If you’re an avid Hummel collector, you must have heard of the Hummel Annual Plates series. But did you know that Goebel company also released some limited-edition plates? Inspired by unique Hummel figurines, these plates could be worth more than you think!
In this Hummel plate price guide, I’ll discuss all the crucial features, including age, patterns, and popular series, that will help you identify a valuable Hummel plate and assess its right value using easy checkpoints!
Interesting History of Hummel Plates
Hummel Plates are classic hand-painted porcelain plates produced by the Goebel company between the 1970s and 2000s. They are inspired by the popular Berta Hummel figurines, which were relief-carved on them.
Since the production of the first-ever Hummel plate in 1971, marking the 100th anniversary of W Goebel Porzellanfabrik, the company has released many plate series. Most of them were made by master sculptors Gerhard Skrobek and Helmut Fischer.
Apart from Hummel’s notable Annual Plate Series, Goebel also manufactured other special plate series, such as the four season plates, Christmas plates, Celebration series, and more.
Finding the Value of Old Hummel Plates
Generally, most Hummel plates are now worth around $20 – $40, but some special plates, like Anniversary Plates, can fetch up to a few hundred dollars.
To assess the true worth of vintage Hummel plates, it’s necessary to understand the factors that impact their worth and demand.
- Condition: A Hummel plate is worth the most when it is in good condition or mint condition without any blemish, chips, discoloration, scratches, or cracks. The more damage, the lesser the value.
- Packaging: If a vintage Hummel plate is intact in its original packaging, it can be worth up to a few hundred to a hundred dollars, like one sold for $100 on Etsy!
- Age: Generally, older 1970s and 80s Hummel plates are worth more than the newer ones. The first 1971 Annual Hummel Plate can sell for $400 – $500. You can track your plate’s age with the manufacturing year painted on its front.
- Size: Hummel’s regular plates, measuring around 7.5 inches, are more valuable than the mini plates, which are around 4 inches wide.
For an efficient appraisal, check the ‘sold’ listings of Hummel plates on sites like eBay and Etsy. The sold prices are generally the average value a Hummel plate (or sets) can likely fetch.
Spotting an Authentic Hummel Plate
Identifying a genuine Hummel plate is not that difficult because these plates bear certain features and marks for verification as follows:
- The main motif, resembling the real Hummel figurine doing some activity, in the center (based on the HUM number)
- Circular text ‘M.I. Hummel’ in cursive letters near the main figure painting
- Goebel’s TMK trademarks (according to the years) on the back of the plates
- The manufacturing year impressed on the border of the Annual Hummel plates
- Unique border design, like stars and flowers, on Annual plates
- HUM number, plate/character/theme name, and series name painted on the back of the plate
Identifying Popular Hummel Plates Series (By Years)
W. Goebel Company released several unique plate series from 1971 to 2000. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Hummel plates series of all time:
1. Annual Plate Series:
The Annual Plates are a popular series of 25 Hummel plates released every year, starting from 1971 until 1995. All Annual Plate series feature different Hummel figurine motifs.
For instance, the 1974 plate has the ‘Hear Ye, Hear Ye’ motif, the 1973 plate has the ‘Globe Trotter’ motif, the 1974 plates have the ‘Goose Girl’ motif, and so on. The ‘Come Back Soon’ plate released in 1995 was the last edition of the Hummel Annual Plate Series.
Among the series, the first and oldest 1971 Hummel Plate, ‘Heavenly Angel,’ is the most valuable one, selling for up to $500 at auction or online sale in pristine condition with the original box. Other single Hummel annual plates are worth less than $40, while sets can fetch up to $50 – $300, depending on the number of plates included.
2. Four Seasons Plate Series:
This is one of Hummel collectors’ favorite plate series. It features four Hummel plates depicting each of the four seasons.
