Hummel Themes – Sheep

        Sheep are a very important animal with many of the M.I. Hummel figurines.  The following is a fairly good representative selection with 28 M.I. Hummels that include the fluffy white ball of fur known as a sheep. This list is what I have been able to discover lately but am sure there will be a few more to be found and even more added in the future. 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 items as they were created.

This page was updated on 16 June 2022.

Hummels with Sheep

     Sheep represent an important biblical animal for Christians and Sister Hummel shows this clearly with the shear number of figurines you will find below. The master sculptors did a great job of showing how important the sheep and lamb are to the Sießen Convent with a realistic portrayal of the companion to each of these children. By the way, in case you didn’t know it, a lamb is a sheep that is less than one year old. See if you don’t find yourself interested in locating one or two of these figurines for yourself to place with the others in your fine collection.

HUM 28 – Wayside Devotion

     HUM 28 – 7″
     HUM 28/II(2) – 7½”
     HUM 28/III (3) – 8¾”
     Even though there are no reports of factory prototypes, HUM 28 has been listed as a possibility and if found would be valued at least in the low four-digit figure. The next size/II was listed as only 7″ high in the 1950 catalog. This has been reported in the Arabic 2, as has the larger size in the Arabic 3, each of which would be valued at 15% more than the Price List shows for the Roman numbers. Before 1950, this design was also used for lamp of the same name, HUM 104. There are no known examples or factory samples of the lamp however. This design without the shrine is called Eventide, HUM 99. It has also been referred to as “The Little Shepherd,” and “Evening Song” which is the name used in German, Abendlied, Marterl. The original drawing is owned by Verlag Ars Sacra, who has published postcard #4971 as an exact reproduction.

HUM 35 – Holy Water Font, Good Shepherd

     HUM 35/0 – 4¾″
     HUM 35 – 5″
     HUM 35/I – 5½”
     Apparently, the first version of this font issued before World War II was incised with only the whole number 35. This size was later cataloged as 35/I, also 5½ inches high. By 1950, a smaller size, 35/0, 4¾ inches high, was for sale at the same time. This motif was also used for the figurine HUM 42 Good Shepherd, which in the smaller size also had a light blue robe but with slightly different pattern. For information on the original drawing and graphics available, read the Good Shepherd HUM 42 just below. Its German name, Der gute Hirte, translates the same as the English name. The original drawing is owned by Verlag Ars Sacra with graphic postcards produced as #14268.

 

HUM 42 – Good Shepherd

     HUM 42/0 – 6¼”
     HUM 42(.) – 6¼” 
     HUM 42/I – 7½” 
     The German name Der gute Hirte translates essentially as “The Good Shepherd.” This piece was designed in the mid-1930s and issued before World War II. Examples of 2/0 have been found with a very light blue robe with Tm-1, TMK-2 and TMK-3 trademarks. This version and the larger 42/I have both been inconsistently cataloged and finally discontinued with these size indicators probably in the late 1950s. They are considered premium pieces, as shown in the Price List. They were superseded by the currently cataloged 6¼ inch size as HUM 42 without any size indicator and decorated in a golden rust colored robe. This same design and name is used for HUM 35 Holy Water Font. Prints and postcard #14268 of Sister Hummel’s original drawing are sold by Ars Sacra. The original drawing is also owned by the same publishing firm.

 

HUM 64 – Shepherd’s Boy

     Height – 5½″
     In the 1930s, this figure had a somewhat different facial characteristic than the present model which also has brighter colors. This figurine was originally designed by Arthur Möller in 1937. The later model was probably remodeled by Gerhard Skrobek some time in the 1960s. The catalogs show this with various sizes, at different times ranging from 5¼” to 6½” in height. A 6″ and over height would warrant a premium of 10 to 20 percent. This piece differs from HUM 68 Lost Sheep by having a second lamb standing in front of the shepherd. Other than that and a difference in coloring of the clothing, they are about the same. In an early catalog, they were both called “Shepherd’s Boy” and distinguished by the description of the lambs. A very unusual counterpart of Shepherd’s Boy was found in 1979. It was made by Beswick of England, which is now a subsidiary of Royal Doulton, famous maker of figurines and character jugs. The Beswick is marked on the bottom as follows: “Original Hummel Studios, Copyright, M.I. Hummel, Beswick England.” It is incised number 914 and is signed on the top surface of the base in a script similar to Sister Hummel’s signature. A photograph in color of HUM 64 is the month of April for the 1968 calendar. The original drawing belongs to Verlag Emil Fink. A lithograph of this in postcard form is #204/A.

