The Bye-Lo Baby was designed by Grace Storey Putnam to represent a three day old infant. The bisque head dolls are marked 1923 by Grace S. Putnam Made in Germany on the back of the neck and were manufactured by such companies as J.D. Kestner, Alt, Beck & Gottschalck, Hertel & Schwab and others. The cloth body was made by K & K Toy Co. of New York and was often stamped “Bye-Lo Baby”. The doll’s hands were either celluloid or composition. The bisque head dolls came in different head circumference sizes (8″, 10″, 12″, 15″, and 17″). The larger sizes seem to have a higher value. The eyes were made to open and close. Although some people think the dolls are unattractive, these baby dolls continue to be very popular among antique doll collectors today.
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Hello,
I have a doll stamped “Grace S. Putnam, Made in Germany” at the back of the neck. The doll is 15″ long with painted on features i.e. blue eyes, pink lips, etc. The doll has a flanged head and hands with a cotton body dressed in what appears to be light blue sleeper/pj’s, the odd thing about the doll is that it has no other markings such as a date or trade mark. Can you give me any information or worth of the doll?
Thank you,
Steve
saarcanin@aol.com
Would love to hear from someone who is familiar with a 12″ circumference Bye-Lo Baby with solid painted blue eyes. Thanks for your visit, Steve. Come back again soon!
I have a doll that that says, ” copr by Grace S. Putnam Germany” on the dolls back. The doll is entirely made of bisqe. The head, arms and legs are attached to the body with some time of stretching thread and metal hooks for movement. I believe it is a Bye-Lo Baby doll. It doesn’t have any clothing. It is in pretty good shape, except a few toes are a little chipped. The doll is about 8 to 12 inches long. I have pictures. Could tell the appox value of it?
My best friend gave me a Bye-lo baby doll for my birthday three years ago. It is marked “Grace S. Putnam, 1923 on the back of her neck. She is about 18 inches long and in an original Christening gown. I was told she is valuable. Just how valuable I don’t know. Could someone give me an inkling?
Melinda, What is your doll made of? Does she have a bisque head or composition? Does she have a cloth body stamped with the Bye-Lo Baby mark? Are hands composition or celluloid? Doll values have currently dropped a bit. I paid $400.00 for the doll pictured. I think that is on the high side these days. Thanks for your comment. Please give a bit more info. Thanks.
Thank you, Janie,
I forgot to tell you her head is bisque with the lower part made of cloth. You’ve been a real help.
Melinda
My mom and sister recently bought two dolls at a yard sale with the markings “©1923 – Grace S. Putnam – Made in Germany” on the back of the heads. One is a girl, and the other is a boy, and they both look to be in good condition with the original clothes. The only thing is, their eyes do not open and close; they are painted on, instead. I’ve tried to research them online, and I am only finding information about the Bye-Lo baby. Does anyone know what doll these are, and the approximate value? If you need, I could take a few pictures of them, as well.
Thank you so much!
)
-Rachel
Rachel,
Thanks for your comment and reply to me. Take care of those very sweet baby dolls!
Janie
I have a Grace S. Putnam, Made in Germay Bye lo Baby which belonged to my mother in law. She has a bisque head w/eyes which open/close, composition hands, cloth body and her original clothes w/the tag. She also use to say “mama” but doesn’t now. Who should I take her to for an estimate? She has a broken finger which is glued in place.
Ann
Ann,
How long is your doll? What is the circumference of her head? Do you see any hair line cracks in the bisque head? The best bet for an appraisal would be a doll dealer who is near your location. You might find a dealer in the yellow pages or a local doll show. Often times the owner of a local antique shop knows of a doll expert. You can also try eBay to see if any Bye-Los resemble yours and watch the auctions. I hope this helps. Thanks for your question.
I have a Grace S Putnam doll made in Germany but it does not have the bye lo baby on it. It is in perfect condition. It has the bisque head 8″ and the eyes are painted blue. There is some writing on her stomach but can not make it out. I can read copy, pat., looks like a B and a H. I got it from a 93 year old aunt. If you can help me in any way would be great. Thank you. Sue
Hi. Your post Bisque Head Grace S. Putnam Bye-Lo Baby is very interesting for me. My written English is not so good so I write in German: “Lieber den Spatz in der Hand, als die Taube auf dem Dach.” Yours sincerely Thursday Grace
I have a doll my aunt told me was a Bye-Lo but the marking on the back of the neck is the initials A.M. with Germany under it and under that a number. Does anyone know anything about this marking? Is is a Bye-Lo?
