Grafenthal Porcelain Figurine

Q: This china man has been in my family for as long as I can remember, more than 70 years. It’s about 9 inches high. It’s flat on the back, which may have always been that way or may have been from the way it was stored for many years. It’s marked with a crown and the letter “G” with two lines through it, part of a number or date, and “Made in GDR.” I’d like to know who made it and how old it is.

A: Your figurine was made by Porzellanfiguren Gräfenthal (Gräfenthal Porcelain Figurines), a company in Gräfenthal, Germany. The number partly missing in the mark on your figurine is “1859.” It is the year a predecessor company, Unger, Schneider & Co., was founded by Carl Schneider, Karl Unger, and Hermann Hutschenreuther. Unger left and started another company in 1882. After Carl Schneider died in 1885, his son Paul continued the business with Hutschenreuther. Hutschenreuther left in 1886 and Paul renamed the company Carl Schenider’s Erben (Carl Schenider’s Heirs). A crown was added to the mark. In 1951 the company was nationalized and became V.E.B. Porzellanfiguren Gräfenthal, which continued to use some of the old molds and marks. The initials “GDR” stand for German Democratic Republic, which was the name for East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Your figurine was made between about 1965 and 1972, when the company closed. Porcelain doesn’t become flat when stored. Your figurine was made with a flat back. Value, about $24 to $35.