Archives for Dolls Category\
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Collecting and creating miniatures is a wonderful and absorbing hobby that can transform you into a new world of tiny people.
The best way to start is by deciding on what period interests you (Victorian, Edwardian, Tudor, Georgian, American Victorian) and then start on a one-room project.
Miniature Rooms and Furnishings
After Deciding on a Period, Decide on a Room and Start collecting!
What will it be? A bedroom, Victorian children’s nursery, Victorian servants quarters, Victorian kitchen or a dining room?
A one-room box is the easiest way of starting off a dolls house collection. A simple plywood box which can then be fitted with a glass front when complete provides the start.
Simply paint or wall-paper the interior (miniature wall papers are easily available at miniature craft fairs), then either collect the furniture required (also available at craft fairs or make a few simple items yourself. Tiny dolls can be bought or made out of polymer clay and dressed with scraps of fabric.
Antique Dolls and Miniature Doll’s Houses
Victorian Dolls House Sitting Room
Dolls and Doll Houses – A Great Hobby and Wonderful Gift
Dolls houses and antique dolls are often found second hand at yard sales, in the attic or people sell them on eBay if they want to raise some extra cash. There is no need to rush out and buy the newest and most expensive items that are brand new, especially in the beginning stages of collecting miniatures.
It is fascinating to see what is out there and what people are prepared to sell. Deceased estates sometimes have a huge variety of dolls and antiques that may have belonged to granny and which hobby the kids are not interested in.
Shop around, do the research and you can find wonderful dolls house items that will make the little girl in your life (or the big girl) smile from ear to ear.
Doll's house to fill with Miniature People
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Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Many antique dolls were greatly loved and played with by little girls, inevitably clothes, bodies and hair would possibly be damaged. The biggest factor is to choose a doll that is not too badly damaged or cracked, even hairline cracks will lessen the value of the doll.
Replacing eyes and body parts or other restoration work can be very expensive as is finding original or period clothing. Even reproduction clothing and shoes can be very expensive.
It is a good idea to research carefully the antique doll market and see as many outfits to become reasonable judge of authenticity and quality. There are a plethora of Antique Doll Collector books and magazines on the subject and museums and doll auctions are good places to see the dolls in person.
New collectors should also consider that many lovely antique dolls can be purchased for prices that are equal or less than prices for current artist-made dolls, or late 20th century collectible dolls like Barbie. For instance, many, many lovely china dolls can be purchased for under $500, whereas a #3 Barbie mint in box will set you back $700 or so.
Decide on whether the purchase is intended as an investment or simply for personal pleasure. If the doll is for personal pleasure, it will not matter too much if it is damaged since a new set of clothes or hat may conceal the blemishes or damage. If the doll is to be an investment for the future, the very best quality one can afford would be the way to go and a great deal of research needs to go into the purchase.
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Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Dolls created before 1930 are considered antique. Bisque, porcelain, paper mâché, wood, wax and cloth dolls are sought after by collectors. Unfortunately, most antique dolls are not found with their original clothing, shoes and undergarments, especially the very old ones.
Prices of antique dolls can vary enormously depending on the year, the make and the condition of the doll. For example Lenci dolls which were made between 1920 to 1940 can fetch a few hundred dollars for a doll in reasonable condition to over
$1000 for a doll in mint condition. Extremely old, rare and priceless porcelain dolls from France or Germany have been known to sell at around $40 000. Cloth dolls such as Izannah Walker of Rhode Island (c 1817) can bring as much as $16,000-$18,000, while early, unattributed folk art dolls from the 19th to early 20th century can bring as much as $1,500 or more, which puts them in the valuable antique doll category.
It is possible to start an antique doll collection or find valuable dolls just by looking around in one’s immediate area.
An attic, mom or grandmother or elderly aunt may have dolls from their childhood which they may or may not be interested in parting with and which are now considered antique.
The history and value of antique and Victorian era dolls is not an exact science, although some rules apply to finding out how valuable they are such as the condition of the doll (cracked or damaged dolls will be much lower in value), year made and rarity of the doll.
Where do I find Antique Dolls?
Besides raiding the attic or grandmother’s home, vintage and antique dolls can be found in specialist stores, on line stores and auctions, garage sales, car boot sales (seriously valuable antique dolls will not be found at a yard sale or car boot sale!), flea markets, antique markets, deceased estate sales and vintage fairs. Vintage or antique dolls clothes and shoes can be purchased separately.
