Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew what kind of porcelain doll this is. This doll has been passed down to everyone, including me. How much is she worth? What is she ? A little information: she is stuffed with some kind of insulation very tightly, eyes don't move, I think they're glass. A few chips, and she has no markings, well not that I've seen. Thank you.
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If there are no markings on the doll-like you say it will be harder to identify the doll. This doll from what you are saying is kept in your family and passed down from one member to another. It seems like it is your turn to get the doll passed down to you. I am sure that everyone here will be at a loss to help you out. I would like to suggest that you go to a few of these sites to seek the help you need. These sites help out to identify antique dolls and give you an idea if they were homemade or if they were made by a company. Without any marking to go on it will be so difficult for anyone to help that isn't an expert in this field. I know here we have some very knowledgeable people but there isn't a lot to go on. Here are some great sites that I am sure will be able to help you or give you some references to someone who knows more about your doll.
www.antiquedolls-collectors-onlineadvisors.../
She is lovely.
How tall is she?
How are her limbs affixed?
Is her hair real or synthetic (real feels like real hair smooth and almost warm, synthetic feels slippery and cool)?
Can you move the hair around and see if there are markings on the head? Is the head hollow and the hair attached to a mesh and glued on or is it rooted (meaning you see holes where the hair is stuck into the head)?
You say insulation--but does that mean cotton batting, cotton balls, sawdust, nylon like old stockings or that pink stuff that is used for insulation in houses?
Approximately how many years has she been passed down in the family?
Do the clothing have any tags? I enlarged her and a few things I surmise...but can't be positive, is the clothes appear to be handmade--the seaming in the front that doesn't quite match lends me to think that, as well as the slight pucker in the button area. Are there any tags in the clothing? Are the seams inside straight and machine sewed or hand sewed? Are the stitches even or ragged?
If she is truly totally unmarked, my best guess is that she may be a kit doll....meaning a mom or grandmother or aunt purchased the kit and the hair and assembled the doll and customized it to look like the special child who would receive her.
Maybe with a few more details, I can help pinpoint more of her lineage.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for replying. She has no markings at all, the hair is glued on, and my aunt had her since 1940 something not sure but she's pretty old and had it when she was young, no tags, the seams seem pretty ragged. here's a picture of what the insulation looks like
Interesting.
She looks much more modern in the 1940s. I am familiar with some dolls of this era and many were made of a composition material (a plastic/wood pulp mix) or bisque. She may be bisque, not porcelain--bisque is rough to the touch, porcelain is smooth and cold). Bisque is also very fragile...a shade more so than porcelain.
Glued hair may tell us she was a kit doll or a lower end manufactured doll. The high end dolls usually (although not always) had rooted hair--to look as "real" as possible. They also had sleepy eyes (eyes that opened and closed)...which yours does not appear to have...although I believe you said they were glass. So it may be hard for me to tell from the picture if they are inserted glass or just painted on the glass face.
The filling you show surprises me--which may mean she was a kit doll or not made in the US. What dolls are filled with is heavily regulated (at least in the US) and has been since early 1900s to prevent toys from being stuffed with things that could be hazardous (and later flammable). This material looks pretty flammable to me!
She could have be mass made outside of the US and not subject to US rules--I neglected to ask where you are located--which is important when researching dolls.
There is a blog that specializes in dolls of color. Perhaps she can help you. Here is her link: blackdollcollecting.blogspot.com/
I would love to learn more, so please post back!! Thanks for sharing the additional info. She is lovely and I am really excited to learn more!
I love how you staged her. This will help if you decide to sell. There are no markings to tell where she was made. This helps to give you a worth. The worth will only be by the demand of the doll, because dolls are not selling for what they are worth these days. A lot of collectors are getting rid of there dolls making much less than what they paid in most cases. There is hope that this doll could sell to a collector or a holiday shopper. Sold dolls online are not bringing in more than $25 in most of the market. Maybe bid pricing could help with her along with great staging pictures for her to stand out among the others! Here is a link to putting a value on this doll- www.thesprucecrafts.com/
This is a lovely doll.
I've searched off and on for several days and have not found a similar doll.
Perhaps when member Pghgirl checks in she will be able to provide some information.
Without knowing a little more about her it will be difficult to place a value on your doll.
Perhaps you could post your question on some of the doll forums as the members have a lot of combined 'doll' knowledge and I feel sure they will be able to tell you something about your doll. They usually do not get into value but if you receive any ID information then someone here may be able to help you with value.
Members on these forums usually ask/want more information and several pictures as it takes a little more to truly identify an unbranded doll.
Pictures: full doll front and back; with and without clothing (for sure). Also pictures of the back of her neck with hair pinned away. A close up of face and hair if possible.
They will need more information on date she was first 'passed down' or some dates you are aware of.
Measurements; length/tall inches.
Original clothes?
You will have to join a group before you can post and the pictures are a little work but you're asking for information dating back several years without very much to go on.
There are several different groups on Facebook so check each one.
www.facebook.com/
www.tapatalk.com/
www.facebook.com/
shareranks.com/
www.facebook.com/
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