Goebel Hummel #20 Prayer Before Battle Figurine, TMK-5 Last Bee
Know something about this item? Share it.
Owners, collectors and sellers: if you know anything about this piece, like who made it, when or where it came from, or what it sold for, please add it below.
A boy playing soldier, from the first year of Hummel figurines
Goebel Hummel #20 Prayer Before Battle is an M.I. Hummel figurine of a small boy who has stopped to pray before his make-believe battle. He stands with his head bowed and hands folded beside his wheeled toy horse, a toy flag on a stick over his shoulder and a toy trumpet hanging at his side. Its German name is "Gebet vor der Schlacht." Dealers credit the sculpt to Arthur Moeller, one of Goebel's master sculptors, and date it to 1935, the year the Hummel line began.
The figurines come from the drawings of Berta Hummel, born in Massing, Bavaria, in 1909. She graduated from Munich's Academy of Applied Arts in 1931, joined the Franciscan convent at Siessen in Bad Saulgau and took the name Sister Maria Innocentia. Her pictures of country children sold as postcards. Franz Goebel saw them in Munich and got sole rights from the convent to turn them into figurines, which were shown at the 1935 Leipzig Trade Fair. Sister Hummel died of tuberculosis in 1946, at 37. The bee in many Goebel marks is a nod to her name: Hummel is German for bumblebee.
The maker, W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik, was founded on January 30, 1871, by Franz Detleff Goebel and his son William in Oeslau (now Rödental) near Coburg. It made porcelain figurines, dolls and giftware before Hummel became its best-known line. American soldiers stationed in West Germany after World War II sent the figurines home and bought them through Army PX stores, which made Hummels a fixture in American homes. Goebel stopped making Hummels on September 30, 2008, and other companies in Rödental have made them since 2009.
Prayer Before Battle was made in one size only, so the bottom reads plain "20," with no size suffix. It stayed in the line for decades. Listings on October 29, 2026 show copies with every trademark from the 1930s Crown to the 1990s "Germany" mark, plus a 2005 limited edition for the 70th anniversary of the first figurines. Each copy comes with a tag reading "M.J. Hummel Limited Edition, Goebel Germany 2005" and is numbered out of 1935.
This copy has the blue TMK-5 "Last Bee" mark, used from 1972 to 1979, and black painter's initials with no year. That fits: Goebel's painters added the year they finished a piece only from 1979, when the bee left the mark. Late 1970s copies like this are the most common and cheapest. Early Crown-mark copies ask the most.
Which trademark does your Prayer Before Battle have?
The figure barely changed, so the blue or incised mark under the base dates a copy. Mark years are from Antique Trader's trademark guide. Asking prices are from 115 live eBay listings checked October 29, 2026.
| Version | Mark under the base | Tells | Asking now |
|---|---|---|---|
| TMK-1 Crown 1935 to about 1950 | Crown over WG, often incised in a circle; postwar copies may add "Made in U.S. Zone Germany" (1946 to 1948) | Incised M.I. Hummel signature on the base edge; one listed copy has a red, white and blue flag | $89 to $300 |
| TMK-2 Full Bee About 1950 to 1959 | Large bee inside a V, incised or stamped in black or blue | Bee shrinks and sits lower in the V after about 1956 | $29.95 to $79.99, one at $300 |
| TMK-3 Stylized Bee 1958 to 1972 | Flat, stylized bee in a V, "W. Germany" beside or under it | Early large bee has "W. Germany" to the right; later small bee has it centered below | $9 to $85 |
| TMK-4 Three Line 1964 to 1972 | V and bee with three lines of text beside it | "© by W. Goebel" in the text | About $30 to $35 |
| TMK-5 Last Bee This copy, 1972 to 1979 | "Goebel" with a V over the b and a tiny bee inside the V, "W. Germany" below | Painter's mark has no year | $13.99 to $30 |
| TMK-6 Missing Bee 1979 to about 1991 | "Goebel" over "W. Germany," no V and no bee | Painter's mark adds the year painted | $12.99 to $67.50 |
| TMK-7 / TMK-8 1991 to 2008 | "Germany" without West; from 2000 a lone bee returns | The 2005 70th anniversary copies have a dated tag and a number out of 1935 | $16.75 to $195 |
- One size only. The incised number is plain "20." Hummel adds a suffix only when a design came in several sizes: Roman numerals (/I, /II) for bigger ones, and /0, 2/0, 3/0 and so on for smaller ones, where the bigger the first number, the smaller the figure.
- Painter's year. From 1979 the painter's initials carry the year painted ("EL 80" means 1980). Initials alone, as here, mean the piece was painted before then.
- Under or over the glaze. Antique Trader notes the TMK-5 mark went under the glaze from 1972 to 1976 and over it from 1976 to 1979. The photos of this copy don't settle which.
- Lookalikes. Japanese "Hummel-style" copies have no Goebel mark and no incised model number. A real Goebel piece has the incised number and an M.I. Hummel signature pressed into the base.
A praying boy in a green jacket beside a tan toy horse on wheels
Hummel 20 shows a small boy with tousled brown hair and downcast eyes, his hands folded under his chin. He wears a pale green jacket (soft mint) with round yellow buttons and a red stitched edge, a white front, a red-orange neckerchief knotted at the back, blue short pants, white socks banded in blue and big brown boots. A long dark brown stick rests on his shoulder with a small white and blue flag at the top, and a yellow toy trumpet with a red cord hangs at his hip.
Beside him stands a tan toy horse (buff with brown shading) with a dark brown mane and tail, a thin black bridle and pale dapple spots. It stands on a flat board edged with a thin green line, with small painted wheels on its sides, like a wooden pull toy. Both stand on a plain cream oval base. The finish is the soft matte, hand-painted look of Goebel Hummels.
