Cybis Porcelain sculptures are wonderful pieces of art regularly found on eBay; a great opportunity for buyers and sellers alike. However, to get the best idea of a sculpture's value it helps to know the difference between the various "types" (editions) of Cybis porcelains. You may have seen some of the following words used to describe Cybis sculptures: Open, Closed, Retired, Variation, Special Edition, Numbered Special Edition, Limited Edition, Special Commission, Gift of State, and Artist's Proof. What do they all mean? The edition type has a definite influence on a sculpture's original retail price and its value in later years.

• OPEN EDITION: An Open Edition is introduced and then continues to be produced until Cybis decides to stop making it. The individual sculptures are NOT NUMBERED. Sometimes there is a number cast into the mould, but that is only a mould (design) number, not a number for that particular sculpture itself. Some of the Open editions have been around for many years; for instance the "Baby Owl" has been continuously produced since the early 1950s. The production lifespan for an Open edition can range from one year to infinity; it's entirely up to the Studio and there is no way to predict when they may decide to stop making a certain piece. 
• RETIRED EDITION: When Cybis stops making an Open Edition, it is then said to be Retired (not "Closed"; that's something else). Cybis does not usually announce that a piece will no longer be available; most often it simply no longer appears on the next listing of current sculptures.
  
• OPEN EDITION, VARIATION: This is an Open edition that differs in some way from the original version; usually a different color decoration, something physically added to the original design, or both. A good example is "Bunny, Bon-Bon" which in the standard Open Edition is a plain white rabbit standing up on its hind legs, at a 2006 retail price of $99. However on the same list one finds "Bunny, Puttin' on the Ritz" which is a Bon-Bon with the addition of black bowtie and lapel flower, at a retail price of $195. One also finds "Bunny, Puttin' on the Irish" which is - again - the basic Bon-Bon with the addition of green bowtie, green flower, and green straw hat, priced at $125. There are, and were, more variations of the basic Bon-Bon sculpture in other accessories. Technically, each one is a separate Open Edition because each variation was marketed by Cybis under its own separate name. Some collectors (myself included) consider these to be only a "variation" of the original piece; however, the Cybis Studio obviously feels that the additions are enough to justify a different name and pricepoint; and when one of these Variations is no longer produced, it is considered a Retired piece - just like any other Open Edition would be.
  
• SPECIAL EDITION: Just to make things more confusing (or fun, depending on your point of view!), Cybis would sometimes create a Special Edition of a current open-edition sculpture for a gallery or charity event. These were usually done in conjunction with a Cybis "event" at that location. The special piece would be announced to people on the mailing list of the store or charity, as "A special edition of only (however many) sculptures that will only be available in person at this event." The price would be higher than that of the standard-edition piece. For example, in the 1970s there was an open edition sculpture "Betty Blue" (a girl in a dress with blue decoration); for a special event at Brielle Galleries, Cybis produced it in a pink decoration as "Patty Pink" but only made 100 of them - first come, first served! Any of these special editions are hard to find because they were only advertised to a small clientele and were never included in any of the price lists, brochures, or catalogs published by Cybis. These pieces were NOT individually numbered... BUT once in a great while the Studio would indeed produce a
  
• NUMBERED SPECIAL EDITION: The same scenario as above, except that Cybis would individually number each sculpture. "Bunny Pat-a-Cake in white with Carrot" was one of these: a numbered special edition of 200. The one I sold on eBay in March 2006 was numbered on the piece as 144 / 200. Note that not all such numberings included the edition size! Most just had an individual sculpture number. Either way, these are valued slightly higer than an un-numbered Special Edition; like the others, they do not appear in any published Cybis literature.
  
