Learning About Dolls

Knowledge is power. And, I don't mean just a "passing" knowledge. I mean really knowing - or, at least, striving to know -a subject so well that no matter what situation "pops up" you'll know how to deal with it. I've sat at many auctions & watched dolls pass through that had "a multitude of sins" - replaced parts, replaced clothing, repainted facial features, rerooted hair, etc. People who know I love dolls will ask me why I didn't buy a particular doll. In most cases it was not because the buyer knew more than I do or even wanted the doll more than I did. Most of the time it is because the buyer knew less! Now maybe that sounds a little "cocky" but by lacking knowledge & experienced the person who outbid me never realized that the doll had "problems" in the first place.

This is not to say dolls that have been repaired are worthless but they surely do not command the same price as one that has not been "rigged". A few months ago, while in a doll shop, I spotted a doll I have been wanting for a very long time , she was dressed in a hard to find outfit.  I was just about drooling!  I calmed down enough to realize that there was another - and another - and yet another of the exact same doll in the exact same outfit in this very large display case.  Something like that should tip a collector off right away.  These dolls & the outfit are way too hard to find for someone to have 6 of them sitting in a case. This thought really calmed me down & made me look a lot harder.  Turned out the dolls had replaced arms that had been painted (they were supposed to be black dolls but they were white dolls painted over), obvious brush strokes to their lip paint, missing teeth & on & on.  I just stopped looking & walked away.  There was no way the dolls were worth the asking price - very high even for this doll & outfit in mint condition.

Far too many people are "creating" collectible dolls from parts & paint. These people rely on you not knowing the difference to make a fast buck. Just because a doll is in a reputable auction house or shop does not mean it has not been "fooled with". Most auctioneers & shop owners are not doll experts. They can be fooled just as easily as anyone else can. This is particularly true with "local" auctions.  Many dealers - doll & otherwise -  drop their creations off at the local auction house just to dump them. After all, they don't want word to get out that they sold a "frankendoll". Better that the auctioneer be blamed when or if the truth comes out.

Most collectors will only get "burned" like this a few times before the "smarten up".  But, many never learn.  Year after year they continue to pay way too much for dolls in poor condition.  Not too long ago I attended an estate auction that "claimed" to be selling off a 350+ doll collection.  I got out of bed at 4:00 a.m. & drove an hour & a half to find every single one of those dolls to be a total mess!  The dolls has been stored in an wet, damp outdoor shed!  Only 2 had original clothing , all were filthy, stained & covered in mold & mildew.  Rats could have lived happily in all that tangled , frizzy, chopped up & cut off hair & just about every doll had eye mold.  It was the worst case of bad collecting I have ever see (or ever hope to see again). The auctioneer was disappointed that the dolls were selling so cheaply.  I was surprised most of them sold at all! As much as I love to clean up dolls - the large majority of these particular dolls were beyond repair.

When compared to antique dolls, most "golden era dolls" can be purchased rather cheaply  - from $50 - $500.  But, this is still a lot of money!  At least for me, spending that kind of money on a doll that is not correct or correctable is out of the question.

Another reason to educate yourself is competition.  There are a lot of people out there looking for dolls.  This doesn't only include doll collectors & doll shop owners.  It also includes general line antique dealers.  I hate to say it but they can be your worst nightmare.  As the saying goes: "A little knowledge is dangerous".  General line antique dealers will usually know absolutely nothing about a doll except that it is old & that somebody will want it.  They usually will not know what clothing the doll should have, what her hair originally looked like or what a true mint condition example would look like.  However, they will probably have a "general line" antique price guide - maybe even a doll related book or two -that tells them the doll is worth a small fortune.  It never occurs to them that the prices listed are for true mint in box, tagged, all original dolls or that anything less is really only worth a small fraction of that "book value".

It also never occurs to them that these dolls were mass produced of durable materials.  None of them is that rare in played with condition. These are the people who will sit at an auction or run through an antique show or market & pay crazy prices for mediocre dolls.  Of course, when they can't resell them they realize they've made a mistake but there are always new dealers to take their place.

I have always believed that if you are going to do something, you should take the time to do it right & do it well. Learn everything you can about the doll (s) you want to collect - how they were made, what they were made of, hair types & styles, clothing & accessories manufactured for that doll. Learn what versions were made in smaller quantities or for limited time periods. Learn condition & what similar dolls in similar condition have sold for in the past & recently.  If you learn all of these things, you will know how much to pay for a particular item and you will never be disappointed when a doll is priced too high or someone else outbids you.  You will know the other person is making a mistake & not you.

Education is a must in any field of collecting & no matter how much you know, there is always something else to learn. A favorite teacher of mine once said that we should think of ourselves as apples on the tree and of learning as growing - "When an apple becomes ripe & is done growing, it falls to the ground & rots. Don't be a rotten apple!"