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The history of this (these) companies goes back to 1833, when the brothers M. Ludwig und J. Harald BING associated with Frederik v. Grondahl to found a porcelain manufacturing company. By the end of the XIX century, they had reached such a great success, mostly with their line of porcelain household items (dinner sets, vases, etc.) that they won awards and participated in the famous 1900 World Exhibition in Paris (for which the Tour Eiffel was created!). They also had a specially beautiful production during the Art Deco years and as time passed they opened several branches in London and Paris and started new lines, while undergoing several changes in their artistic direction.
The Bing and Grondahl Figurines that we currently find in the market have different dates of production and can also come from the latest period of the Company in which it merged with the other leading Danish porcelain manufacturer, Royal Copenhagen, and continued producing some of the most popular models with new codes and markings. Others, highly in demand on Ebay nowadays, were discontinued and are consequently available exclusively with the old four number codes from Bing and Grondahl. Also discontinued were some models produced after the merge, in 1987 but those have the new coding system:
The Bing and Grondahl or currently also "Royal Copenhagen" figurines are highly collectible items of an extraordinary beauty with understated discreet pastel colouring and a fine finishing and glaze in the porcelain.
The Danish sellers recommend as reference the book "Bing & Grondahl Figures" (by Nick and Caroline Pope), which was published in January, 2003 by Schiffer Books. It lists over 1000 figurines made by B&G, including those which are still in production with a Royal Copenhagen trademark. It is a large format (9" x 12"), hard cover book containing 240 pages and approximately 800 color pictures. It has a very complete listing and price guide in print for Bing & Grondahl figurines. For figurines in current production, one can also use as a price guide the MSRP (Manufacturer's suggested retail price).
An important information for EBAY buyers is that the company also made FACTORY SECONDS!. Both Royal Copenhagen and B&G issued figurines that were marked as second quality by the factory (2nds). These were indicated by a vertical scratch through the Royal Copenhagen three-wavy-line trademark, or a horizontal scratch across the three tower trademark of B&G. If there are no pictures available and there is no mention in the description you should ALWAYS ask your seller whether the item that is being offered is indeed a 1st. choice or a 2nd. choice production figurine.
And of course, it is always wise to follow the general advice about researching the seller and the item before making a purchase and requesting more detailed pictures and asking questions whenever there is a doubt. Then we can relax and have a lot of fun completing our collection of these lovely items.
The Bing and Grondahl Figurines that we currently find in the market have different dates of production and can also come from the latest period of the Company in which it merged with the other leading Danish porcelain manufacturer, Royal Copenhagen, and continued producing some of the most popular models with new codes and markings. Others, highly in demand on Ebay nowadays, were discontinued and are consequently available exclusively with the old four number codes from Bing and Grondahl. Also discontinued were some models produced after the merge, in 1987 but those have the new coding system:
- All figurines in production in 1988 were given new three digit model numbers.
- Figurines previously made by Bing and Grondahl are now marked Royal Copenhagen and have new figurine numbers of 400 or higher.
- In addition, all new numbers have a four digit prefix that further identifies the figurine: 1020- for Animals or 1021- for People, etc.
The Bing and Grondahl or currently also "Royal Copenhagen" figurines are highly collectible items of an extraordinary beauty with understated discreet pastel colouring and a fine finishing and glaze in the porcelain.
The Danish sellers recommend as reference the book "Bing & Grondahl Figures" (by Nick and Caroline Pope), which was published in January, 2003 by Schiffer Books. It lists over 1000 figurines made by B&G, including those which are still in production with a Royal Copenhagen trademark. It is a large format (9" x 12"), hard cover book containing 240 pages and approximately 800 color pictures. It has a very complete listing and price guide in print for Bing & Grondahl figurines. For figurines in current production, one can also use as a price guide the MSRP (Manufacturer's suggested retail price).
An important information for EBAY buyers is that the company also made FACTORY SECONDS!. Both Royal Copenhagen and B&G issued figurines that were marked as second quality by the factory (2nds). These were indicated by a vertical scratch through the Royal Copenhagen three-wavy-line trademark, or a horizontal scratch across the three tower trademark of B&G. If there are no pictures available and there is no mention in the description you should ALWAYS ask your seller whether the item that is being offered is indeed a 1st. choice or a 2nd. choice production figurine.
And of course, it is always wise to follow the general advice about researching the seller and the item before making a purchase and requesting more detailed pictures and asking questions whenever there is a doubt. Then we can relax and have a lot of fun completing our collection of these lovely items.
Guide created: 03/25/06 (updated 07/14/10)
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