The Minerva tin head doll, sometimes called the “Indestructible Minerva Metal Head” appeared in the market around 1897. Today people find Minerva heads on various types of doll bodies, either cloth stuffed or kid leather stuffed doll bodies.
Advertisements Over the Years for the Minerva Tin Head Doll
1897 Full Page Ad for the Minerva Tin Head Doll
Buschow & Beck of Nossen, Saxony present a full page ad in the “The Buyers’ Guide through Germany, Bohemia.” An English rhyme appeals to the buyer,
Lightest in weight,
strongest in wear,
the BEST in the market,
ALL MOTHERS DECLARE!
In the ad Buschow & Beck claim they own the patent for the doll head and explain that sheet metal is used to manufacture the doll heads.
1900 Ads of Minerva the Metal Doll Head
The German export book in 1900 featured a small ad for Bruschow & Beck’s metal doll head with a wig, not molded hair like many Minerva’s have. (Export. Berlin. 1900. p. 272). The doll is not named Minerva in this ad.
In December of 1900 a column in the Smyrna Times of Delaware describes why mothers should consider the Minerva tin doll head for their child. First, it combined the beauty of bisque with the durability of metal. Second, a mother could give the doll head to any child because of its industructability. Next, the writer claimed the doll head was covered in wholesome paint and had no injurious ingredients. And last, it could be sewn easily to either old or new cloth doll bodies.
1901 Waterbury Democrat Newspaper AD
The Waterbury Democrat newspaper ran an article advertising the Minerva doll heads for Harding’s store in Boston in 1901 claiming it was made of sheet brass. (Sheet brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.)
1902 Münchner neueste Nachrichten (German newspaper) Ad
In 1902 an ad appeared in a German newspaper with the image of a Minerva doll head on the left and a trademark of a helmet with name MINERVA arched over it.
In the ad they say only the genuine Minervas will have the trademark. The ad rhymed in German,
Porzellan geht in Scherben,
Münchner neueste Nachrichten : Wirtschaftsblatt, alpine und Sport-Zeitung, Theater- und Kunst-Chronik. 23 Nov. 1902
Papier wird zu Brei,
Nur Metallpuppenköpfe
Geh’n niemals entzwei.
“Experienced and clever mothers only ‘buy’ the well-known ones ‘Minerva’ metal doll heads from Buschow & Beck, of Stoffen, because china shatters, paper turns to pulp, metal doll heads only, never go apart.” In the ad the word “Metallpuppenkopfe” means “metal doll head.”
1903 Youth’s Companion Ad
An ad appeared in the June 1903 issue of the Youth’s Companion magazine for Minerva doll heads. The ad claimed the doll head was so strong it could not be broken. Very boldly, one might say, they compared it to the beauty of the French bisque doll heads. The magazine offered any selection of a Minerva doll head for 80 cents to its subscribers.
“Fabrics, Fancy Goods and Notions” ran a half page ad for the Minerva tin head doll in 1908. Click on the title to see the big ad.
1918 Velhagen & Klasings Monthly Magazine Article
In 1918 one could choose between different types of Minerva doll heads. One major line had hair embossed in the metal. Another has smooth Minerva heads to which hair wigs could be attached. The heads came with or without a breast piece so that the neck could rotate or swivel.
During the war they did not make the metal heads due to the lack of metal, but made celluloid dolls, though some claimed in 1918 that celluloid was too valuable a resource to use on children’s toys. During peacetime Buschow & Beck had several hundred families working at home making dolls including stuffing doll bodies. Children in the families helped with the work.
Earlier Metal Doll Heads, Other Manufacturers
Minerva was not the first metal doll head. A German manufacturing address book in 1859 lists a C. H. Wedtstein who made pewter and metal doll heads. He also appeared up the address book in 1864.
See information on other Antique German Doll Marks here.