One of the most popular
items as far as collections go, is the common doll. Even
the Queen of England has a massive doll collection that
once used to be displayed to the public. The most
complete antique doll collections would certainly
include porcelain antique dolls, antique German dolls,
antique china dolls, antique oriental dolls, antique
baby dolls and the relatively cheaper antique paper
dolls.
The first time you come across an antique dolls
collectible you may be confused to find the doll without
proper apparel.
It is important to remember that a doll is, at its very
basis, a child’s toy and hence, one cannot expect to
find these in mint condition. Of course, such worn out
dolls can be purchased at reasonable rates and one can
always get the antique restored. Clothes can also be
stitched on but here one should make an effort to stitch
the clothes in the style of apparel that was in vogue in
the era in which the doll was manufactured. If you try
to purchase the accessories for antique dolls however,
you may end up paying a packet as these are extremely
expensive.
To get an idea of the expense involved take a tip from
the fact that original clothes for Jumeau or Bru dolls
cost up to several thousand US dollars. Your best bet
would be to stitch the outfit yourself or but
reproductions of antique doll clothes and accessories.
Naturally, you should be aware of the style and
specifications that are required in outfits that are
best suited to your doll.
It is imperative that the clothes and accessories match
the origin of the antique doll. Antique porcelain dolls
or for that matter any kind of antique dolls are easily
available at antique doll auctions or can be purchased
from specific museums. Because of the popularity of doll
collections, there are also many publications that
provide news about upcoming antique doll auctions and
sales.
When buying an antique doll, one should remember that
certain dolls, like antique china dolls, for instance,
may be priced lower than limited edition Mattel dolls
even though the latter is not imbued with the special
antique value.
Different dolls must be selected according to different
details. For instance, the facial paintings are very
important in the case of antique German dolls. Some
antique German dolls, for instance, may have been
carelessly painted with single-stroke eyebrows and may
have a very dark blush. On the other hand, more
artistically pleasing antique German dolls have shapely
and well-painted eyebrows and are paler. But then one
must also be prepared to pay a higher price for the
finer dolls.
For example, German Kestner Bisque dolls are already
very expensive because of their superior craftsmanship.
For the sake of maintaining a valuable doll collection,
it is advisable to be cautious when buying antique
dolls. Ensure that the dolls are not cracked. These
details may take careful scrutiny to spot because often,
small cracks and other minor damages are not noticeable
at the first glance..
IMPORTANT NOTE: Items over hundred years are not permitted to be taken out of India without the permission of the Director General, The Archaeological survey of India, Janpath, New Delhi - 110 011.