Those that Got Away!

Today is beautiful and clear, with a cool, crisp feel in the air. Yet, there are threats of tornadoes, hail, plagues of locusts, you name it looming for this evening. The hard rain last night did not kill my geranium or other plants, and there was no flash flooding, thank goodness.

Today's blog is a brief one of rather sad subject matter. Like those who fish, we who collect enjoy discussing out of some morbid, masochistic ilk, "The one's that got away!" We should all keep journals of the cliches connected with collecting, including "strike while the iron's hot," which is my favorite. Below are a few of those that "got away" from me. Don't feel too badly, though, I've found more than adequate replacements to represent them, and the hunt is always on for the next available "desired object:"

1. 16" wood and papier mache doll with molded hair and orange boots. The body was jointed at five points and all wood, the features and hair molded and painted. I was at the San Jose Doll Show about 20 years ago. The doll was a little high at the time, and came from a collection in Argentina. It was a good doll, and I've since read articles about her, though the name of the doll and brand now escape me. I went around once, as is my bad habit when considering an expensive purchase. When I returned, someone else had it in hand. It was clearly over. I was able to buy a nice china head from the Argentinian connection, but I still feel a few regrets.

2. French bisques- when I was very small; I knew what a Bru and Jumeau were by the time I was seven because I had struggled through John Noble's "Dolls." After the age of five, I could identify an antique bisque doll. I viewed my first example at now defunct Fantasyland in Gettysburg, PA. French bisques and fancy chinas were available for anywhere from $50.00 to $500.00 when I was in school, K-12. Ralph's antique dolls used to bring amazing examples to our local antique shows. I even stumped Santa one year by asking for an antique Bru, but $500.00 for a doll for a nine year old in the mid-sixties was unheard of. Ralph did have a 3" all bisque with a red haired wig, class eyes, and open mouth I fell in love with. She was dressed in a little bonnet and white christening dress. All these years, I still remember that doll.

3. Unmarked Bru of white bisque. This was an unmarked lady Bru, as pictured in Mary Hillier's "Dolls and Dollmakers." She was at the Lasalle-Peru Doll Show over thirty years ago for $95.00. Again, we didn't have enough funds.

4. Dozens of Frozen Charlottes for $5.00 each at the old Black Hawk antqiues. There was even one in a perfume bottle. I was ten and didn't ahve $5.00. We were going to return but never did.

5. German bisque dressed as red-satin Harlequin in The Old Curiosity Shoppe, now gone. I think now it was an A and M, dressed in a red-satin Harlequin type outfit without the patterns. It was $28.00, and a smaller version of the the German bisques then popular.

6. A metal head baby alleged to be a Minerva and hand-carved puppet made by the owner of the Minerva. We had, as they say, "spent our wad" on a Schoenhut, and didn't have the extra $80.00 to cover both.

7. A bone or walrus ivory faced Eskimo at the gift shop of the Peabody museum. I wrote to them, but they denied having such a thing. They did. There was a whole family of them. One would have thrilled me.

8. A closed mouth German doll, in bad shape, but with original dress. It's my fault for hesitating. I went back the next day to retreive the doll, but the owner of the Mall would not sell it to me. She claimed another dealer was buying it, but the doll was not marked sold. I never went back to that antique mall.

9. A gorgeous Marin historical doll representing a woman in a Goya portrait from Madrid. I had to buy the 14th Century doll, Jimena, because the shop owner didn't want to get the Goya doll out for me. Years later, I bought the Goya doll from a friend in Galena.

10. Bisque heads, probably German, from The Monastiraki, flea market, in Athens. We just didn't know any better.

11. Bisque headed Pierrot, probably Verlingue, Madrid 1981. It was the equivalent of $38.00, and a litte pricey for a travelling student. Again, I returned the next day. The doll was gone, but the shop keeper told me it was actually over $300.00 and sold for that amount. I know my pesetas; don't think that was correct. Also, there were handmade dolls at The Madrid Flea Market I wish I had brought home.

12. Rome 1969: There was a shop full of dolls near the Trevi Fountain. There were Furga dolls that were over three feet tall. I bought a small marioneete of Raggedy Ann and some Lenci dolls, but those big beauties stil haunt me. Nevertheless, I didn't come home empty handed from that trip! Also, there were the many gorgeous French dolls at Orly Airport. There were some that appeared to be made from Skipper molds, but they were celluloid and dressed in rich 19th century costumes. I did get some other dolls, but the whole display there was breathtaking.

But, enough "sad stories." What I learned is that there is always another doll. I don't enjoy having a doll I'm interested in snatched right out from under me, especially when one of my friends does it, but I don't collect for the competitive aspects. I always find something else I like. The moral of the story is go alone on doll hunts.

Happy Dolling! Till next time.