antique dolls

Two important lifetime antique doll collections offered June 16-17, 2012

By: Eric Bradley | May 29, 2012 | Comments 0

Two collections of antique dolls, furnishings, fashions, doll houses, miniatures and an important half doll collection will be offered June 16-17, 2012 by Frasher's Doll Auction. Bebes from Jumeau, Steiner, Bru, Rabery and Delphieu will cross the block along with dolls from the 1930-1950 era, including Raggedy Ann, Shirley Temple dolls,...

Antique doll collectors still attending shows but sticking close to home

By: Sherry Minton | March 22, 2012 | Comments 0

After visiting five national vintage doll shows, columnist and expert Sherry Minton says attendance is up and the dealers have been selling. However, show demographics have changed: No longer are shows attracting dealers from long distances and the buyers seem to be from a 100-mile radius. Advertising is concentrated on local...

Rare Boxer Rebellion clockwork appears in toy and glass double-header auction

By: Antique Trader Antiques Auction News | November 23, 2011 | Comments 0

One of the more elusive of tin windup toys, the Boxer Rebellion clockwork toy by Lehmann is one of only a handful known to exist. This detailed toy with political undertones is in exceptional original condition and comes to the block with a $15,000-$20,000. Photo courtesy James D. Julia Auctions....

Speaking of Dolls: Oriental influence on antique china-head dolls reaches back 160 years

By: Eric Bradley | November 22, 2011 | Comments 0

Today as we shop for dolls, the label “Made in China” is ever present but the Oriental influence in the doll world was seen much earlier. In 1851, Edmund Lindner, a prominent doll merchant from Sonneberg, Germany, visited the London World Exhibition. One of the doll displays that caught his eye was...

Imagination takes form in ‘America’s Doll House’

By: Karen Knapstein | August 22, 2011 | Comments 0

Faith Bradford (1880-1970) spent a great deal of her life creating and collecting miniatures. After her retirement from the Library of Congress in 1949, Bradford contacted the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum to offer them her exhibit, as she never married and had no heir to leave her treasure. The only contingency...

Speaking of Dolls: Leave your modesty at home and inspect bodies of antique dolls before you buy

By: Sherry Minton | July 8, 2011 | Comments 0

Speaking of Dolls columnist Sherry Minton advises all buyers of vintage and antique dolls to inspect a doll's body before it is purchased. There's no telling what repairs, swaps and new parts that could have been added to the doll - all of which can change the doll's value.

Speaking of Dolls: Simon & Halbig left legacy of variety and unfailing quality

By: Sherry Minton | December 28, 2010 | Comments 0

Carl Halbig and Wilhelm Simon in 1869 founded a porcelain factory for the production of toys and dolls in the Waltershausen (Grafenhain) area of Thuringia, Germany. The production of dolls could be found in many areas of Germany but the Waltershausen area had a reputation for quality doll production. Here could...

Son’s inheritance: Vintage sawdust doll worth $300

By: Sherry Minton | December 14, 2010 | Comments 0

"My mother left me this doll. I know that my mom has had this doll forever, and she told me that it was given to her when she was just a young child. As far as I can tell, there are no markings on the head or the...

Deaccessioned dollhouse collection selling Dec. 11, 2010

By: admin | November 28, 2010 | Comments 0

The Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden in Alexandria, Va., has decided to deaccession its important collection of 26 dollhouses dating from the late 19th and 20th centuries. The entire collection includes both electrified houses and earlier vintage models ...

Speaking of Dolls: Similar names, different faces

By: Sherry Minton | November 8, 2010 | Comments 0

In the antique doll world, there are certain names that immediately pique your interest. Examples include the dolls produced by Bru, Jumeau, Schmitt, Steiner and Gebruder Heubach. But, the dolls from these firms can also cause much confusion, and, at times, much financial loss.

Navigate