Dolls for Big and Little Girls – Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Blog – Fit for a Queen.

French Doll - Thanks to Flicker.com

This is the Christmas season when girls’ thoughts and dreams turn to that special doll that will be under the tree. Santa had better check his bank account this year because those cute little figures may well set him back a step or two. Few collectibles are gaining in value during this time of recession but that can't be said of dolls.

French, German and even American dolls are on a tear with no end in sight. Checking eBay, I found where there were over 730 dolls listed that sold or were in the process of selling for over $1000. Even Barbies got in the picture with 9 listings over that magic mark of $1000. I won't be talking about sales at the doll auctions that may top several hundred thousand dollars today, just the simple ones for the average little girl.

The dolls that I am going to list are the ones that you may find at your next garage or house sale for $200-$500 dollars. First, how about this one: rare early antique French fashion doll by Huret - c. 1860. It has a wooden body, bisque head, original clothes and measures 18 1/2 inches. I believe that at the price it sold for, the buyer got a bargain--$16,900. What do you think? Not far behind came the 21” wooden bodied Portrait Jumeau poupee doll sailing in at $15,000. Still not in your price range? Then I will tell you about two others: first, the Bebe Jumeau/ Depose Jumeau 1886 wooden bodied with original clothes and human hair doll, selling for $10,950 and last, but not least, the Dressel and Kister half doll, being extra large at 9 ¾ inches, with the blue mark inside the doll, flying to $5227.

You can see that some little or even big girl for that matter is going to have a fantastic Christmas. Any dealer that doesn't have dolls on his or her long list of things to buy is missing the boat. I know one lady that basically only buys dolls. She has an ad in the Chicago Tribune almost every week and when she arrives at an auction, she steps out of a top of the line Mercedes Benz. It doesn't take long for a person dealing in dolls to have made a significant difference in their bank account at the end of the year.

I can still remember when my little girl, Dana, would get up before daylight on Christmas morning looking for that new doll that would be added to many others on her bed. I believe Christmas wouldn't have been Christmas without at least one doll under the tree with Dana's name on it. My how things have changed. I remember when my grandmother would make dolls out of old socks, but that day is long gone and we now have the American Girls dolls selling for hundreds of dollars.

To us as dealers the value of the doll is important, but on that special morning with the sleep still in their eyes, girls from all over the world are just looking for the doll that will fit perfectly in their arms.

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