The following 8 M.I. Hummels are regarded as “The Orchestra”. Robert Miller makes mention of this in his book No. 1 Price Guide as well as the Hummels 1978-1998, 20 Years Of “Miller on Hummel” Columns.” Mr. Miller further qualifies this with, “It appears that at one time, Goebel may have sold them as a set.” He makes reference to “HUM 212 which is now listed as a Closed Number (CN) where most notes from the Goebel factory state: ‘No information available on this number’, one old list indicates “Orchestra A-F” and the date 13 May 1951. This is possibly a number assigned to a Hummel Orchestra as a set, such as the Hummel 214 Nativity Set.” The A-F references only six items and all six of these were modeled by Arthur Möeller in 1951. The last two are credited to Reinhold Unger.
This page was updated on 12 March 2021.
The Hummel Orchestra
There are a great number of M.I. Hummel figurines playing musical instruments but these eight make up the official Hummel Orchestra. If you already have a small collection of Hummels, you may just need to look for a few more to complete this full musical group. This collection of eight figurines would make a very good and relatively inexpensive theme to consider. Make sure you collect them all of the same or similar size which is around five inches tall. Be aware that there is also a second series of four smaller, miniature figurines to match the mini size plate series called the “Little Music Makers” not to be confused with those that make up this Orchestra.
HUM 4 – Little Fiddler
4¾ to 5¾ inches tall
Here is a figurine that is very similar to the HUM 2 Little Fiddler with the exception of having a black hat rather than dark brown and typically being a smaller size. The original issue price was 40 cents in 1935 and the master sculptor was Arthur Möeller first modeled in 1935 and was known earlier as the “Violinist” and “The Wandering Fiddler”.
HUM 85/0 – Serenade
4¾ to 5¼ inches tall
Modeled by Arthur Möeller in 1938 and known earlier by the name of “The Flutist”, there are many size variations available for this one. Make sure you choose the HUM 85/0 so that you will have one that matches more closely the size of the others at between 4¾ to 5¼ inches tall. The normal hat color is a dark gray or black while older models have been found with a light gray hat.
HUM 129 – Band Leader
5 to 5¾ inches tall
This figurine was first modeled by master sculptor Arthur Möller in 1939 with some variation in sizes and color differences but otherwise, no significant mold modifications since. The old name for this was known as “Leader” and is one of several figurines that make up the Hummel orchestra. A new miniature size of 3½ inches was issued in 1987 with a suggested retail price of $50 to match the newly released mini plate series call the “Little Music Makers” with one each coming out every year for four years but do not select this one due to a mismatched size.
HUM 130 – Duet
5 to 5½ inches tall
Originally modeled in 1939 by master sculptor Arthur Möeller, the original name for this 5½ inch figurine was The Songsters. Some of the earlier Crown TMK-1 pieces have variations, such as incised notes on the sheet music as well as being painted or a small lip on the base like a stepped base. As an additional incentive to make your collection even more special, these variations were valued at $1,000 to $1,500 in Robert Miller’s price guide. The primary difference on this is either an undocumented additional bow tie on the little fella on the right in green holding the sheet music or neither having a bow tie as illustrated in the image here.
HUM 131 – Street Singer
5 to 5½ inches tall
Modeled by Arthur Möeller in 1939 and known in the early catalogs as “Soloist”, there are some variations in the size as well as slight color differences of this popular figurine. The Street Singer was Temporarily Withdrawn (TW) in 2005. This figurine is very much like the taller boy with the hat in the HUM 130 – Duet but with a darker jacket and is holding the sheet music in his left hand.
HUM 135 – Soloist
4½ to 5 inches tall
There are a couple of smaller as well as a larger version of this figurine so make sure you find either the HUM 135 or the 135/0 models for the correct size to match the others in this arrangement. Originally modeled by Arthur Möeller in 1940 the older catalogs of the time referred to this as “High Tenor”. It is similar to the shorter figurine in HUM 130 – Duet.
HUM 185 – Accordion Boy
5 to 6 inches tall
This figurine comes in basically one size but varies between five and six inches due to mold growth in the earlier trademarks prior to 1954. It was first modeled by Reinhold Unger in 1947 and was known then as “On the Alpine Pasture.” It was permanently retired at the end of 1994 and will not be produced again.
HUM 186 – Sweet Music
5 to 5½ inches tall
Originally modeled in 1947 by master sculptor Reinhold Unger, it was named “Playing To The Dance” and is one of several figurines that make up the Hummel Orchestra. There is some variation in the size due to mold growth but the difference is typically only ½ inch at most. This figurine was retired in July of 2006 as a Closed Edition (CE) and will not be produced again.
Good luck putting your Hummel Orchestra together.
They may not make much sound but they certainly will look fantastic together!
References
Luckey, C. F. (2003). Luckey’s Hummel Figurines and Plates Identification and Price Guide, 12th Ed. Krause Publications.
Miller, R. L. (2006). The no. 1 price guide to M.I. Hummel: Figurines, plates, more. Cumberland, MD: Reverie Publishing Company.
Miller, R. L. (1998). Hummels: 1978-1998 : 20 years of “Miller on Hummel” columns. Grundy Center, IA: Collector News.