Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy Hagen-Renaker products?

There are many places to purchase Hagen-Renakers, both on and off-line. For current production pieces, try your local gift shops, card stores, hobby shops, pharmacies, and flea markets, or type "Hagen-Renaker" in the search engine of your choice. The official company website now has a dealer locator, although it contains many entries for stores that no longer carry the line.

For discontinued and vintage pieces, try eBay, on-line clubs, antique stores, flea markets, and resale shops. You'll be surprised where you find them; we've bought Hagen-Renakers in places as diverse as pet stores and junk yards (no kidding!).

I'm not sure whether my piece is a Hagen-Renaker. Can you help?

First, look in the Charlton Standard Guide to Hagen-Renaker, 3rd edition to see if your figure is listed. This book is as close to a comprehensive guide as humanly possible, and most figures can be found there. If you see the figure but not in the color you have, check the Book Updates section of this website. The Identification page of this website also provides some tips.

If you still can't find it, feel free to drop me an email through the Contact Page of this website. No photo identification can ever be 100% guaranteed, but most of the time I can be reasonably confident in my identification. If I'm not sure, I'll say so up front. Please do not send attachments on the first contact; if you'd like to send one, please email me first to arrange to send to an alternate email address that can handle attachments.

I'm sure my piece is a Hagen-Renaker, but it's in a color or finish that's not listed in the book.

The book wasn't originally intended to list every color and finish, but it is evolving in that direction. Just because a piece isn't mentioned doesn't mean it's rare. First, check the Book Updates page to see if we've listed it yet. If not, please drop me a note through the Contact page so I can add it to the list.

There's a test piece/factory oddity listed on eBay. Is it legitimate?

Maybe. The factory sometimes releases test pieces for sale through one of their dealers as a benefit. Sometimes test pieces and oddities make it onto the open market through employees and other legitimate sources. Sometimes oddities are seconds that weren't completely decorated for one reason or another. Whether or not these seconds have much value depends entirely on whether you, the buyer, like it.

Unfortunately, not all sellers are honest about their merchandise. Re-glazing Hagen-Renakers is a fairly simple procedure. In and of itself, reglazing is an accepted practice in the hobby, and most of the time, reglazed pieces are offered openly as being what they are. On the other hand, there's always the occasional bad apple out to make a quick buck by passing off altered pieces as original factory finish. Ask questions, and consider not purchasing from people who don't respond to politely worded inquiries. 

In some cases, legitimate HR pieces have been glued to bases that they weren't released with, or combined with other pieces of different Hagen-Renakers or Beachstone beads to concoct "rarities." Exercise your own judgement if you see an item that looks suspicious. I will be happy to answer inquiries about whether, say, piece X was released on base Y, but I will not answer questions about which dealers may be involved in this practice.

Are there books about Hagen-Renaker I can buy?

Visit the resource page for a listing of books and other sources of information.

How much is my Hagen-Renaker worth?

At the risk of sounding glib: Whatever it's worth to you. The Hagen-Renaker market is in a state of constant flux, so if you need a market value, I suggest consulting completed auctions of comparable items on eBay to get an approximate idea. As a general rule, I will no longer answer value questions.

I have a Hagen-Renaker that's broken. Is it worth anything? Can it be restored?

Because Hagen-Renakers are composed of a very soft and frailge material, collectors are usually more willing to accept damaged pieces than is usual with other collecting areas. Never throw away a broken Hagen-Renaker! Even bits and pieces can be useful to restorers.

Almost any damaged HR would benefit from professional restoration, but that course isn't always cost-effective. Many repairs can be done at home; visit our Repairs and Cleaning page for some tips.

I don't like the colors/cartoony eyes of the current HR releases.

Many long-time collectors would agree with you. The Hagen-Renaker factory is well aware of this, but believes that the collector market is too small a percentage of their total sales to cater to. Complaining to them will only inflame an already tense situation, but if you feel you absolutely must, contact the factory here.

Who are you?

The primary creator of read-me-first is Tracy Phillips, who has collected Hagen-Renakers for almost twenty years. However, many other people contribute information, suggestions, and helpful hints.

Why did you create this site?

The motivation for this site is for collectors from all over the world to have a central repository to share knowledge and ideas. Hagen-Renaker collecting has always been a hobby where experienced collectors freely share their knowledge with others, and I wanted to continue that tradition.

Why is this site called read-me-first? Why isn't "Hagen-Renaker" in the title?

We would like you to use this site as your first collecting resource. We strive to provide accurate, timely information that will assist you, the collector, to enjoy and expand your hobby.

We don't use the Hagen-Renaker name as part of this site to avoid any confusion as to whether we are affiliated with the company (we aren't), and to avoid infriging on the company's intellectual property rights.