Where Can I find More Information
about Retired NAO?
This has become one of the most frequently asked questions in
the Lladró collecting world, testifying to the enduring quality of the
product despite its confusing origins. Unfortunately, you're looking at the only
thing available that deals substantively with information
about the NAO secondary market. This unmet information need among collectors
is one of the chief reasons I began this web site. I'm pleased to be able
to say that I've met my goal of posting an entire catalog of both the known NAO
and the Zaphir collections in their respective sections of this web site.
So far as I know, this is the most comprehensive catalog available.
(I don't plan to get involved in sales, so please don't ask.) I cannot
claim, however, that either catalog is complete: As with the regular Lladró
collection, everything ever produced in NAO and Zaphir was not catalogued.
Hence, you will find "unidentified items" pages in my catalogs as well.
Right, a tiny NAO angel, measuring just a couple of inches tall.
A very early issue but produced for a long time, "Angel with Lyre" is NAO #14.
(Photo by the author from her own collection.)
Left, one
of my most favorite NAO models: "Boy, Big Hat,"
NAO #182. Made in both matte and glazed versions, it's extremely well
modeled. The boy's standing in front
of a flowering cactus. Note the "rope belt," the sagging pants, and the bare
feet. (Typical little boy: all he cares about is the hat!) Although the glazed version was retired in 2001 at a last retail
price of $125, this matte example would have been retired about ten years
earlier. I wouldn't let it go for less than $200 - assuming I ever wanted
to sell it, which I don't! (Photo by the author from her own collection)
UK collector Colin Warwicker has developed a partial CD catalog
for the NAO collection. I've reviewed this CD and find it to be of high quality
and useful to collectors. Although it isn't a complete catalog, it has
the virtue of being a product which, albeit electronic, can be "held in
one's hand." (Colin sells his CD on eBay, and he can also be reached directly: hit
the "Contact Us" button below with an email requesting contact information
for Colin, and I'll be happy to share it.) So, by hook or crook, we collectors
are finally managing to respond to what has been a huge, pent-up and
previously unmet demand for specific secondary market information on the NAO models.
Collectors interested in what the company is making now can find information
(initially current issues only but now including a somewhat frustratingly incomplete
historical catalog as well) on the Official NAO web site (click on the link).
The World Collector's Net out of the UK is also a great
place to go to get information on retired NAO. (I'm the "Peggy" who frequently
posts there.) The Lladró Board on that site is actually two boards,
one for sales and one for information. You can find good information on
both boards about the core collection as well as NAO.
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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