Qualities Continued....

First let me just say I should throw the term "briefly" out the window. I don't tend to be brief about anything, and this looks to be no different. Didn't I mention people love to talk about the things they collect? So let us continue the discussion on the qualities to look for when buying a doll.

To finish up on condition, Composition, and vinyl or hard plastic dolls also have specific condition issues to watch for which can lower the value. Composition dolls should have little to no crazing with good color, hair should be in the original set, and original clothes. Heavy crazing, combed hair or a lot of play wear, or replaced clothes will lower the value, and hence one should pay less. Vinyl and hard plastic dolls must be in mint condition with original clean, unfaded clothes, the hair must be in it's original set, otherwise one should not pay top price.

For antique bisque dolls the body of the doll is also important, the body, whether composition, cloth or leather should be either original or old, appropriate and in good condition. Sometimes a body is found on an antique doll that has mismatched parts, this should be reflected in the price for the doll. Repairs and /or minor damage (a missing finger or two), including repainting of an old body, has little affect on the value of an antique doll, and is alway preferable to a new body. An antique head on a new body is really worth only the value of the head alone. The type of body can make a difference; with fully jointed composition bodies preferred over the stick type or five piece body.

Antique Fashion dolls had stuffed leather or leather covered wood bodies, with jointed wood body bringing a higher price over stuffed leather. Minor repairs are allowed, but not a new body., as with other dolls. For modern dolls, vinyl or hard plastic the body to must be perfect, with no missing or replaced parts, in order to command a top price.

The other factors in determining a doll and it's investment value are size, popularity and availability. I think popularity and availability play a large part in pricing. If a doll is popular or harder to find (less available) it tends to be higher in price, whereas a less popular or more available doll should be lower, but exceptions do exist, as when a common doll becomes popular with collectors, the price will rise. Size plays a factor, with larger sizes usually valued higher, but there are exceptions here too.

This covers the qualities to look for, but your probably wondering about the tools I said you'd need when on the hunt for your treasure. The basic tools you'll need to arm yourself with are; a loop or magnifying glass, a cloth tape measure, and a good strong hand held flashlight/penlight. Also it's a good idea to carry a current price guide for reference, as there's a lot of dolls out there and unless you have a photographic memory, you'll never remember it all (at least until you've handled quite a few dolls).

Tomorrow, I'll walk through an examination of a doll and explain the process of selecting a doll.

Good Night!