Doll Collection, ca. 1915
GUEST:
They were purchased by my great-grandmother in Los Angeles, California, for her daughter around 1910 to 1917. Her daughter was the only daughter in a family of three.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
And obviously, she was a very well-loved child. And she had a large collection of dolls that she took very good care of. She was very meticulous with her dolls.
APPRAISER:
You can sort of see by the kids you brought in today, plus the photographs, which are in front, which was really great. Showing your aunt, as a child, also showing all the dolls. You have the one black doll right here. Of course, here she's standing with her original clothes on.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Do you have more than just this little group?
GUEST:
Yes, we do. We actually have approximately 44 dolls.
APPRAISER:
So they're really all in the photograph.
GUEST:
Almost all.
APPRAISER:
And they've all existed in really good condition.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Well, the other really neat doll here, actually, that you brought in is the Raggedy Ann doll. Volland, they produced the Raggedy Ann doll in 1915. And this is a very nice example of a Volland. The other doll is a black doll, which is by the German company called Simon Halbig. If you look at the back of the head, you'll see the mark of Simon Halbig. There's a number above that, which is 1348. All these dolls were produced again 1910 up to 1920. The two little guys sitting here are Kewpie dolls. This one's called the Merry Widow with the wig.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
There's a great picture of you here with all the dolls. Any sort of idea, say, the value of the Simon Halbig doll?
GUEST:
Not really. They had said possibly around $5,000 for her.
APPRAISER:
A little more than that. More like between $10,000 and $12,000.
GUEST:
Really? Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
And Raggedy Ann?
GUEST:
No, never. No one's even ever seen her.
APPRAISER:
Most Volland rag dolls are around $1,500. That is the best example, perfect condition, very, very clean. I would say probably $3,000 and maybe even $4,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
The little Kewpies. This guy's got jointed legs, which is unusual. Usually they're stiff legs. So he's $600 to $800. The Merry Widow...$400 to $500. The combination of all the dolls in the picture, I would say probably you have a collection there worth, on the cheap side, maybe $50,000, maybe almost up to $100,000. Because they're so original and perfect condition.
GUEST:
Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
So you inherited some pretty darn neat things.
GUEST:
Yes, I did. Oh, my God. (laughing) That is such a shock.
APPRAISER:
It's one of the nicest private collections I've seen.
GUEST:
Great. Very, very good.
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