Collecting Antique Dolls
Cindy Howell

Defined Tag: Antique Dolls.

When I went to the vintage doll show, I was a little bit surprised by the people I met there. You see, antique dolls have been a passion of mine for a long time. I was a playful child, and I have remained playful, even though I am now an adult. That was how I manage to stay sane while teaching a kindergarten class.

Collecting antique dolls is not something I set out to do. It was just that I have always loved playing with dolls of all sorts. I used to construct elaborate stories when I was a kid – pretending that the dolls were families, and coming up with whole dramas around their lives. As a matter of fact, every collectible doll that I have still has her own story. When I was growing up, I wrote them down so that I wouldn't forget them as I got older. Till today, I treasure them all.

I'm surprised that the people who collect antique dolls never play with them. Most of these collectible dolls sit in cases day in and day out. Their owners are extremely protective of them. They won't even let you take them out to examine them. Not only are they worried about their antique porcelain dolls getting broken, but they are even worried about fingerprints. In my mind, this is pretty absurd. It is alright to have children's toys when you are an adult, but it isn't alright to have children's toys when you can no longer enjoy them like a child. Whether you collect antique Barbie dolls, Madame Alexander dolls, porcelain figurines, or some other style entirely, you should enjoy them. Isn't that the purpose of dolls in the first place?

Make an exception though, for your exotic and high priced dolls.

Exotic dolls are the exception because you probably won't be able to find another specimen again. Most exotic dolls do belong inside glass cases.That's the only exception I make regarding my antique doll collection. I've collected dolls from the Far East, and their design is quite fragile, around 70-80 years old, so handling them needs to be done with care.

Cindy Howell has a collection of antique dolls from all around the world, and serves as one of the contributors for Antique Joint. Besides dolls, she is also a fan of antique artwork.