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Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

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Jumeau Doll with Clothing & Booklet, ca. 1880

Value (2020) | $10,000 Auction – $12,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
My grandmother received the doll from her great-aunt in 1935, when she was nine. My grandmother kept the doll for one generation and it was to be passed to the next daughter. Well, my grandmother had a son, my father, and then I was born, and when I turned nine, that was my birthday present, was this doll.

APPRAISER:
And do, do you have daughters?

GUEST:
I do have a daughter now. Who is five.

APPRAISER:
Great. One of the fascinating things that was with the collection was the letter.

GUEST:
When the doll was passed to my grandmother at the age of nine, her great-aunt wrote a letter as if the doll is speaking. And the, the letter starts out: "To Alice Lillian, my little mistress-to-be." And it explains as if the doll, um, started her journey in France and traveled to New York City and then was placed in Macy's, and how she lived in Macy's, but could not speak English; she only spoke French, and could not communicate with the other dolls.

APPRAISER:
Well, what you have is a doll made by the company of Jumeau. This particular model was made between 1880 and 1885.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
The person at that time at the head of the company was Émile Jumeau. So, often the dolls were marked E. Jumeau. I looked under the back of this doll's head. This one just has a number, a number eight.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
Sometimes they were marked with the company's name. Sometimes they weren't. When they're not marked, this doll is referred to as a portrait Jumeau. What's interesting about this doll is... her entire wardrobe, which covers different periods.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
For example, this little dress here was probably the earliest, and, and probably was very contemporary to the time she was made. The wig originally would have been lamb or goat hair. Very short, kind of white hair. So this wig was probably replaced in the latter part of the 19th century, early 20th century. This particular doll won medals at doll fairs, and, uh, they won a gold medal. And I don't want to take her clothes off to show that, but on the back of her torso will be marked "Jumeau, gold medal, Paris." I think one of the greatest things that you have here is this little book. On the top up here, it says, "Letter of Bébé Jumeau to her little mother."

GUEST:
Oh, okay.

APPRAISER:
On the front. The interesting thing is, it has the little mother, or the little child, stomping on the doll. I don't know the significance of that. (laughs)

GUEST:
Okay. (laughs)

APPRAISER:
This particular doll is a very desirable doll on the doll market today, any of the early Jumeaus. And because you have all of these wonderful things and the accessories, I would say on today's market, very easily, you'd be able to sell it for $18,000 to $20,000.

GUEST:
Wow. Oh, well, thank you.

APPRAISER:
And, um, I just hope your little daughter will be loving it as much as you did.

GUEST:
She does, and she's looking forward to receiving it. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

APPRAISER:
You're welcome. (both laughing)

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Marshall Martin
Dolls
Antique and Collectible Dolls
Folsom, CA
Update (2020)
$10,000 Auction – $12,000 Auction
Appraised value (2007)
$18,000 Auction – $20,000 Auction
Featured In
Orlando, Hour 1 (#1204)
Vintage Orlando, Hour 1 (#2506)
Event
Orlando, FL (June 30, 2007)
Category
Dolls
Period
19th Century
Form
Clothes , Doll , Ephemera
February 08, 2021: After this appraisal originally aired in 2008, we received an email from a viewer telling us there is a translation of the booklet that accompanied the Jumeau doll in Spinning Wheel's Complete Book of Dolls, edited by Albert Christian Revi. The booklet features a letter written as though it were from the doll to her new child-owner, in which the doll expresses a striking compulsion to destroy "ugly and ridiculous" German dolls of inferior quality:

"I am not a fighter but I assure you, Mademoiselle, that if I find myself one day face to face with one of them, I will break it like glass, this cardboard baby that smells of tallow and wax. Ah! I am a true French baby!"

In anticipation of this appraisal’s re-airing in the 2021 Vintage Orlando, Hour 1 episode, ROADSHOW conducted further research to ensure that we accurately answered the question: Who exactly is “stomping” on the doll?

According to the 1980 book The Jumeau Doll by Margaret Whitton, each doll – or “bebé” as they were also called – came with several booklets and games. In one of those booklets, titled “Letter of a Jumeau Baby to Her Little Mother,” the doll warns her new child-owner that if she were to receive an “imperfect doll” she must:

“Destroy immediately this trash. It is good only for those frightful German babies (dolls).”

Beyond its obvious national chauvinism, the message is clear: If any imperfections are found in the doll, someone should destroy it.

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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