Antique & collectible dolls

We all remember our mothers 'or grandmothers' dolls, but did you know that your old dolls can be very valuable at auction? Collectors meet there to find antique dolls.


So how do you know if your doll is valuable?


To estimate an old doll, you must start by looking for a mark on its neck or on its bust, this will also often indicate the size of the mold used, Jumeau, SFBG are then the most common models.


We must then examine the material that composes it: porcelain doll, wood, leather, rag or papier mâché? Some materials were only used for a short time, such as Mademoiselle Huret's perched gutta or celluloid and rhodoid.

Plastic dolls, which arrived after World War II, are more rarely collected.


The body and the head can be of two different materials and the body can be articulated, most often, we will find a body of rag or wood and a face in bisque. We will also look at the hair, which can be real.


Another thing to consider: Does the doll have a bunch of old clothes and accessories? The most sought-after dolls are often fashion ladies and not infants. It was used to present the latest fashions in department stores, these dolls sell very well.


Little story of the doll:

Fashion dolls appear around 1830/40, with skin bodies and papier-mâché heads, they are not yet articulated. Quickly, painted or enamelled glass eyes appear. At that time, we find many dolls with austere clothes, often nuns who represent the girls who went to the convent. They are called the Pauline dolls. At auction, they sell for between 150 and 800 euros depending on their condition and clothing.


In the 1850s, wax, porcelain and biscuit appeared. The biscuit (a porcelain) is used to constitute the arms and the heads. The clothes take on importance and the doll can be changed. This is the beginning of the Rohmer doll, for example, gets very good prices, up to 6,000 euros. She may have a full set of dresses and various clothes.


Clothes are always at the forefront of fashion and some dolls are sold with furniture in their size and a dinette. This furniture sells for between 40 and 100 euros a piece, but a few rare copies produced by big names can obtain exceptional auctions, for example furniture from the Badeuille house.

  
Four doll chairs, sold 105 euros
20th century doll kitchen, sold for 65 euros

Doll dinette sold 30 euros

At this time you will find many Jumeau or Bru dolls which are not always the most expensive. The most common sell for between 100 and 200 euros but some get much more. Note the house Radiguet, much sought after, with dolls that can reach between 10 000 and 15 000 euros for sale.

Around 1860, the dolls took on an appearance more similar to children and infants. The dolls can move, walk, they are generally articulated on the shoulders, hips, ...

At this period, we will remember the name of Calixte Huret who invented the Guttapercha for the body of his dolls (unfortunately, this one does not withstand the passage of time and the material disintegrates, a doll in good condition is therefore rare). Calixte Huret dolls can sell for between 5,000 and 8,000 euros.

        
This Calixte Huret doll was sold for 8,400 euros after being found in an attic  

At the same time, the Maison Jumeau created the pressed biscuit head with applied ears. It is possible to find Twin babies in several sizes, open mouth with teeth (a little later) or closed. They are numbered indicating the size of the mold that was used. Jumeau produced more than 100,000 dolls per year around 1880, so they are not all rare.


Other brands are known: Falk and Rousselle marked FR, Halopot dolls, Steiner dolls with big teeth ...

  
Poupée française, tête en biscuit, Jumeau SGDG, vendue 1250 euros
Poupée, tête Jumréau, yeux en sulfure, vendue 460 euros

 

You will of course find dolls out of the ordinary: automaton dolls, phonograph dolls, talking babies, ... each one must be examined with precision.

One later, we find the Bru doll, with a skin body. She has various expressions: surprise, smile etc ... But also the Albert Marque and Poulbot dolls, the famous Bleuet doll (SFBJ) which was offered with the subscription to Suzette's week.

Modern dolls are less collected to date, but who knows ... Soon they may also be sought after by collectors like some Barbies.



The field of collectible dolls is very diverse, never hesitate to contact a specialist for a free estimate.