DECIDEDLY DOLLY 3
Hello Everyone
I’ve been checking out doll prices recently - have you noticed the extraordinary rises in vinyl dolls of the 60s, 70s & early 80s? It’s only certain dolls, though, while other so-called ‘classics’ are still reasonably priced. Dare I hope that the doll market is finally becoming buoyant again?
There has been an amazing price increase in some of the range of older Tiny Tears dolls over the last six months or so, with good examples passing the £100 mark. The smallest in the series - Palitoy Teeny Weeny Tears, a 9” baby dating from the early 1980s - has soared dramatically. An example in original clothing, complete with bottle and dummy sold for £120 on Ebay; a tremendous profit for anyone who has owned the doll from new, or even from someone who bought one four or five years ago when they could still be picked up for a few pounds. The prices of bigger dolls in the series are rising too, with a boxed 1960s Palitoy Tiny Tears selling for almost £135, and some unboxed dolls reaching the £50 mark.
Even Tonka’s Katie, the big sister of Tiny Tears, is becoming sought after with prices reaching £15 plus, and with a nice example selling last week for £41. A few months ago, Katie dolls changed hands for under £10. This obviously doesn’t mean that any old vinyl doll you happen to pick up at a boot fair will make your fortune, but it is worth keeping an eye out for clean, all-original examples of classic dolls, especially if they have their boxes or accessories.
Sasha dolls are highly collectable, but look out too for My Child fabric dolls - a beautiful redhead example sold for over £350 recently, while a strawberry blonde wasn’t far behind. The big-eyed Blythe dolls from 1972 are another to watch for; regularly selling for £500 plus, they demonstrate just how strange the market is. When they were introduced, they were thought of as ‘scary’ and didn’t sell in vast numbers. A few years ago they became cult figures, especially in Japan, where they now make repro versions. 1950s hard plastic dolls are another to watch, though prices for those seem to be levelling out of late.
Though I would never recommend dolls as an investment - I believe you should buy what you love, as the market is so fickle - I think that for those of us who are attracted to the bisque dolls from the early twentieth century, now is the time to buy. Prices have dropped dramatically, and at present dolls by Armand Marseille, Heubach and the like can be bought, well, not cheaply, but, considering their history, age and beauty, still reasonably - sometimes for not much more than a top quality plastic doll. The advantage of bisque is that it will last. Plastic can deteriorate, and we have no way of knowing whether a vinyl Tiny Tears doll will still be presentable in another fifty years time. Already there have been some issues with the breakdown of plastics in hard plastic dolls.
Whatever kind of dolls you collect, inspect them regularly, move them about, keep them out of direct sun. Check before you buy, or make sure you buy from a reputable dealer.
Enjoy your collection,
SueX
I’ve been checking out doll prices recently - have you noticed the extraordinary rises in vinyl dolls of the 60s, 70s & early 80s? It’s only certain dolls, though, while other so-called ‘classics’ are still reasonably priced. Dare I hope that the doll market is finally becoming buoyant again?
There has been an amazing price increase in some of the range of older Tiny Tears dolls over the last six months or so, with good examples passing the £100 mark. The smallest in the series - Palitoy Teeny Weeny Tears, a 9” baby dating from the early 1980s - has soared dramatically. An example in original clothing, complete with bottle and dummy sold for £120 on Ebay; a tremendous profit for anyone who has owned the doll from new, or even from someone who bought one four or five years ago when they could still be picked up for a few pounds. The prices of bigger dolls in the series are rising too, with a boxed 1960s Palitoy Tiny Tears selling for almost £135, and some unboxed dolls reaching the £50 mark.
Even Tonka’s Katie, the big sister of Tiny Tears, is becoming sought after with prices reaching £15 plus, and with a nice example selling last week for £41. A few months ago, Katie dolls changed hands for under £10. This obviously doesn’t mean that any old vinyl doll you happen to pick up at a boot fair will make your fortune, but it is worth keeping an eye out for clean, all-original examples of classic dolls, especially if they have their boxes or accessories.
Sasha dolls are highly collectable, but look out too for My Child fabric dolls - a beautiful redhead example sold for over £350 recently, while a strawberry blonde wasn’t far behind. The big-eyed Blythe dolls from 1972 are another to watch for; regularly selling for £500 plus, they demonstrate just how strange the market is. When they were introduced, they were thought of as ‘scary’ and didn’t sell in vast numbers. A few years ago they became cult figures, especially in Japan, where they now make repro versions. 1950s hard plastic dolls are another to watch, though prices for those seem to be levelling out of late.
Though I would never recommend dolls as an investment - I believe you should buy what you love, as the market is so fickle - I think that for those of us who are attracted to the bisque dolls from the early twentieth century, now is the time to buy. Prices have dropped dramatically, and at present dolls by Armand Marseille, Heubach and the like can be bought, well, not cheaply, but, considering their history, age and beauty, still reasonably - sometimes for not much more than a top quality plastic doll. The advantage of bisque is that it will last. Plastic can deteriorate, and we have no way of knowing whether a vinyl Tiny Tears doll will still be presentable in another fifty years time. Already there have been some issues with the breakdown of plastics in hard plastic dolls.
Whatever kind of dolls you collect, inspect them regularly, move them about, keep them out of direct sun. Check before you buy, or make sure you buy from a reputable dealer.
Enjoy your collection,
SueX
posted by Decidedly Dolly at
2:38 PM
1 Comments
