Those of you who are baffled by those mysterious and often confusing six-digit numbers which accompany the figures illustrated in The Collectors' Encyclopedia of Half-Dolls, know that you are not alone! The authors, to whom we are all greatly in indebted, have taken on the Herculean task of providing a six-digit coding system by which the family of figures known as half dolls, and related items, may be categorized. Firstly, and probably most importantly, one must realize that this system was developed for use in the book alone, and the result of trying to apply the same code numbers to your own collection can only result in agonizing frustration! The authors themselves note the shortcomings of this system, and they don't always follow their own rules. However the code is indeed logically based, and can certainly be adapted for use in cataloguing an individual collection. Below we have defined the meaning of each of the six numbers, noted ambiguities, and made suggestions as to how you might apply the system to your own collection. We sincerely hope we have done so with relative clarity! Simply click on any of the numbers in our sample above, and you will be taken to the appropriate section.

The first number in the code refers to the "Encyclopedia Section". This number merely indicates which of the nine sections of The Collectors' Encyclopedia of Half-Dolls in which a particular doll appears. Of course, your doll might not appear in the book, or you might not agree with the section in which the authors chose to place a doll. Therefore, it is best to ignore the "section" and focus on the category itself. They are as follows:

• 1 - Figures bearing the marks of, or known to have been manufactured by the firm of Dressel and Kister

• 2 - Figures bearing the marks of, or known to have been manufactured by the firm of W. Goebel

• 3 - Figures bearing the marks of, or known to have been manufactured by the firm of Karl Schneider

• 4 - Figures bearing marks, symbols, or labels of other manufacturers; known or unknown

• 5 - Figures bearing numbers, but no manufacturer's marks, symbols, or labels

• 6 - Figures bearing no numbers or manufacturer's marks, though the country of origin may be indicated

• 7 - Related items with sew holes; head only, full figure, animals, etc.

• 8 - Non-porcelain figures and reproductions

• 9 - Related items without sew holes; dresser boxes, perfume bottles, trinket dishes, etc.

The second number in the code refers to the "Type" of figure; its costuming, general appearance, and character. Already we find ambiguity in the coding system, as there is a number set aside for male figures alone, but you may certainly have a male child figure, a male figure in national costume, a Pierrot, etc..  You might opt to place all male figures in one category, or ignore the "Male Figure" category all together. You might also consider figures in Dressel and Kister's "Medieval" series, or Goebel's "Historical" series, to fall within the category established for figures wearing national costumes, whereas the authors obviously did not.

• 0 - Nude elegant or court figure

• 1 - Clothed elegant or court figure

• 2 - Nude Flapper or 1920's era figure

• 3 - Clothed Flapper or 1920's era figure

• 4 - Nude child figure

• 5 - Clothed child figure

• 6 - Distinctive national costume

• 7 - Pierrette or clown figure

• 8 - Male figure

• 9 - Miscellaneous

The third number in the code refers to the "Form". This number deals strictly with the sculptural elements of the figure; position of the arms, complexity of the design, and the existence of applied details: e.g. flower petals added to a figure after its removal from the mold. Unfortunately, you are only able to indicate the presence of applied details on figures with both arms away, even though these details may appear on figures within other "Form" categories. Additionally, there are four "basic" categories of figures; A, B, C, and D. These are indicated following the descriptions.

• 0 - Head only figure, bas relief figure, full figure

• 1 - Limbs not extended from body. Note that though the elbows may protrude, they do not create an opening or "loop" between the arms and body (Category A)

• 2 - Right arm away and returning, leaving an opening or "loop" (Category B)

• 3 - Left arm away and returning, leaving an opening or "loop" (Category B)

• 4 - Both arms away and returning, each leaving an opening (Category B)

• 5 - Right arm extended and free (Category C)

• 6 - Left arm extended and free (Category C)

• 7 - Both arms extended and free (Category C)

• 8 - Both arms extended, figure has applied details (Category C)

• 9 - Jointed figures, swivel head figures, glass eyed figures (Category D)

The fourth number in the code refers to the approximate size of the figure; specifically, the height. Note that dimensions in inches are rounded to the nearest ¼".

• 1 - ¾" to 1½" (1.9 cm to 4.2 cm)

• 2 - 1¾" to 2½" (4.3 cm to 6.7 cm)

• 3 - 2¾" to 3½" (6.8 cm to 9.2 cm)

• 4 - 3¾" to 4½" (9.3 cm to 11.8 cm)

• 5 - 4¾" to 5½" (11.9 cm to 14.3 cm)

• 6 - 5¾" to 6½" (14.4 cm to 16.9 cm)

• 7 - 6¾" to 7½" (17.0 cm to 19.1 cm)

The fifth and sixth numbers in the code represent a figure's individual identification number. Stated as simply as possible, these numbers, (if they are to make any sense at all) can apply to your collection alone, and cannot be used to cross-reference either with other collections, or those figures which appear in The Collectors' Encyclopedia of Half-Dolls. Using our sample number as an example, should you have more than one figure with a code beginning with "316-5.....", then the first figure catalogued would be numbered 316-501, followed by 316-502, 316-503, etc.. If you have more than 99 dolls with the same first 4 digits, then we'd love to see your collection!

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