So I recently acquired a porcelain art deco dog figure made in Germany
during the thirties.  The base is stamped " Lavin and Lauer Co. New
York " My usual references have failed to unearth any information
about this company ( I'm assuming it was a store.) Anyone out there
know anything ? f'rinstance; where were they located, when did they
flourish, why the apparent demise, how big were they...that kinda
stuff....I'm pricing the question at a lowly $15 with this rider:
should the Answer subsequently lead to my lil dawg having a value significantly
greater than I paid for it, I promise to share the wealth with my erstwhile
respondent.

Regards Phink

Hi,
Since you say the dog was made in Germany, its possible value would be
more dependent upon the manufacturer than the US store's name.
Is there any producer's mark to suggest the German origin?

Hey Oar
I haven't got my sweaty little mitts on the piece as yet,it's
currently in transit. I've seen a picture of the base where the
aforesaid Lavin etc mark can be seen. 'Made in Germany' is also on the
base. There may very well be some Factory marks...all will be revealed
in a few days.
My interest centres more around Lavin and Lauer rather than the value
of the mutt...I'm all about provenance and reference yanno...were they
the 'Barneys' of their day?

Just for fun, I  did a search with an ampersand (  & )   instead of the word "and."

"Lavin & Lauer" turns up a ceramic dog for $4.95.    Not sure it's YOUR Lavin and
Lauer,though.    If $4.95 is the going rate today, then either the
seller doesn't know what
she/he has --or perhaps L & L probably wasn't the Barney's of its day
. . .rather more like the Woolworth's.

You should try http://www.newel.com They are the largest dealer of
1930's antiques in New York