El Portal Porcelana

"For People Passionate About Spanish Porcelain"

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LLADRÓ
   Regular Collection
   NAO
       (NAO Catalog)
          (Retired 2004)
          (Retired 2005)
          (Retired 2006)
          (Retired 2007)
          (Retired 2008)
          (Retired 2009-10)
          (Retired 2011-12)
   Rosal
   Tang
   Zaphir
     (What's It Worth?)
     (Other "Clones!")
      (Zaphir Catalog)
   Golden Memories
       (GM Catalog)
   Hispania
     (Hispania Catalog)

Made in Spain
(No Brand Name)


Nadal


Other Companies
   Nalda


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For those interested in glass figurines, Fenton Art Glass Beasts, Birds & Butterflies is another of Peggy's books!



Also for those interested in glass, Fenton Art Glass Fairy Lamps & Lights is Peggy's latest book! It focuses on small, candle-lit "lamps" that were first used in the Victorian era to light dark hallways before the invention of gaslight or electricity.

The publisher for these Fenton books has gone out of business, but I am pursuing other publishing options for revised and expanded editions. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you may still find advance-ordered and used copies of these books at online booksellers.

Zaphir Porcelain:
What's It Worth?

This question is always difficult to answer because relatively little is known among the collecting public about the Zaphir brand and its connection to Lladró. Valuation is complicated, then, by the need to educate the secondary market about the brand itself. Zaphir's creation by Jose Puche, a regular collection Lladró sculptor, as well as its chronlogical precedence over the NAO models that were later made from Zaphir models, should logically serve to enhance Zaphir's value over time as collectors become more familiar with it.

This model was made in two forms, the regular porcelain finish (right, #683) and a special hybrid finish (left, #683B) consisting of matte skin, enamel-paint clothing, and glazed rock (on which she's seated). Both versions were among the models that were later transferred into NAO production when the Zaphir brand was closed. The hybrid #683B version was, in both brands, retired earlier than the regular porcelain version. The regular version was finally retired in the NAO brand in 2001 at a last retail price of $170. Value of the regular #683 with either mark is about $200, of #683B about $225-$250. The flowerwork in the girl's hand is unusual for the NAO collection, where a deliberate attempt to keep the price points low would be undercut by the added expense of flowerwork. (Photo scanned from a 1978 Zaphir retail catalog.)

At the same time (as with the NAO collection and its symbiotic relationship to the core collection), there were several models that were unique to Zaphir and thus not produced for any other brand or collection. This makes it a potentially attractive brand for Lladró collectors seeking to diversify their collections with another Lladró brand that will generally be more affordable than comparable models in the regular Lladró collection.

It would seem that the best way to go about establishing values for Zaphir models is to refer to the last retail price on the item (which I happen to know for much of the Zaphir collection and have posted in the Zaphir catalog on this site because I also have an original 1981 Zaphir price list in my possession) and, beyond that, to use the modest (at least to date) appreciation on the NAO brand as a secondary market yardstick for Zaphir.

Click on the catalog link on the left border graphic of this page to be brought to the Zaphir catalog, in which I do suggest values based on my own knowledge and expertise in the field, though others should feel entirely free to argue with me. :o)

Zaphir "Clones" of Core Collection Items

At Last - A New Lladró Book!

The Lladró Guide; A Collector's Reference to Retired Porcelain Figurines in Lladró Brands

My most recent Lladró book has revised and expanded content and remains the only book in print on this topic that isn't just a catalog. Covers all Lladró and Lladró-affiliated brands (regular collection, NAO, Zaphir, Golden Memories, Hispania, Rosal, and Tang) and tells how to distinguish them from imitations and counterfeits. Revised and expanded content includes many new photos and a new chapter on future directions for collectors and the company now that it has passed from family hands. The book is in hard cover, which eliminates that annoying curl-up that happens with paperback books. You can order the book directly from the publisher, Schiffer Books, on Amazon, or from your favorite bookstore using the ISBN 13 number 978-0764358395.

Warning: If you're looking for a catalog of every retired figurine Lladró ever made, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for beautiful, full-color photos of representative models and more in-depth and well-researched information about Lladró and its history and production than you can get in thumbnail photos with captions, this book is what you're looking for.

Retail Price in Hardcover: $45
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