Want to know the value of your Jumeau doll? Our experts and specialists in antique toys offer you a free estimate in just a few clicks. Follow the guide!
Jumeau babies, unbreakable babies... Wondering about the value of your Jumeau doll? Discover our guide to estimating the value of your antique toy. If in doubt, our experts and auctioneers put their experience at your service and offer you a free, no-obligation estimate.
What is a Jumeau doll?
Jumeau dolls were produced in France, in the workshops of Montreuil-sous-Bois, in the 19th century, and their prices can reach record heights at auction. After a significant increase in auctions in the early 2000s, these antique dolls with porcelain heads still retain a solid value today and are attracting the interest of new collectors, particularly among younger generations.
These dolls have won several awards, including at:
- the 1844 National Exhibition: honorable mention;
- l'Exposition des produits de l'industrie française en 1849: bronze medal;
- the 1851 Universal Exhibition in London: first prize.
The first distinctions awarded to Jumeau dolls can be explained by their exceptional quality. Around 1860, Pierre-François Jumeau innovated by creating a doll with a Sèvres porcelain head and arms made of leather, cardboard or articulated wood. Thus the "Bébé Jumeau" was born.
The year 1873 saw a new revolution: the "Unbreakable Baby" doll. The doll features a porcelain head molded on a cardboard base, hollow wooden limbs with joints and kneecaps formed by assembling turned parts, and "unbreakable" hands thanks to a composition combining potassium silicate, glue and sawdust.
Jumeau dolls come in various sizes, with closed or open mouths, sleeping eyes and sometimes teeth. All authentic models are identified by a number on the back of the baby's neck, corresponding to the size of the mold used.
In the 1880s, Jumeau produced over 100,000 dolls a year. Nineteenth-century dolls are therefore not necessarily rare. However, they bear a distinctive mark on the nape of the neck, a red stamp indicating "Déposé Tête Jumeau" or "DEP", accompanied by the number 9 or another, for the mold.
Most dolls with open mouths were made in the 20th century by SFBJ, even those stamped "Déposé Tête Jumeau" with a red stamp.
How to estimate the value of a Twin baby?
- The mold and the model.
Depending on the doll's size and characteristics: eye colors, eye type, mouth type, presence of teeth or not, wig, its estimate may change.
Jumeau is notably known for its character babies: special molds gave the baby an expression. The most famous is the Jumeau Triste, often fetching over 4,000 euros at auction.
Jumeau babies were also used by Lambert, automaton maker. We are familiar with the jeune fille à l'oiseau siffleur, estimated at over 5,000 euros, featuring a twin baby holding a birdcage and coming to life. La jeune au caniche, another model estimated to be just as expensive also features a Jumeau doll.
You should always check the condition of your doll, especially the condition of the head, looking for any cracks, hair, accidents or repairs in the light.
- Authentic components
Carefully examine your doll and ask yourself the right questions: Is it complete? Are all the parts from the same model? Are her hair, clothes and shoes original?
Many antique dolls are in fact made up of parts from different models. A completely authentic doll features only original elements, including her hair and clothes, which is relatively rare.
However, an authentic doll dressed in antique clothes from another doll may still have some value.
- General condition
Examples in near-new condition are very rare. For example, a Jumeau 8 doll from 1900 in very good condition can fetch around 600 euros. The same model from the same period, but having suffered damage from intensive use may see its value halved.
To sum up, to estimate the value of your Jumeau doll, you need to take into account its size, the mold model used, the expression details used and its condition. Your doll may be dressed in period costume or mounted as an automaton, all of which are added values that need to be taken into account. Beautiful Jumeau dolls can be estimated at between 3,000 and 6,000 euros. The most common models sell for a few hundred euros. Exceptional models can exceed 15,000 euros! You'll find out more about our company's fine sales results below.
Get a free estimate for my Jumeau doll
Are you still wondering about the value of your Jumeau doll? Our experts and auctioneers put their experience at your disposal. Since 1928, Millon has been selling antique toys, including Jumeau dolls. Find out how much your doll is worth on today's auction market by requesting a free, confidential, no-obligation estimate.
If you want to sell your collectible, our team will help you sell at the best price.
Our team of auctioneers and experts dedicated to antique toys is ready to put its market expertise to work to appraise your precious Jumeau doll free of charge. Thanks to our online form, you can get a reliable estimate fast.
Our bureaux are scattered throughout most of France, and ready to welcome you for a face-to-face examination of your doll. We regularly organize free appraisal days throughout France and in neighboring countries. Take advantage of this opportunity to submit your treasures to us and discover their value.
Best-selling Jumeau dolls
After experiencing significant fluctuations during the 1990s, the market for 19th-century dolls is today regaining notable stability, confirming its notoriety in the antique toy auction market.
In 2022, for example, a 51 cm Jumeau "Triste" size 9 doll sold for 23,500 euros at an auction organized by Millon in Paris.
This French doll with pressed bisque head, closed mouth and fixed blue eyes has applied ears and an original 8-ball articulated body, marked with blue stamp "JUMEAU MÉDAILLE D'OR PARIS".
Size 9 is the most interesting and sought-after for this type of JUMEAU, as it is the first manufacturing size.
In March 2014, a large JUMEAU BABY known as "TRISTE" with a pressed bisque head and applied ears was sold, again by Millon, for 19,000 euros, far exceeding its original estimate of between 5,000 and 8,000 euros. This exceptional doll features a closed mouth, fixed brown eyes and an intaglio mark "16. Her original articulated body is marked with a blue stamp, her clothes are antique and her height is 83 cm.
Jumeau dolls auctioned at MILLON
Our house realizes fine auctions, but also more accessible sales.
- Baby JUMEAU type Première with pressed bisque head and closed mouth, brown fixed eyes, original eight-ball articulated body with fixed forearms. This doll dressed in an antique dress and shoes is estimated at 2,500 to 3,500 euros and sold for 4,200 euros ;
- Baby JUMEAU Première with pressed bisque head, closed mouth and no markings is sold for 4,700 euros. This 37 cm tall doll has fixed brown eyes, original articulated body, fixed forearms marked with blue stamp ;
- 54 cm JUMEAU baby from the "FANTASTIQUE" series with a cast bisque head, an open-closed mouth, and fixed blue rigolier eyes, sold for 15,000 euros, against an estimate of between 12,000 and 15,000 euros. This Jumeau doll is marked "DÉPOSE TETE JUMEAU Bte SGDG-10" and "208" in intaglio. It has an original articulated body, marked with a blue stamp;
- 70 cm Baby JUMEAU "TRISTE" is sold for 5,000 euros, for an estimated price of between 4,000 and 6,000 euros. His head is in pressed bisque, with applied ears. Her mouth is closed, her blue eyes are fixed and she is embossed with "14. This doll also has a JUMEAU articulated body marked with a blue "JUMEAU" stamp and revered legs.