Janie,
I have a 12″ circumference Bye-Lo Baby, who has solid painted blue eyes. Her head & hands are bisque, while her body is cloth. She is in immaculant condition, & is very beautiful. The back of her head is “Copr. by Grace S. Putnam Made in Germany” There is no date, that I can see. Also, quite surprisingly, the baby has a perfectly preserved partial thumb or finger print, above one ear. (Not sure if it would be makers?) PLEASE contact me in regards to ANY info/Price value info you may have on her.
Hi CJ,
Your doll is called “Dream Baby” made to resemble the very popular Bye-Lo. She was made by the German company Armand Marseille. They are wonderful dolls. Enjoy!
I also have two doll heads(like CJ) that I was always told( by Mom) were Bye-Lo dolls but the marking on the back of the heads are ( AM GERMANY) I was so glad to read from janie what the AM stands for. Thank you MaryAnn
I have a bye lo baby who has a bisque head, eaarly 1900, sleep brown eyes, celluloid hands, and on back of head, grace s. putman, copr, and on cloth body with bowed legs Bye-Lo_Baby , pat-appl’d for, nextline is copy by Crace Storey Putnam in red. Doll is in excellent condition , no clothes, body is soiled. I found it at church and want to sell it, how would I go about it ?
Hello, I have a HUGE antique Bye-lo baby doll and was wondering what this rare size is worth in todays market. The dolls length is 20inches and her head is 18 cir the hands are large celluloid with the Germany and turtle stamp on each. It wears a real baby christening gown from the early 1900′s that is over 30 inches long and in great condition, the body is in fantastic shape (never been played with) and the glass eyes are blue. I have never seen another antique Bye-lo this large and although the head needs cleaning from years of storage it’s coloring is fantastic. Thanks
I have a doll mark with a G with a circle around it 1923 DY Grace S Putnam made in germany.It has painted eyes,nose,lips.15 inches circle head,all fingers and toes 16 inches in length.I’m not forsure if her clothes are original.Any information will be great.
Susan, Your doll is marked with a Circle around a “C” which stands for the word copyright. 1923 By Grace S. Putnam Made in Germany. I can’t give you much more info unless you tell me about the material that her head, hands and body are made of. It would also be very helpful if you could email me a photo. Thanks for your visit.
We’re looking for a ballpark value of my 90-year old mother-in-law’s Grace Putnam doll. It appears to be a bisque head circumf 10″, open/close eyes, no cracks. She is about 12″ long with a cloth body. I don’t know the difference between composition or celluloid for the hands, but her left hand has two broken fingers. It appears to be in an original christening outfit. It also appears to have some sort of circular thing in her body that may have made a noise at one time. My mother-in law is of the “strong” opinion that it is worth $500. I’ve been looking on e-bay and see they get about $150. Is that the best place to find the value? I don’t know what to do to convince her it is not worth $500. I can’t find an antique doll expert in my town.
Hello, I’m trieing to find out some info about a doll I have found and would like to know more about it ? She has a big bold print’ K’ on the back of her neck .she looks like an antique wizard of ozz doll but yet she looks like a Alice in wouderland doll too. She has a white and blue checkerd dress and her hair is blonde and in braids. Her body is cloth ,and staw but her head seems to either be porcilian or possibly paper machae.
Hello, i have just a small query i have a Grace Putnam baby by-lo doll she has a 12inch bisque head, celluloid hands i was wondering if anybody knows what year she was made she has brown eyes that open and close and she seems to be wearing some type of vest and nappy that are very fragile the slightest touch and the fabric breaks away are they the original clothing? .she has a hairline fracture on her head if she didn’t have this damage does anybody know what her value would be.
i have a 1923 grace putman doll head #7173148 boy with blue eyes and
redish brown hair,eyes do not open and close,painted on,would you
give me a low asking price i need to sell. thank you pam/indpls indiana
I have a 12″ Grace Storey C 1923′s brown eyes. Cloth body, celluloid hands, compositon face. Does anyone know about Grace Storey before Putman?
Does anyone know anything about a black putnam doll? I have one here and can’t seem to find any infoon a black one
I have a doll head. It is bisque, painted face and on the back, lower neck is faintly incised Grace S. Putman. I cannot read the writing below it but think it is made in Germany. I have no doubt it is a Bye-Lo-Baby but whether it is the real thing or fake?
Could there be anything else written on the doll head instead of made in Germany?