 

HUM 65 – Farewell

  65 – 4¾”-5″
    65/0 – 3¾”-4″
    65/I – 4½”-5″
     Modeled by master sculptor Arthur Möeller in 1937, this figurine was known as “Son Long” and “Good Bye” in some of the older catalogs. It was restyled in 1964 by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek. The smaller size, typically found at 3¾ to 4 inches, was modeled by Skrobek and is extremely rare since only a few samples were produced in the Full Bee TMK-2 and the Stylized Bee TMK-3. Robert Miller has these appraised in his tenth edition price guide as being $6,000 to $8,000 and $5,000 to $6,000 respectively. There is also a variation of this figurine where part of the basket handle is missing and the error was not corrected. Examples of this may be found in most of the trademarks. Farewell was permanently retired at the end of 1993 and will not be produced again. The example shown here is a painter’s sample by which to see how to paint a new figurine and is in a private collection. Notice that it is also called a “Red Line” figurine for the obvious line around the base.

HUM 68 – Lost Sheep 

    HUM 68/2/0 – 4¼”
     HUM 68/0 – 5½” 
     HUM 68(.) – 5¼”
     This model is similar to Shepherd’s Boy, HUM 64, except that it has a single lamb and the colors of the jacket and pants are different and not always consistent. The pants color has vacillated between various mixtures of gray and even within the same TMK-2 trademark. One collector reports a TMK-2 with gray pants and another with brown. While it was originally issued in just the plain 68 size, about 5½” tall, by 1959, one catalog listed this as being 6½” which should command a 20% premium when found. At the time, it was also called “Shepherd’s Boy,” which is its German name, Schaferbub. When a new U.S. Copyright, GF98, was registered on January 1, 1963, the name used was “Lost Sheep.” It has been reported with TMK-1 Crown mark and also 68. (decimal). By 1966, it was listed as 68/I, 6½” high and 68/0, 4″ high. This appears to be about the year the 68/I was discontinued. This figurine adorns the April page of the 1968 calendar. The original drawing for the figurine, Shepherd’s Boy, HUM 64, is also thought to have been the inspiration for Lost Sheep, HUM 68.

 

HUM 83 – Angel Serenade (with Lamb)

     Height – 5½”
     This has been in the line since the 1930s and was produced without appreciable size variations until the 1960s, when it was no longer available. Thus, it became a high-priced rarity until 1978 when it was reintroduced in the same 5½ inch size at a fraction of the price old marks were commanding. It is too early to tell what will happen to the prices for the old marks; this will depend on production policies to  great extent. Originally called “Pious Melodies,” or “Devout Tunes” after the German Fromme Weisen, the figurine appears in modified form, the angel kneeling and without the lamb, as 214/D in the HUM 214 Nativity Set, and is called “Angel Kneeling” or “Angel Serenade.” It is also 260 E in the larger set and called “Angel Serenade.” The original drawing has not been located at this time, nor likewise any graphics.

 

HUM 90 (A) – Eventide, Bookend

     Research by Robert Miller and the Goebel factory as established that this number was assigned to a pair of bookends using the figurine HUM 99 Eventide, and HUM 23 Adoration without the shrine, for design and prototypes for possible production. Both figures are mounted directly on the wooden base as were other early models. According to these records, all work was discontinued in February 1939 and only a factory sample is now known. There is no record of this number found in the U.S. Copyright Office. Any prototype or early model would be marked TMK-1. While it is extremely unlikely that other than a factory sample exists, such an authenticated example would have an insurable value in the five-digit figure. Notice that the sheep are centered in front of the children instead of being off to their left much like those in HUM 99 Eventide.

 

HUM 99 – Eventide

     Height – 4¼”
     Apparently, this figurine was created by eliminating the shrine from an earlier figurine, HUM 28 – Wayside Devotion. In a 1947 catalog, HUM 28 was called “Evening Song,” the translation of the German name, Abendlied. In older models, the girl appears to be looking up at the shrine, rather than straight forward as in the newer trademarks indicating some restyling.  This piece has been found in white overglaze, a very rare example valued in the mid four-digit figure.

