Royal Doulton Figurines: How to Identify, Date and Value Them

Few collectibles turn up in Canadian homes as often as Royal Doulton figurines. Many families have a shelf of them, often collected one birthday or anniversary at a time over several decades. When it's time to downsize or settle an estate, the same questions always come up: which ones are these, how old are they, and are they worth anything?

As a 100% Canadian owned and operated auction house that has been dealing with estates since 1992, we see Royal Doulton collections regularly, including complete single-owner collections. Here's how to work out what you have before you decide what to do with it.

A quick history

Doulton began as a London pottery in 1815 and was granted a royal warrant in 1901, which is when the Royal Doulton name came into use. Its figurines were made for most of the twentieth century at the company's works in Burslem, in England's Stoke-on-Trent pottery district. In the 2000s production moved out of England, so newer figures are often marked as made elsewhere.

The HN number: your best starting point

Turn the figurine over. Most Royal Doulton figures carry an HN number on the base, sometimes painted, sometimes printed. The "HN" comes from Harry Nixon, who ran the painting department when the series began in 1913. HN1 was a figure called "Darling."

The HN number identifies the exact model and colourway. That matters, because the same figure was often produced in several colour versions, each with its own HN number, and one colourway can be far scarcer than another. Write down the name and the full HN number exactly as shown. It's the single most useful piece of information for researching a piece or describing it to a buyer.

Reading the backstamp

Next to the HN number you'll usually find the Royal Doulton backstamp: the lion-on-crown mark above the four interlocking Ds, with the words "Royal Doulton" and, on most older pieces, "Made in England." The figure's name and the designer or modeller's name often appear too.

Because of that, the backstamp style, the country of manufacture and the colourway together tell you more about a piece's age than the copyright date alone.

Check for seconds

Pieces that didn't pass the factory's quality inspection were sometimes sold as "seconds." These are typically marked with a scratch, a drilled hole or a ground mark through the backstamp. A second can still be a lovely figure, but it will generally sell for less than a perfect example, and buyers will want to know.

What makes one figurine worth more than another

Royal Doulton values vary enormously. Many figures, especially the popular "lady" figures made in large numbers in the later twentieth century, sell for modest amounts. Others are genuinely sought after. The main factors are:

• Rarity. Figures made for only a short time, scarce colourways, prototypes and limited editions attract the most interest.
• Condition. Look closely at fingertips, hands, hat brims, flowers and other thin, projecting parts. Chips, cracks and firing faults all reduce value.
• Restoration. A repaired figure is worth noticeably less than an original one, and good repairs can be hard to spot. Restored areas often feel slightly warmer or softer than glazed porcelain, and they frequently show up differently under an ultraviolet (black) light.
• Paperwork and boxes. Limited editions are more desirable with their original certificate, and original boxes help.
• Demand. Collector tastes change. Online auction results show what buyers are actually paying right now, which is often different from older price guides.

Photographing figurines for sale

If you're selling, good photos do most of the work. Photograph each figure from the front, back and both sides, plus a clear, readable shot of the base showing the backstamp and HN number. Use plain light, avoid glare on the glaze, and take a close-up of any damage. Buyers who can see exactly what they're getting bid with confidence.

Your options for selling a collection

1. Sell it yourself. If you have the time and are comfortable cataloguing and photographing, you can run your own online auction on AuctionSupreme.
2. Consign it. If you'd rather hand the job over, our consignment service handles cataloguing, photography and the auction for you.
3. Keep the favourites. Many families keep one or two pieces with special meaning and sell the rest. There's no rule that says a collection has to go all at once.

Online auction works especially well for Royal Doulton because collectors across Canada can bid on the exact pieces they're missing, rather than relying on whoever walks into a local sale.

Have a collection you'd like to talk about? Contact us, or browse our current catalogues to see what's up for bidding now.