Q: This doll has a metal head and shoulders and is marked “Minerva” on the front of her chest and “Germany” on her back. My mother’s aunt found the head, and a lady at a doll hospital put it together. Can you tell me anything about the doll and what it might be worth?

A: Minerva metal dolls’ heads were made by Buschow & Beck, a German manufacturer, from 1894 until the 1930s. The head and shoulders were stamped out of sheet metal, welded together, and painted. Heads were coated beginning in 1910. Most had molded hair and painted eyes, but some had wigs, glass sleep eyes, and teeth. Minerva heads came in several sizes and were sold separately or as a complete doll with a kid leather or cloth body and wooden arms and legs. Minerva dolls and doll heads were sold in mail order catalogs in the United States in the early 1900s. It’s rare to find a metal head doll in good condition today. The metal may have some of the paint chipped off or have rust spots, and the leather or cloth bodies often disintegrated over the years. Minerva dolls are not rare and yours has damaged paint. Selling price, under $50.