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Evaluating "Old" Dolls

12/22/2019

 
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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).

PicturePedigree, England. Circa, 1950
In truth, most individuals who come to me with a question of worth and value, usually have the latter category of doll in hand when arriving for an assessment (and that's usually what I end up telling them), especially after we've finished having the "what is old" discussion. It may not always be what they want to hear, but nine times out of ten, it's usually the case.

So in the end, what is it that really determines a dolls worth and value? As with most other things in the decorative arts market, it comes down to a few simple factors - just as most antique and vintage items are based on rarity, condition, manufacturer, and current popularity with regard to sales - so are dolls. However, with that being said, dolls can sometimes fall outside the purview of mainstream evaluation techniques when buyers and sellers both have a vested sentimental interest in the item being offered up for sale. While this condition usually forces up the selling price, and can also exist in traditional antique sales, my experience has shown it to be far more prevalent when it comes to dolls exchanging hands.

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Valarie Moyer AIA, PACC, is an Asheford honors graduate, an alumni of Columbia Southern University, and a passionate writer and preservationist of antique and vintage dolls. When not working as an author, speaker and member of the United Federation of Doll Clubs, you'll often find her tending to her clients at Unique Dolls & Gifts Doll Hospital in Jonestown, Pennsylvania

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NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. 

Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: 
asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508

Vintage Footwear Sells Big

12/5/2019

 
Picture 1972 Nike Track Shoe Sells For Just Under $500,000
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."

PictureGucci Thrift Find For $9, Sold For $100
Robert Franks, one of the founders of Kick Game, a British company that specializes in rare and vintage footwear, says he thinks that most people simply aren't aware of how big the market really is for this kind of enterprise. "The secondary selling industry for trainers is massive - it's like watches and wine - and is the largest unregulated market in the world." Franks says that when a well-known company releases a limited-edition shoe, they'll often try to buy the entire lot in anticipation of strong short-term and long-term appreciation. "It's just gone berserk in the last few years. People end up camping outside shops just to get their hands on these shoes because they know as soon as they walk out of the shop with them, they are worth potentially three or four times the original price."

For others in the antique and vintage industry, coming on board with the new footwear revolution has taken some time. "I bought two pairs of loafers for my husband who didn't like them," says Jessica Alford, a regular on Etsy who shops almost exclusively in textiles, "but when I examined them closely, they turned out to be rare Gucci's, which I later sold for ten times what I'd paid." Alford admits she doesn't always win on the deal, but that she's getting much better at spying what will sell and what won't.

For those dealers still contemplating whether or not to jump into the burgeoning vintage and collectible shoe market,
Noah Wunsch, Sotheby’s Global Head of eCommerce, probably summed it up best when asked about the auction houses' premiere sneaker sale, "This was our first trainer auction, and the incredible results are a sure sign that the market is growing, and that collectors are taking notice of trainers as objects of design. It's worthwhile checking to see if you've got any rare pairs stashed away."

That's certainly some sage advice for us here at the Institute also, as we're pretty sure there are likely to be more than a few people around the world sitting on a small fortune in a shoe-box tucked away in the back of their closet. 
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- AIA Staff Writers
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NOTE: For readers seeking more information about the Asheford Institute Of Antiques distance-learning program on professional-level appraising, the study of antiques, collectibles, vintage and mid-century modern items, please click here to visit the school's Home Page. 

Should you have additional questions about the Asheford program, you can also write to the school at: 
asheford@mail.com or call the Registrar's Office toll-free at: 1-877-444-4508

    AIA Staff

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    Legal Disclaimer: Extraneous opinions, statements and comments made by individuals represented within these posts do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. The publication naming of specific business entities, organizations, and concerns, contained herein, in no way represents an endorsement or recommendation of services or products by the Institute. Publicly identifiable information contained herein (including, but not limited to contact information), has been intentionally limited where possible, due to privacy and legal concerns related to the digital dissemination of information through online means. All views expressed herein are those of their respective owners. The Institute is in no way responsible, financially or otherwise, for the accuracy or validity of statements contained within published posts from sources that originate and appear outside of the written and expressed views of those submitted by the Institute.

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