- Front: boy facing forward with folded hands, horse's head beside him with its bridle.
- Trumpet side: the yellow trumpet with its red cord and the flag at the top of the stick.
- Horse side: the horse's flank with dapple spots, brown mane and the wheeled board.
- Back: neckerchief knot, jacket with yellow buttons, blue shorts and the horse's raised tail.
- Base: cream oval with a glazed white underside and an open center ring of bare tan clay.
- Marks: incised "20," blue TMK-5 Goebel mark, black hand-painted painter's initials.
- This copy: light grime on the base, an amber stain under the base from an old sticker, and a faint round impression beside it that can't be read in the photos. No chips or breaks show in the photos.
Bottom (this copy): 20 (incised) Goebel (V with a small bee over the b) W.Germany [painter's initials in black]The Goebel mark is printed in blue. The painter's mark is a black handwritten squiggle that can't be read as letters.
- Hummel 20
- Hum 20 Prayer Before Battle
- Hummel boy with toy horse
- Hummel boy with rocking horse
- Goebel soldier boy and horse
- Gebet vor der Schlacht
- Hummel Last Bee TMK5
Copies for sale right now
A pick from 115 live eBay listings of Hummel 20, checked October 29, 2026: the TMK-5 copies, plus one of each other version for comparison. Asking prices, not sales. eBay's sold prices need a sign-in, so they aren't here. The middle asking price was about $25, and two thirds asked $30 or less.
Vintage Goebel Hummel 4" "Prayer Before Battle" Boy With Horse Figurine TMK5.
TMK-5View on eBay ↗
"Prayer Before Battle" Goebel Hummel Figurine #20 TMK5 1970's
TMK-5View on eBay ↗
1970's Hummel Goebel W. Germany Figurine #20~"Prayer Before Battle"~TMK5
TMK-5View on eBay ↗
Hummel Figurine Prayer Before Battle HUM 20 TMK6 4 1/4" Tall
TMK-6View on eBay ↗
Hummel Goebel Figurine Prayer Before Battle # 20 TMK 5
TMK-5View on eBay ↗
Vintage Goebel Hummel #20 "Prayer Before Battle" Figurine 4.25" Tall TMK-5
TMK-5View on eBay ↗
Goebel M.I. Hummel~# 20~Prayer Before Battle, TMK 5, 4.5"H Germany Flawless
TMK-5View on eBay ↗
Hummel "Prayer Before Battle" HUM 20 70th Anniversary - Limited Edition 845/1935
2005 70th anniversaryView on eBay ↗
Hummel Figurine "Prayer Before Battle" 4" TMK2 Boy Horse
TMK-2 Full BeeView on eBay ↗
Goebel Hummel - Prayer Before Battle 2/ box #20 - TMK 1 - 1937-49 -4.5"H x 3.5"L
TMK-1 CrownView on eBay ↗About the Hummel #20 Prayer Before Battle
Who made the Hummel Prayer Before Battle figurine?
W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik of Rödental, Germany, made it from the drawings of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. Dealers credit the sculpt to Goebel's master sculptor Arthur Moeller and date it to 1935, the year the first Hummel figurines came out.
How old is my Prayer Before Battle?
The trademark on the bottom dates it. A crown is 1935 to about 1950, a full bee in a V is the 1950s, a stylized bee is 1958 to 1972, the V with a small bee next to Goebel is TMK-5 (1972 to 1979), and Goebel W. Germany with no bee is TMK-6 (1979 to about 1991). This copy has the TMK-5 Last Bee.
What does the number 20 on the bottom mean?
It is the Hummel model number, Hum 20, pressed into the clay. Prayer Before Battle was made in one size, so the number has no size suffix like /0 or /I.
How tall is Hummel 20?
Sellers measure it at about 4 to 4¾ inches. Most say 4¼ or 4½ inches.
What is the 70th anniversary Prayer Before Battle?
A 2005 limited edition made for the 70th anniversary of the first Hummel figurines. Copies carry a Limited Edition tag dated 2005 and are numbered out of 1935, the year the line began.
What is a Hummel Prayer Before Battle worth?
On October 29, 2026, 115 live eBay listings asked $8 to $300, with a middle price of about $25. TMK-5 copies like this one asked $13.99 to $30. Crown-mark copies asked $89 to $300. These are asking prices, not sales.
- Owner's photos of this copy, including the incised number, the TMK-5 mark and the painter's initials
- Antique Trader: How to identify Hummel trademarks, for the TMK-1 to TMK-8 years, the U.S. Zone mark, TMK-5 under and over the glaze, the painter's year from 1979, the bee and the 2008 end of Goebel production
- Wikipedia: Maria Innocentia Hummel, for her birth, training, convent, Franz Goebel's rights, the 1935 Leipzig fair and her death
- Wikipedia: Hummel figurines, for the postwar soldier and PX sales and production in Rödental after 2009
- Iowa State University Museums: F. & W. Goebel, for the January 30, 1871 founding by Franz Detleff and William Goebel in Oeslau-Rödental
- Antique HQ: Hummel number questions answered, for how size designators work
- BuyHummels: Prayer Before Battle #20, a dealer crediting Arthur Moeller and 1935, with a height of about 4.5 inches
- eBay: TMK-1 Crown copy, photos of a 1930s–40s copy with a red, white and blue flag and an incised signature on the base
- eBay: 70th anniversary copy 1700/1935, photo of the "M.J. Hummel Limited Edition, Goebel Germany 2005" tag; numbered copies 845/1935 and 529/1935 were also listed
- eBay search for "hummel 20 prayer before battle", giving the 115 single-figure listings, seller heights and asking prices on October 29, 2026