Antique Collectible Dolls

When you think of antique dolls images of fine porcelain and frilly dresses may come to mind. However, bright red yarn hair, cotton body, and button eyes have also entered the collecting and antique scene. If you had not guessed already, we are referring to the Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls. Soft and lovable these are easily the most recognized dolls on the planet. Writer Johnny Gruelle, for his daughter Marcella, created Anne in 1915. He came up with her name from a combination of two poem titles, The Raggedy Man and Little Orphan Annie.

Sadly his daughter Marcella died at age 12 after being given small pox vaccination at school. Her parents blamed the vaccination so Gruelle became an opponent and Anne was used as a symbol by the anti-vaccination movement. Through out the years the Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls have been manufactured by many companies, Georgene and Voland to name a couple. Dolls from either of these can set you back a cool $3000.

Equally as recognizable is the Barbie doll, debuting 1959 she was the American adaptation of the German doll Bild Lilli. Ruth Handler had approached Mattel with the idea of a more grown up doll but was rejected. When she was visiting Germany, she came across the Lilli doll and promptly bought three to bring back with her. With help from an engineer, Ruth redesigned the doll and named her Barbi, after her daughter Barbara. Barbi has seen many changes over the years but one thing never changes and that is her popularity and collectibility. In 2004, a mint 1959-boxed doll sold for over three-thousand dollars on ebay. Two thousand and six seen the world record at Christie's in London when a 1965 Barbi in midnight red fetched a whopping $17,000! The Barbi doll is highly collected with the most sought after ones being pre-1973 or vintage.

If your collecting tastes run more on the elegant side, you will not want to overlook the cream of the crop that is Madam Alexander dolls. These dolls have come to represent the highest standards in the making of collectible dolls. Beatrice Alexander started the company in 1923. Unlike other dolls of the era, movie stars and various literary characters inspired hers'. The first dolls were made of cloth with faces of pressed heavy felt. Harder to find are the dolls of the early 30's these were made of composite that does not fair well over time. If you find one of these in mint condition, you are probably going to pay a mint for it. Madam Alexander's creations are opulent and beautiful a jewel in any collectors crown.

Antique dolls are dolls that are old, rare, or unique in some way. Companies will try to establish a demand by releasing only small amounts of particular dolls, thus making them rare to begin with. When making your choices carefully consider not only how much you can invest but also the dolls intrinsic worth to you. The collecting of antique dolls is indeed as much about the memories the dolls inspire as the financial gain that is possible. Many collectors focus on dolls from their childhood that bring back lazy summer afternoons playing on the living room floor.

Harald Hoel

[http://www.dollfather.com]