How much might that old doll on your dresser be worth and where might you go if it needs to be repaired?
According to Ms Olivia Bristol, head of the dolls department at Christie's in London: "Whatever doll you have, its face is its fortune. It doesn't matter what the doll is made of, whether it's wax, china, bisque, papiermache, it's the quality and the rarity of the head that determines the price."
The head, the condition and its quality are key, but how does the lay person know whether a doll is rare or not? "That's where my job comes in. You send a photograph," she says.
French dolls from the 1880s up to about 1890 are very sought after, she says, while "character dolls", dolls with something more than the typical dolly face - an open mouth and sleeping eyes - can be valuable. For instance, a doll with painted eyes, a closed mouth, a flirting eye or a cheeky or sad expression can be very, very expensive.
"They could be £150,000 [€231,000] for a very rare character doll. That's why I'm saying the face is the fortune - the rarity of the mould."
French bisque dolls of the 1880s by a good maker could fetch about £20,000 or £30,000, while 18th century wooden dolls in wonderful condition with original clothes could be worth £15,000 or £20,000, she says.
Condition is all-important. "Drop it and smash it and you've lost the value of the doll. Even if it's repaired, it still doesn't regain its full value," she says.
Even 20th century dolls retain value. German dolls from 1900 to the 1920s tend to be worth between £150 and £300, while English cloth dolls by Chad Valley can be worth between £80 and £500 - some even £1,000 - depending on their condition.
The most valuable Barbie dolls are pre-1964, when their clothes were handmade in Japan. A Barbie with a range of outfits up to 1970 could be worth £200 to £300 "if she's absolutely mint", she says.
Ms Melissa Nolan, director of the Doll's Hospital in South Great George's Street, Dublin, says 20th century china dolls or of any kind of composition are worth having valued.
"A china doll could be worth £75 [€95] or it could be worth a couple of thousand. It depends on the make. Now if it's German, it's probably worth a couple of hundred and if it's French it could be worth a couple of thousand."
Ms Nolan deals mainly with dolls from 1885-1935 and if she cannot value a doll immediately, her library of a couple of hundred books will do the trick.
The Dolls Hospital restores dolls up to museum standard, she says, and they are kept busy, repairing more than 6,000 dolls a year. A repair might cost £5 or £300 or £400, depending on what is required. For instance, an antique doll with a couple of broken toes and fingers or a couple of cracks here and there needing to be restored and re-strung would cost about £150.
She also sells new dolls, such as a handmade figure of a woman in Victorian clothing, Russian-style complete with a chair, violin and violin case, costing £2,000.
Mr Ian Whyte, of Whyte's in Marlborough Street, says that most dolls bought in Ireland tended to be the fabric type which disintegrated. Nevertheless, at his next auction on December 11th an automaton doll which you wind up and it moves while a tune is played is expected to fetch £800 to £1,000, while a Chad Valley fabric doll bought in Newell's in Grafton Street in the 1930s is estimated at £100-£150.
For further information contact The Dolls' Hospital, Dublin, on 01-478 3403 or www.dollstore.ie; or Ms Olivia Bristol, Christie's South Kensington, 85 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LD, 0044 171 321 3401.
jmarms@irish-times.ie
