Children of Japan

Children of Japan
Courtesy, R. John Wright

Hinges and Hearts

Hinges and Hearts
An Exhibit of our Metal Dolls

Tuxedo and Bangles

Tuxedo and Bangles

A History of Metal Dolls

A History of Metal Dolls
Now on Alibris.com and In Print! The First Book of its Kind

Alice, Commemorative Edition

Alice, Commemorative Edition
Courtesy, R. John Wright

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Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory

Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory
Her Grace wishes us all a Merry Christmas!

Annabelle

Annabelle

Emma Emmeline

Emma Emmeline
Our New Addition/fond of stuffed toys

Cloth Clown

Cloth Clown

Native American Art

Native American Art

the triplets

the triplets

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby
Bought Athens on the street

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Sand Baby Swirls!

Sand Baby Swirls!
By Glenda Rolle, courtesy, the Artist

Glenda's Logo

Glenda's Logo
Also, a link to her site

Sand Baby Castaway

Sand Baby Castaway
By Glenda Rolle, Courtesy the Artist

A French Friend

A French Friend

Mickey

Mickey
From our friends at The Fennimore Museum

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll
British Museum, Child's Tomb

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll
Among first "Toys?"

ushabti

ushabti
Egyptian Tomb Doll 18th Dynasty

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

Popular Posts

Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase

Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase
Courtesy, Antique Daughter

Judge Peep

Judge Peep

Hakata Doll Artist at Work

Hakata Doll Artist at Work
From the Museum Collection

Japanese Costume Barbies

Japanese Costume Barbies
Samurai Ken

Etienne

Etienne
A Little Girl

Happy Heart Day

Happy Heart Day

From "Dolls"

From "Dolls"
A Favorite Doll Book

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Jenny Wren

Jenny Wren
Ultimate Doll Restorer

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Baby Boo 1960s

Baby Boo 1960s
Reclaimed and Restored as a childhood Sabrina the Witch with Meow Meow

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum
L to R: K*R /celluloid head, all bisque Artist Googly, 14 in. vinyl inuit sixties, early celluloid Skookum type.

Two More Rescued Dolls

Two More Rescued Dolls
Late Sixties Vinyl: L to R: Probably Horseman, all vinyl, jointed. New wig. R: Effanbee, probably Muffy, mid sixties. New wig and new clothing on both. About 12 inches high.

Restored Italian Baby Doll

Restored Italian Baby Doll
One of Dr. E's Rescued Residents

Dolls on Display

Dolls on Display
L to R: Nutcrackers, Danish Troll, HItty and her book, Patent Washable, Mechanical Minstrel, Creche figure, M. Alexander Swiss. Center is a German mechanical bear on the piano. Background is a bisque German costume doll.

A Few Friends

A Few Friends
These dolls are Old German and Nutcrackers from Dr. E's Museum. They are on loan to another local museum for the holidays.

Vintage Collage

Vintage Collage
Public Domain Art

The Merry Wanderer

The Merry Wanderer
Courtesy R. John Wright, The Hummel Collection

The Fennimore Doll Museum

The Fennimore Doll Museum

Robert

Robert
A Haunted Doll with a Story

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

The Cody Jumeau

The Cody Jumeau
Long-faced or Jumeau Triste

German Princesses

German Princesses
GAHC 2005

A Little PowerRanger

A Little PowerRanger
Halloween 2004

The Island of the Dolls

The Island of the Dolls
Shrine to Dolls in Mexico

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death
Doll House murder

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A lovely dress

A lovely dress

Raggedy Ann

Raggedy Ann
A few friends in cloth!

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI
Pixar Animator's Collection

Little PM sisters

Little PM sisters
Recent eBay finds

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Really old Dolls!

Really old Dolls!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Doll Trends and Market Musings

I just read tips of ineffective bloggers in a ProBlogger newsletter. This is a wonderful source for those who blog, but I confess I have sinned. First booboo is typos; again, I apologize for mine, but I have no spell check and have arthritic hands and fingers, albeit at a young age. Having said that, I thank profusely the 40,000 some people who view/read this and my seven other blogs. I thought I would comment on trends in collecting. I now the good advice is to buy "only the best," and to invest in "high end dolls," whatever that may mean. Certainly, if one can by an A.T. all original, do it. If you can find The Sunshine Family or a set of Mme. A Little Women MIB, do it! But, locally, in our MW region, and from what I see on eBay and Etsy, I note that all dolls seem to do well. The dolls at Tuesday Morning, collectors barbies, current Alexanders, Goetz, fly off the shelves. My mom and I have shopped there for years, and are on a first name basis with the staff. They tell us that when the newsletter goes out, and the Alexanders come in, people stand in line, and the dealers/collectors/doll speculators are first in line and leave with their arms full. At a recent estate sale, I stood in line to get in, twice, and the dolls were all scooped up. The same thing happens when my friend DT does sales. These dolls are mostly German, many A and M, and several in are in doll parts. Doll clothes sell immediately. China doll heads and bisqe heads sell in any condition. Annalee dolls are crossover collectibles, and don't last past the first hour of any sale. At thrift shops, CPK dolls in any condition do very well. One of my best friends collects them avidly, but she is not the only one scooping them up. Barbies are fewer and fewer at our Goodwill and Salvation Army. We have some OOAK artists operating in my area [more about that in another blog] and several seamtresses who make custom clothes for Barbie, her friends and clones. The SA is carrying more dolls, especially vintage 60s and 70s. Artists reproductions of antique dolls don't last long, either. These usually have very nice dresses. One friend of mine who is now a dealer sets up twice a year in a local park. She has mainly foreign dolls, some vintage HP, many sixties to eighties dolls, some compo. She has a fiew of the Franklin and Heritage Mint editions, too. If I don't get there early, I have to stand in line and the dolls are gone. Nancy Ann storybook and the upbiquitous "Suzie Sweeheart" or "Dress me" dolls have actually gone up in price. These have nostalgic value; they are the first dolls many girls collected in late 40s to sixties, and they were brought to an art by Carlson Dolls, Gambina, and other companies. They also were instrumental in teaching little girls to sew. I loved ordering them from Patio Tacos, and getting them at Gas Stations as premiums when I was little, and who didn't live the Doll in the Dome, encased in a plastic bell. I see a lot of people selling dolls of all types now again at yard sales; these sell as do many types of stuffed animals. I recently bought a Steiff panda, jointed, newer, with all tags and buttons for 5.00. I bought the Steiff yellow lab for about $1. I see bisque figurines selling more than I used to, especially Lefton. Several new antique shops have sprung up, and can't keep dolls in stock. The dolls range from composition, to Skookums, folk cloth [I lost out on a great one last week!], artists cloth, Effanbee repro Patsy's of the 90s; newer Ginnys, and Alexanders. There are also some Annette Himstedt, and I found wonderful Sashas at a craft mall last year. We have people making art dolls of all types from vintage parts, and many reproduction heads and parts are used. These genre has given doll collectors whole new categories. These items are hot, and don't stay on the shelves long. Almost everyone I talk to has some dolls at home, or likes to make them. They don't consider themselves collectors, but the trends are very interesting. Reasonably priced dolls are doing well, and even broken vintage and antique dolls are in demand. I've even seen men vying for them. Doll clothes and accessories, character dolls, Barbies and action figures have a devoted following, too. It just proves again that "All dolls are collectible!" I've always thought with any collection, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, even though we all have our collectible stars. Happy Dolling, and you don't have to break the bank to enjoy the hobby!

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