     A rare version of Eventide with a Crown trademark has the two lambs centered in front of the two children. This rare version would command a premium on the secondary market. A similar version of Eventide also appears as HUM 90 A paired with Adoration (with the shrine) as 90 B, bookends and the sheep are centered in front of the children here as well. Sister Hummel’s original drawing, which includes the omitted shrine, is owned by Verlag Ars Sacra, who have reproduced it in postcard #4971. The white overglaze examples are usually in catalogs and are considered rare.

 

HUM 104 – Eventide, Table Lamp

     Height – 5½”
     This lamp was discontinued in 1938 with only one example known to exist. Presumably, the post for the shrine in HUM 28 was replaced by a circular column as in HUM 100, or a column resembling a tree trunk as used in current models. The change in design is not too significant, but the change in value between the figurine HUM 28 Wayside Devotion and its counterpart as a lamp, HUM 104, is from four to ten times greater than the price for the comparable figurine. This example is from the Robert Miller Collection. The sheep are placed directly in front of the children’s feet instead of to their left.

HUM 182 – Good Friends

     HUM 182(.) – 4″-4¼”
     At one time, this was called just “Friends,” but since the earlier piece, HUM 136 – Girl with Fawn, was also called by the same name, this one changed to eliminate the confusion. Examples have not been reported with a Crown mark, but also as 182. (decimal) with TMK-1. When, and if found, this scarcer version should be valued at a 20% premium. Throughout the 1950s, this piece was not listed in many of the catalogs, but since that time, it has been consistently shown. It was restyled in the late 1970s by Gerhard Skrobek, Goebel’s master modeler, with a more attractive facial expression and with his characteristic sculptured hair and textured finish. The German Mädchen mit Böckchen, is a descriptive name meaning “Girl with Kid.” The original drawing is controlled by Ars Sacra who issued a print of it as #5859. The figure itself, was pictured for October 1975 and November 1969 calendar pages.

 

HUM 214/F – Shepherd standing with sheep

     Height – 7”
     This piece is from the “smaller” Nativity set being similar, but smaller, to HUM 260. The U.S. Copyright, GF3014, issued June 21, 1952, to the Goebel Company for a sixteen-piece Nativity Set, suggests that it may have been the first sold about that time in the U.S., even though some of the pieces are incised with a 1951 date which is probably the date of the copyright in Germany. There have been three different versions offered for sale since that time. Goebel has produced other Nativity sets but they are not Hummel bearing a prefix of either HA1 or HX. This figurine, in the nativity set, appears to command a higher price than the majority of the others.

 

HUM 214/O – Lamb

     Height – 2”
     As with the previous HUM 214/F Shepherd standing with sheep, this piece is from the “smaller” Nativity set being similar, but smaller, to HUM 260. The U.S. Copyright, GF3014, issued June 21, 1952, to the Goebel Company for a sixteen-piece Nativity Set, suggests that it may have been the first sold about that time in the U.S., even though some of the pieces are incised with a 1951 date which is probably the date of the copyright in Germany. There have been three different versions offered for sale since that time. Goebel has produced other Nativity sets but they are not Hummel bearing a prefix of either HA1 or HX. This figurine, in the nativity set, appears to command a higher price than the majority of the others.

 

HUM 251/A – Good Friends, Bookend

     Height – 5”
     This is a standard figurine on a ceramic base fastened to a wooden base with an upright reset for books. A similar figurine much like this one can be found with Good Friends HUM 182. This pair of HUM 251 A&B was first found in a U.S. catalog dated 1965 and sets are seen in the trademarks TMK-3 through TMK-6, with the possibility that some very early ones might have marked as TMK-2. Since the figurine was restyled in the mid-1970s, the bookends with TMK-5 and 6 will also show the same more modern look and color scheme.

 

HUM 260 H – Sheep, standing with lamb

     Height – 3¾”
     This is from the larger 16-piece HUM 260 Nativity Set which was copyrighted in 1968 in the U.S. as GF500. This piece averages about 50% larger than the HUM 214 similar piece and makes an impressive arrangement at Christmas time. Due to inflation and the earlier declining dollar, retail prices of this set have more than doubled in the last few years. It is not listed in all catalogs. Some dealers have broken up sets so that individual pieces would be available to replace broken or missing pieces.