Thank you, Ros
I also have a bisque head, unpainted. The ears are pierced which I have not seen on the other Bye-lo dolls. On the back is written copr by Grace S Putnam made in Germany. Off to the side a bit is #1 with the 1 written in the German style. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Lynn
I have a doll head created by her, with no eyes and no body attached. How much would a doll head like this go for these days?
About 35 years ago i received a bye Lo baby doll in her box, a dealer at that time told me that Grace Putman visited many hospitals to find the perfect baby to use for making this doll , When she found this baby. she asked if sh3 could use this babies likeness for her new doll and molds were made and that was what I was told, at that time. The box had 1923 and sold then for $ 3.95 Her value has dropped by your price value I was tolde she was around $1,000 dollars back then so I am surprised at your values, Ella Marie
I have a 14 ” (head 12.5″) Bylo doll, cloth body composition head and hands. Open and close eyes, weighted. Back of head is Grace Storey
Putnam (written like this with the Putnam below the Grace Storey) also a C with a dot in the center. What can you tell me about this doll? Age ? Have not been able to find anything about the composition headed Bylo Babies.
I am not as familiar with the composition dolls as the bisque. I know that the composition dolls were very plentiful during 1930′s-1940′s. Hopefully, a reader will be able to help. Thanks for your comment.
I have a black bye-lo baby, with working voice box, porcelain head with brown glass eyes. Clean, intact cloth body (frog legs), and celluloid hands. Doll is dressed in felt diaper, and felt pink/white striped top.
Head circ. 14 inches, body is 19 inches in length. Back of head is marked Corp. by Grace S. Putman, made in Germany.
Does anyone have info on a black bye-lo by Grace? I have not been able to find any information. Thanks
I found this info at http://www.ferris.edu.
Toys as History:
Ethnic Images and Cultural Change
by Pamela B. Nelson
In the early 1920′s a remarkably realistic Black infant doll was designed by American Grace S. Putnam, produced by one of the major doll manufacturers in Germany, and distributed in the United States. It and a similarly realistic white doll were known as “Bye-Lo babies.” Although many Black dolls were manufactured during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they usually were stereotyped as mammies or pickaninnies. The Bye-Lo baby was typical of the new trend toward realistic play, and despite the manufacturer’s fear that the dolls were too realistic to sell successfully, they became top-sellers.
I have a Bye-lo baby with a bisque head and cloth body in excellent condition. My mother said it belonged to her aunt who got it in 1920. It still has the originial tag on the front of the dress telling what it is. It is about 16″ long. Could someone tell me what it is worth.
I have a doll with a bisque head and cloth body. The head is stamped with “Copr by Grace S Putnam Made in Germany.” Her body is cloth and hands are composition. She is about 12″ long and has a 10″ head circumference. No where can I find a date. Her eyes are permanently closed but at one time must have opened and closed. She must have made a sound at one time as I can detect such a device on her back. Is this a Bye-lo baby? Any idea as to the date it may have been made? It belonged to my mother who was born in 1914.
I have what I believe is a Bye-lo baby. She was GIVEN to My 6 year-old daughter by a kind elderly antique dealer at a local street fair in Auburn, CA. She is marked “Copr by Grace S. Putnam Made in Germany.” Her brown eyes are fixed and appear to be glass. Her hands appear to be bisque or similar and one hand has two glued-on fingers. Her head is 14.5″ in circumference and is about 18″ long. Her body is cloth but I found no markings indicating she’s a Bye-lo. Also, her legs/feet are also cloth…no bisque feet. I’m guessing her body has been replaced over the years? Any ideas on her worth? I’m afraid to let my daughter play with her now! Thanks!
I have an 11″ doll with a Bye Lo type head, cloth body, composition hands
and blue sleep eyes. Stamped on back of head is Germany and below
are M00 2oX and appears to be stuffed with hair. Is this possible and
is this a Bye Lo. She is a very old doll. Thank you, Carolyn
I just bought a darling brown eyed 9 inch bye lo baby with a frog body in a wicker basket. I’m going to repair her broken head this winter and dress her. I’d like to find booties for her and I’d love to hear how you would clean her very dusty dirty body. I’d also like to know how you would repair the head. What kind of glue should I use?
Thanks, J. Savage
I was given a doll by my mother it is stamped copyright 1923 by grace s. putnum made in jncermany there is also a “78 and an AW. can you comment on this?
thanks
I have a what I was told is a 1942 Bye-Lo (copy Grace S. Putnum. It has a bisque 17″ head and frog-style cloth body. It is in excellent condition, however, the christening dress is not original. Does anyone know how much would be a fair asking price online?