- ‘Winter Melody’ plates (1st edition)
- ‘Summertime Stroll’ MI Hummel plates (2nd edition)
- ‘Springtime Serenade’ Hummel plates (3rd edition)
- ‘Fall’ plates (4th edition)
Generally, these Four-Season plates are sold as sets, as one sold on eBay for $400, while the value of a single plate ranges from $10 to $50.
3. Christmas Plates Series:
Hummel Annual Christmas Plates ran from 1995 to 2000. This six-plate series, modeled by master sculptor Helmut Fischer, features six different joyful Hummel figures as the central designs.
- ‘Festival Harmony with Flute’ plate (1995)
- ‘Christmas Song’ Christmas plate by (1996)
- ‘Thanksgiving Prayer’ Annual Christmas plate (1997)
- ‘HUM 695’ Christmas plate (1998)
- ‘Joyful Noise’ plate (1999)
- ‘Light the Way’ Hummel plate (2000)
4. Friends Forever Plate Series:
This popular Hummel series features four plates, each edition released annually. The Friends Forever Series includes the following Hummel plates:
- ‘Meditation’ plate (1st edition, 1992)
- ‘For Father’ Hummel plate (2nd edition, 1993)
- ‘Sweet Greetings’ plate (3rd edition, 1994)
- ‘Surprise’ plate (4th edition, 1995)
5. Anniversary Plates Series:
This Hummel plate series features three Anniversary plates released in 1975, 1985, and 1995. Generally, Anniversary Hummel plates are worth more than common Annual plates.
- ‘Stormy Weather’ Anniversary Plate (1975)
- ‘Spring Dance’ Anniversary Plate (1980)
- ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ Anniversary Plate (1985)
6. Hummel Celebration Plate Series:
This is Hummel’s special four-plate series exclusively released for members of the Goebel Collectors’ Club during 1986-89.
- ‘Valentine Gift’ plate (1st plate of the series, 1986)
- ‘Valentine Joy’ plate (2nd edition, 1987)
- ‘Daisies Don’t Tell’ plate (3rd edition, 1988)
- ‘It’s Cold’ Hummel plate (4th plate of the series, 1989)
Despite being an exclusive series, the Celebration plates’ value ranges around $25 to $40 per set. Single pieces are worth even less.
7. Mini-plates Series:
Apart from regular-size plates, Hummel also released two mini-plate series. These plates measure around 4 inches in diameter and mostly featured motifs of Hummel’s kid figures doing different activities. The value of these plates, as sets or single plates, is around $5 to $20.
The first mini-plate series, ‘Little Music Makers,’ released from 1984 to 1987, has four plates featuring little musician boys.
- ‘Little Fiddler’ plates (1st edition, 1984)
- ‘Serenade’ plate (2nd edition, 1985)
- ‘Soloist’ plate (3rd edition, 1986)
- ‘Band Leader’ Hummel plate (4th edition, 1987)
The second ‘Little Homemakers’ mini-plates series was released from 1988 to 1991. This series features four girl figures doing house chores:
- ‘Little Sweeper’ plate (1st edition, 1988)
- ‘Wash Day’ plate (2nd edition, 1989)
- ‘A Stitch in Time’ plate (3rd edition, 1990)
- ‘Chicken-Licken’ plates (4th edition, 1991)
Other Hummel Plates Makers
While it was mainly the Goebel Company that manufactured Hummel plates, another company, Danbury Mint, also made limited-edition plates for Hummel collectors.
The key difference between the Hummel plates of both makers is that while Goebel’s plates have raised motifs in the center, Danbury’s plates have figures painted on the whole plate with the background.
Some popular Danbury Mint’s Hummel plates are:
- ‘Land in Sight’ limited-edition collector plate
- M.I. Hummel plate collection ‘Little Companions’
- Apple Tree Girl and Apple Tree Boy plates
While Hummel plates are not as sought-after and trending as Hummel figurines, they’re still a beloved collectible for Hummel collectors. Besides these, there are many other valuable antique dishes that you would want to add to your vintage collection!