 

HUM 260 R – One Sheep, lying

     Height – 3¼”
     As with HUM 260 H Sheep, standing with lamb above, this piece is from the larger 16-piece HUM 260 Nativity Set which was copyrighted in 1968 in the U.S. as GF500. This piece averages about 50% larger than the HUM 214 similar piece and makes an impressive arrangement at Christmas time. Due to inflation and the earlier declining dollar, retail prices of this set have more than doubled in the last few years. It is not listed in all catalogs. Some dealers have broken up sets so that individual pieces would be available to replace broken or missing pieces. 

 

HUM 361 – Favorite Pet

     Height – 4¼”
     The three-dimensional adaptation of the kneeling girl with a basket on her right arm giving full attention to a spring lamb was copyrighted in the U.S. on April 21, 1961, as GP28611 under the same name. Originally modeled by master sculptor Theo R. Menzenbach in 1959 it has a copyright that is incised on the production pieces is 1960, probably the year of the German copyright. It is listed in the U.S. catalogs in 1964 when it was first released at the N.Y. World’s Fair in 1964. One noteworthy item is the wide range and variety of sizes that were specified in the catalogs. The early ones in the mid-Sixties listed this as a 5″ high figurine. In the later years of the Sixties, there was a listing at 4½” high, and in the Seventies, as now, it was listed as 4¼” high. It is found with TMK-3, 4, 5 and 6. Any premium for a larger piece is reflected in the Price List for the earlier trademarks. As with so many others, the German name of Ostergruss or “Easter Greeting” is unrelated to the name used in the U.S. of “Favorite Pet.”  An illustration of this figurine was used for the month of March in the calendar for 1973. The original drawing by Sister Hummel is owned by Verlag Ars Sacra, from which graphics were published as postcard #5326. There are no unusual variations that have been recorded and was listed as “Temporarily Withdrawn” (TW) on the January 2001 price list.

 

HUM 395 – Shepherd Boy

     Height – 6”
     An early book on M.I. Hummels in 1976 listed HUM 395 as an Open Number meaning that there had been no design assigned to this number but that one might be assigned later. Hotchkiss and Cassidy did some research and found that a figurine described as “A little boy with a lamb by a fence,” 6″ high, had been registered as number GF929 on May 30, 1972. Later, a search by Robert Miller and the Goebel Company located the prototype that had been called “Young Shepherd” and which had been designed in 1972 by Gerhard Skrobek. If one of these should show up, it has a value placed at the mid four-digit figure. The name used in Germany for this figurine is Hirtenbub which means “Young Shepherd.” The original drawing of this motif by Sister Hummel has not been located, nor have the graphics been found.

 

HUM 407 – Flute Song

     Height – 5¾”
     This figurine was first modeled by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek in 1974 and redesigned by Marion Huschka in 2010 as a club exclusive with a TMK-9, 10 and a M.I. Hummel Club 2010 backstamp. It was listed as a Possible Future Edition (PFE) in many catalogs published before 2010. It is now available with a retail listed at $599 and comes with a porcelain plaque and wooden easel.

 

HUM 443 – Country Song, Clock

     Height – 8”
     Possible Future Edition (PFE)
     This figure, an actual working clock, was first modeled by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek in 1982. It has an incised 1983 copyright date. The figurine consists of a little boy sitting atop the clock, which appears to be a flower covered hill, playing a flute while a little lamb sits to his left listening.  It is presently listed on the factory records as a Possible Future Edition (PFE) and may be released at some future date, subject to possible minor changes.

 

HUM 468 – Come On

     Height – 5¼”
     Possible Future Edition (PFE)
     This figurine was first modeled by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek in 1986. The example shows a little boy wearing a coat and large hat with walking stick in his right hand and a leash in his left hand pulling a little resistant lamb. It is presently listed on the factory records as a Possible Future Edition (PFE) and may be released at some future date, subject to possible minor changes.

