.com/sales/view/254997.html

Eagles of War (2020). Eagles of War, M. I. Hummel Figurines Catalog / Reference Book. Retrieved from http://www.eow1.com/default.aspx

Hummel Gifts (2020). M.I. Hummel Gifts, The Official Shop. Retrieved from https://hummelgifts.com/

Miller, R. L. (2003). The no. 1 price guide to M.I. Hummel: Figurines, plates, more. 9th Edition. Cumberland, MD: Portfolio Press.

Miller, R. L., Ehrmann, E. W., & Pfeiffer, W. (1989). M.I. Hummel: The Golden Anniversary Album.

Recklinghausen, H. A. V. (2013). Official M. I. Hummel Price Guide, 2nd edition. WorthPoint (2020).

WorthPoint, Discover, Value, Store. Retrieved from https://www.worthpoint.com/