Pennsylvania - Just like the popular PBS television series, This Old House, it would seem that people, no matter what the subject, will always have questions surrounding the topic of things that are old - whether it's a house, piece of furniture or even a doll.

However, when it comes to collectible dolls, this statement is usually followed up with the classic value refrain of, "I have an old doll... BUT, can you also tell me what it's worth?"

As a doll collector, appraiser, and restorer, questions of age and value are usually the most common queries to hit my inbox on a daily basis. While there's often no simple textbook answer to most of these questions, there are a few important consideration points I like to suggest to individuals before proceeding with any kind of response.
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Often, when prospective clients reach out to me with statements regarding age and value, terminology clarification is usually required. For example, the term old has several meanings, which may or may not be what a client has in mind when first positing a question. Old, as defined by Merriam-Webster is something dating from the remote past (ancient), or persisting from an earlier time. However, old is also defined as having existed for a specified period of time; of, relating to, or originating in a past era; being advanced in years or age.

Once I'm able to convey the range of possibilities that can come with the use of such terms, I'm often in a much better position to be able to formulate a clearer and more precise response to clients initial queries, since we're now sharing a mutual understanding of the terminology being used, as well as any implied meanings that may exist outside the scope of traditional definitions.
 
In the world of doll collecting, there are several 'age' categories to consider. These include: antique, vintage, contemporary and modern. Understanding the differences and nuances between these categories can often be confusing to individuals and even some novice collectors, as many simply lump the entirety into the classification of old. Determining what separates these categories is key when it comes to understanding the concept of value and worth.

Antique dolls are those that existed prior to a hundred years from today's date (i.e. a doll produced before 1919). Dolls from this period were most often made of bisque or biscuit porcelain. These dolls would often have bodies made from materials such as kid or unbleached muslin filled with sawdust or horsehair, or bodies whittled from wood, pressed wood composite, or celluloid (Note: celluloid nitrate, alcohol, camphor pigments, and similar fillers are materials manufacturers would not use today). Other materials that were used for bodies during this period included wax over bisque, wax over papier mache, and even corncobs.

Vintage dolls are those which were created within the last seventy-five to ninety-nine years. Most of the bodies were made of similar materials as those used in antique dolls, with a few notable differences. Substances that are akin to vintage and modern dolls would include such materials as, hard plastics, vinyl, and magic skin (latex/vinyl with the texture of a balloon stuffed with a padding fabric).

Florida - It's not everyday that one thinks of a ratty old pair of track sneakers as being worth as much as a house, but that's exactly what happened at a Sotheby's auction in New York recently.

Falling just under the hammer near $500,000, a pair of (used) Nike track shoes designed by company co-founder Bill Bowerman, set a whopping new record for everyday footwear to be sold at a public auction.

While there was obviously some "fiscal" provenance attached to the sale, as the shoes were associated with Mr. Bowerman, industry insiders were nevertheless stunned by the massive amount paid by a collector in Canada, who planned on displaying the shoes in his car museum outside of Toronto. Less than four years prior, an almost identical pair of the waffle-iron sneakers sold on eBay for just over $11,000, which at the time also came as a shock to many textile collectors. 

However, moving from eBay into the big leagues of Sotheby's in such a short a period of time is a clear indicator of just how popular this form of vintage collectible has become. Twenty-four year old Matt Dixon, a young antique dealer in England, who's been collecting for years wasn't that surprised when he heard the news. "Anything with a big name, a designer name, anything that's got any real heritage and credentials is always going to be sought after because it'll always have value."

While this sentiment is often true of most top quality antique and vintage items, it's rarely been applied to everyday footwear in the same manner. Matt says he thinks of sneakers as an investment, just like all his other antiques. "Buying things like these trainers, there's no doubt they will go up in value again in another 10-15 years' time when they come back on sale."

For older dealers, the new footwear trend (and prices) can be hard to fathom at times. Gordon White, a long-time textile dealer and picker from New York, says he heard about the trend from his son a couple years ago, when he traded a pair of old Converse basketball shoes for a hundred-dollar gift card to a colleague at a restaurant where they both worked. "I was simply flabbergasted," said White, "They didn't even have laces in them!" Since that time White says he's gone on to collecting vintage footwear full-time. "I've added this to my storefront display in a big way," says White, who concedes that his son's good business sense has been responsible for a huge uptick in the stores' overall sales. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that something so smelly and dirty could be worth so much, but I guess that just proves that old dogs can still be taught a trick or two."