 

HUM 474 – Gentle Care

     Height – 6”
     Possible Future Edition (PFE)
     This figurine was first modeled by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek in 1986. The example shows two little girls walking together, the taller one holding a basket of fruit on her left arm while a younger girl carefully holds a little lamb with both hands. Both girls appear to be singing. It is presently listed on the factory records as a Possible Future Edition (PFE) and may be released at some future date, subject to possible minor changes.

 

HUM 483 – I’ll Protect Him

     Height – 3¾”
     First released in the U.S. market in 1989, this figurine was modeled by master sculptor Gerhard Skrobek in 1987. It has an incised 1987 copyright date. The original issue price was $55 in 1989 but is listed as “Temporarily Withdrawn” (TW) in June 2002, but may be reinstated at some future date.

 

HUM 661 – My Little Lamb

     Height – 3¼”
     First available in the Fall of 2005 in the European market and early 2006 in the U.S. market, this figurine comes in a white glazed edition as well as the color version. It originally sold for $160. It is part of the series “Animal Friends” together with HUM 2227, HUM 2218 and HUM 197 4/0.

The Internationals

     A sharp eyed gentleman in a Budapest flea market discovered some unusual looking figurines in folk costumes and sold them to a dealer in Austria. Robert Miller recovered eight of these different looking M.I. Hummel figurines in more colorful dress from in Europe after hearing rumors of these statutes with the M.I. Hummel signature. Mr. Miller obtained permission to search the Goebel Company archives and unearthed information on these that had been buried for more than thirty years. In 1940, Goebel explored the possibility of producing the irresistible Hummel children in the native costumes of other European countries besides Germany. They commissioned Sister Hummel to make the drawings and master sculptors Möller and Unger set about sculpting the three-dimensional versions. A total of thirty examples are known to exist presently. The following figurines are two of those which are shown with sheep.

HUM 841 – Czech International Figurine

 

    Height – 5½”
     This figurine is credited as being created by master sculptor Reinhold Unger in 1940. The little boy in the blue jacket, tan pants, white stockings and black shoes holding the lamb above is, so far, the only example known to exist and is in the collection of Robert Miller. The copyright on this figurine shows 1940.

HUM 968 – Serbian International Figurine

    Height – 5½”
     This figurine is credited as being created by master sculptor Reinhold Unger in 1940. The little boy in the blue shirt, tan pants and brown shoes holding a lamb facing him is the only known example of this figurine known and is in the collection of Robert Miller. The copyright on this figurine shows 1940.

HUM 2086 – Spring Sowing

     Height – 3½”
     First released in the U.S. market in the Spring of 2000, this figurine was modeled by master sculptor Helmut Fischer in 1999. It has an incised 1999 copyright date along with the TB-8 trademark. Produced in a sequentially numbered Limited Edition of 25,000 pieces worldwide and comes with a FREE “Seeds of Friendship” HummelScape Collectors Set #1014-D, a $75 value. The official issue price was $198 in 2000. Companion piece to HUM 2085 “Millennium Harvest” (Little Farm Hand).

 

HUM 2339 – Angel of Comfort

     Height – 4¾”
     This is the 2012 Annual Angel, Angel of Comfort as a winged cherub gently carrying a sweet white lamb. She is dressed in a yellow gown with red dots. It is a TMK-9 figurine with the TMK-9 backstamp as well as the incised 2012 year on the figurine. The issue price was $179.

References

Hotchkiss, J. F., Cassidy, C. (1981) Hummel art. Retrieved on 18 September 2020 from Hummel art https://archive.org/details/hummelartii00hotc/page/56/mode/2up?q=sheep

Hotchkiss, J. F., Cassidy, C. (1981) Hummel art II. Retrieved on 18 September 2020 from Hummel art https://archive.org/details/hummelartii00hotc/page/106/mode/2up?q=sheep

Hummel Gifts. (2019). Sheep Search (Hum 68). Retrieved on 25 April 2019 from https://hummelgifts.com/search.php?search_query=sheep&Search=

Luckey, C. F. (1997). Luckey’s Hummel figurines & plates: Identification and value guide. Iola, WI: Krause Publications.

Merrill, S. (2019). Hummel Master Sculptors. Retrieved on 1 April 2019 from http://mihummel.org/.

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

Miller, R. L., Ehrmann, E. W., & Pfeiffer, W. (1989). M.I. Hummel: The golden anniversary album. New York, N.Y.: Portfolio Press.