• LIMITED EDITION: (also called Numbered Limited Edition). These are the "top end" of the Cybis retail range. Sculptures in the Portraits in Porcelain series are always Limited Editions; many of the larger sculptures are as well. When one of these is introduced, its edition (issue) size is announced; it may be 500, 750, etc. Every limited edition sculpture is INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED, IN PAINT, NEAR THE CYBIS SIGNATURE, DURING THE FINAL FIRING. THE EDITION SIZE IS NEVER INDICATED ON THE PIECE. What's important to know is that the entire edition is NOT produced all at once (as is done with the Special Editions, whether numbered or not). A Limited Edition is produced at whatever pace the Studio chooses. Thus it is possible that the final issue size may be reduced, but it will never be MORE than originally stated. It's not uncommon for a Limited Edition sculpture to be actively produced for 10 or 20 years or more, although the retail price will steadily increase over time: "King Arthur" sold for $2350 when introduced in 1984 but by 2006 his retail price had risen to $5500 (at which it remains in 2009).
  
• CLOSED EDITION: When all of the sculptures in a Limited Edition issue have been produced, the sculpture is said to be Closed, and the original moulds are destroyed. Cybis will indicate the piece is "Near Closing" on their pricelists when this status is approaching.
  
• SPECIAL COMMISSIONS: In the 1940s and 50s, Cybis sometimes created small sculptures of saints, madonnas, etc for local churches. Most of them were glazed, and many in color. None of these pieces appear in any of the Cybis literature because they were not intended for the general public. They are great finds for the serious Cybis collector! Another kind of Special Commission is a sculpture created for a specific organization. For instance, in the 1970s the Rolls-Royce Owners Club commissioned a sculpture of the Flying Lady (Spirit of Ecstasy) to celebrate the car's 75th anniversary. It could only be purchased by registered Rolls-Royce owners and does not appear in any published list Good luck finding one!
  
• GIFT OF STATE: It's highly unlikely that you'll ever see an ACTUAL Cybis "Gift of State" offered for sale, although you may see a sculpture described as one. Confused? Don't be. An actual Gift of State always bears special markings and other authentications clearly indicating what it is, and spends its life in the recipient's private collection unless it gets donated to a museum. Sometimes it is one of a kind, but most often it is an Artist's Proof of a limited edition piece. So you might see a sculpture described as having been a "gift of state to so-and-so" but it won't be that actual sculpture if the asking price has less than five or six figures.
  
• ARTIST'S PROOF: If a sculpture is marked "A.P." (Artist's Proof) this means it is one of VERY FEW exactly like it... and quite often it's literally one of a kind. Most artist's proofs are created in the early stages of production, when decisions are being made as to what colors and decorations to use. An accidental color change during during can also result in an artists's proof, if the artist liked it! Cybis has also been known to do a single piece of a Limited Edition sculpture in colors different from what is currently being produced, at a collector's request (and at a premium price); the sculpture is marked Artist's Proof because it is one of a kind according to the buyer's specifications. Serious collectors will argue that an Artist's Proof sculpture must contain ONLY that designation and nothing else (in other words, no sculpture number if it is a Limited Edition piece) and I have always followed that philosophy. It is always best to ask for more details if you see an A.P. sculpture that also contains a painted sculpture number as well; for example, exactly how is this sculpture different from the standard color "run" or decoration?
  
• Thus, a rough guide to the respective values of different Cybis edition types would be (from lowest to highest): Open Edition of either type (standard or variation); Retired Edition; Special Edition; Numbered Special Edition; Special Commission; Limited Edition; Closed Limited Edition; Artist's Proof; and Artist's Proof of a Closed Limited Edition, especially if it is one of a kind. This last would probably be the most valuable Cybis piece you're likely to find for sale, other than an actual Gift of State or one of the extremely low edition pieces such as the Knight in Shining Armor of which only 10 were made at a price of at least $25,000 each. Also, some of the very early Retired pieces may well be as valuable as a current Limited Edition, simply because so few have survived intact. Naturally a piece must be in absolutely mint condition to be worth the maximum amount for its type; even a professional repair can be detected under a blacklight. There are some beautiful Cybis out there just waiting for you to find them -- so, Happy Hunting!