Doll Composition
Doll Composition
Beginner’s Guide to Buying Doll House Collectibles
Doll house collectibles aren’t exactly affordable so if you’re interested in creating a collection of them, be sure that you’ll buy something worth investing in or one that you’ll have infinite pleasure with.
Reasons for Buying
The first thing you should determine is your reason for buying doll house collectibles. Do you see it as an investment or a hobby? By making this distinction alone, you’ll already be able to sort and ascertain which ones would and wouldn’t qualify for your collection.
Getting Your Money’s Worth from Doll House Collectibles
Whether you consider buying doll house collectibles an investment or a hobby, make sure you consider the tips below the next time you go shopping.
Verify the condition
We’re not just talking about second hand doll house collectibles. Brand new doll house collectibles may also have incurred damage during their stint at store shelves because of their size and their composition. Doll houses that are made of fragile materials may have scratches, folds, and other kinds of damage due to negligent handling.
As for second hand doll house collectibles, just exercise the usual caution when shopping for used items.
Verify authenticity
Doll house collectibles can fetch a better price if they come with their original box or packaging. For authentic doll house collectibles, consider having an expert appraise and certify their date of manufacture.
Buy sets with possible expansions
Some manufacturers create new editions or complementary sets to previous doll house collectibles they’ve designed. They may also create new furniture and other accessories for their old designs. These are the kind of doll house collectibles you should focus on collecting because not only will a bigger or comprehensive setup be more valuable, they’re also more impressive to look at!
Buy from reputable dealers only
Some sites may offer you cheaper prices, but what if it turns out that the items you’ve purchased them are fake? Don’t waste your time, money, and efforts with such sites. Buy only for reputable dealers and you can be sure that you’ll enjoy first class customer support for any after-sales needs or concerns you may have.
Create a journal
Again, this step is helpful whether you see your collection as an investment or a recreational pursuit. In your journal, detail the items you’ve purchased as well as the dates you’ve made them. It can be quite a pleasure to look back and see your collection’s history unfold. It’s also another way to verify data about your collection in the event that you need them if you are joining an exhibit or selling them.
About the Author
Know the basics of shopping for doll house toys.
Dolls — Toys From Antiquity
Dolls are believed to have been around since prehistoric times, and may well have been the earliest type of toy used by man. These dolls were certainly made of natural materials such as clay, wood, and fur. Many of them may have been used as children’s toys, but it is believed that they were often used to represent a deity, and likely played a key role in religious rituals and ceremonies.
None of these ancient dolls have survived through the ages, but dolls have often been found in Egyptian graves dating back as far as 3000 years. Some of these dolls were made of pottery, but most were made of flat pieces of wood painted with different designs, and with hair made of strings of wooden beads or clay. Dolls have also been found in the graves of Greek and Roman children, some with movable limbs and removable garments.
Later, Europe became a major producer of wooden dolls. Some of these dolls were made from tree stumps, while others were ‘peg’ dolls, made with simple peg joints and resembling a clothespin. Composition dolls, which were made from mixtures of pulped wood or paper that were molded under pressure, were developed in the 1800s. These dolls were durable and could be mass produced. Dolls with wax heads were also popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Porcelain and bisque dolls became popular at the beginning of the 19th century.
The French “bebe” dolls were popular in the 1880s. Up until this time, most dolls represented adult figures. The bebes were different, because they represented younger girls. In the 1900s, realistic German bisque dolls were introduced and became very popular. These started an ongoing trend of creating realistic dolls.
Rag and cloth dolls have been hand made for centuries. ‘Rag’ dolls are made of any fabric, while dolls made specifically of linen or cotton are considered to be ‘cloth’ dolls. Commercial production of rag dolls was started in the 1850s in England and America.
It was not until after the Civil War that doll making became an important industry in the United States. Most dolls were produced in New England, and were made of various materials such as papier-mache, leather, cloth, and rubber. Celluloid was developed in the 1860s and was used in the manufacture of dolls until the 1950s. Although these dolls could be mass produced very cheaply, they were extremely flammable, and would fade in bright light.
Hard plastic dolls were made in the 1940s, and dolls of vinyl, rubber, and foam rubber were made in the 1950s and 1960s. The use of vinyl allowed doll makers to insert hair into the head, rather than having to paint the hair on, or to use wigs.
Modern dolls have traditionally been toys for children, and ‘action figures’ representing ‘superheroes’ are now very popular with boys. There are even ‘virtual’ dolls available on the Internet which can be designed, dressed up, and played with on web sites. Most dolls are now manufactured using modern materials and mass production techniques. However, dolls are also now collected by adults, and some manufacturers use the same kinds of materials that were used in the past, to create ‘vintage-style’ collectible dolls. But whatever the type of doll, they all trace their roots back to prehistoric times. They are truly ‘toys from antiquity.’
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