Annette, What's My Doll Worth?
What do you know, Annette?
My grandmother passed away, and she left me her extensive collection of dolls. They range from antique French bisque to plastic bags full of arms that she must have picked up at somebody’s garage sale. I have a pretty good idea as to how much most of them are worth, but there’s one that I can’t find any information about.
The doll’s body has no markings, and her clothes have no tags, but she did come with a catalog. It says her name is Candy and she was made by Bal Dolls, Inc. The catalog has lots of cute outfits, but I can’t find them online and when I search for the doll, I can’t find her. I’m thinking she might be rare, and maybe worth a lot. Do you know anything about Candy?
Signed,
Rare doll?
Here’s what I know, Rare Doll:
Be grateful you have that catalog. Most people who have that doll won’t have a clue who or what she is if she doesn’t have any markings. That’s the good news here: you have the catalog, so you know who she is and who made her.
Here’s the bad news. She’s worth zilch. Bupkiss. Nada. Yes, that doll might be one of forty ever made, but scarcity is not the only thing that determines value. People have to actually want one, and generally, people have a hard time wanting something when they don’t know it exists. You could have a Candy doll all tucked in the box she came in when she sat on a store shelf in 1957 and nobody would give a flying fudge. For all either of us know, there’s a Candy in every attic. We don’t know because she’s not marked, and other dolls from the era had a similar look. That bag of arms might be worth more.
It’s a sad fact about life: when it comes to figuring out what things are worth, we all too often get it wrong. [Editor’s note: Annette Parker is an expert in antiques and possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of what things are worth.]
Ok, Rare Doll, I’m back at my computer after a Chardonnay break. I did manage to find out some things about Candy. Bal Dolls made cheap celluloid “walking” dolls before they started making Candy. If you search Bal Dolls, you’ll find some of these walking dolls. In 1957, Bal debuted Candy. They hoped she would compete with Vogue’s Ginny but their effort failed miserably. You can read the whole sad tale here. It’s pretty fascinating, actually. It involves some guys selling off all their doll-making equipment in the middle of the night to avoid paying a creditor.
All that is to say that Candy won’t bring much if you try to sell her. I’m sure that like most people who write to this column, you were hoping for a payday, but Candy ain’t it. I’m also guessing those “antique French bisque” dolls are replicas of some kind because if they were real they’d be worth five figures and you wouldn’t be writing to me about a mid-century plastic bent knee walker.
I’m sorry, Rare Doll, but I’m sure your grandmother believed those dolls would have some sentimental value for you. I hope you can let that be your bonanza.
I cannot tell if this is fiction or non-fiction.