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Before Purchasing or Collecting or Discovering Antique Dolls
As with any antique, the collector's greatest tool is knowledge. Generally people collect things they like. When you find yourself drawn to a particular genre of dolls, you should
strive to learn as much about them as possible to hone your evaluation skills. Determining a fair price for any antique is difficult and the savvy collector is the one who can hold his ground with a dealer bent on making a "killing."
The so-called "Bible" of doll collector's is Jan Foulke's Blue Book: Dolls & Values. You can also visit the National Antique Doll Dealers Association website at nadda.org to find educational information, links to other resources, membership information, and schedules for doll events sponsored by the Association.
Where To Buy Antique Dolls?
Doll collecting is such a popular pastime that doll trade shows are common. The NADDA site will help you to locate these kinds of events. You can also try to find local dealers or stores that specialize in dolls. Certainly online auctions give the collector an entrée to a
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global supply of potential purchases but before you begin to buy online you need to make sure you are knowledgeable enough to insure that you are purchasing a quality piece. (When dealing with online dealers always find out what the return policy is before you pay for the item.)
How To Ship Antique Dolls
If you are selling an antique doll and wish to ship it, you should take some basic precautionary measures. Usually some kind of padding is placed around the head of the doll and the rest of the body is wrapped with bubble wrap. Then the doll is nestled in Styrofoam "peanuts" and placed faced down inside a shipping box. After that box is sealed, it's placed inside a larger box that is also filled with peanuts and sealed again.
Extra measures may be required for dolls with moving parts. For instance when shipping a doll with "sleepy eyes," the head should be filled with tissue paper to prevent damage to the eye rockers during transit. It's a good idea to take out shipping insurance on the doll since accidents can and do happen in shipping.
So, if you have become interested in discovering antique dolls, start by doing your homework and investing in some good reference books. Try to find a knowledgeable local dealer who is willing to help you "learn the ro pes." Always remember to collect what interest you, whether that be antique black dolls, antique porcelain dolls or even antique reproduction dolls. Any collection should be an object of passion to the collector.
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