Month: February 2021

Fact:  Anyone who does not collect dolls will say that ALL we doll collectors have TOO MANY dolls.  I don’t think they intend to be mean, I just don’t think they understand us and the passion we have for collecting dolls.  But still….this brings up yet more questions, such as….

*Is it time to thin my collection?*

This is a question that no one except you can answer.  The answer could  be found in have your tastes changed?  When did you begin collecting?  What dolls were you interested in at that time?  Are you still interested in those same dolls? Your answers to these questions will help you decide if it is time to thin your collection.

If your answer was yes, it is time to thin my collection….What dolls could you sell or give away to say a collector just beginning their adventure with dolls? You have enjoyed many of them for many years.  Maybe it is time to re-home them to let someone else enjoy them.  This can be a painful experience in making those decisions.  I have had to make those decisions myself and most of the time, they were well made decisions.  Admittedly, there have been a few that I wish I hadn’t parted with.  But, such is life!

There is the pain of thinning, but often in thinning you have created a spot for a new doll!  This, doll friends, will help ease the sting  of saying good bye to a doll.  There are those of you saying, “that isn’t helping my situation at all”.  And you are probably correct, but the love of dolls can be a driving force to a doll collector.  And this philosophy will more than likely hold true for a collector of just about any type.  And after all, the hunt for that new doll is a very big part of the experience.  When my husband is looking to trade vehicles, this is what he terms the thrill of the hunt.  LOL!  We doll collectors  enjoy the wishing, the planning, the searching, and yes, even the bargaining  for that one sought after doll that seems to be so elusive.  We enjoy the thrill of the hunt for that one special doll.

Then there is the expense involved in being a doll collector.  Personally, I would rather purchase a doll who is less than perfect and have the opportunity to work on her and bring her back to her former glory days.  If this is what you choose to do, don’t bite off  more than your abilities can handle.  Frustration can take the enjoyment out of restoring the doll very quickly.  I enjoy spending time cleaning, washing & setting her hair, redressing her.  But that is only my take on the subject.  There are doll collectors who  want to purchase their doll ready for display.  That’s wonderful!  As a collector, you get to do things your way.  There are no hard and fast rules to follow.  Thank goodness!  By this time, I’m sure I would have probably broken them all! The one thing I try very hard to maintain is not to overspend my budget.  I know what I have to spend and try to stay there.  Although, I have been known to actually give more for a doll than she was valued at because I wanted her that badly.  I own a Dryper Baby that I gave more than I should have for her, but to this day I still enjoy her.  I am as pleased with that purchase now as I was the day I unpacked her.  She was and remains a favorite in my collection!

For me personally, rotating my collection is a good idea.  Just like our taste will change in the clothes we wear, it will also change in the dolls we collect.  At one time, I adored Madame Alexander 8″ dolls.  I had a lovely collection and enjoyed them.  One summer several years ago, I decided it was time to thin.  And boy oh boy, did I ever thin!  I kept my complete Gone With The Wind Series and my Wizard of Oz series and a few of my holiday dolls.  Everything else was either sold or given away.   I feel confident that at some point I will also thin those I kept and make some other collectors extremely happy!  I’m just not yet to that point.  For me, rotating my collection is also a good idea as doll sizes change and space availability changes.  You can’t get near as many Patti Playpal dolls  in the same space as those 8″ Madame Alexander dolls.  So decisions are made for changing the direction of your collection.  That doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything you once collected.  To quote my granddaughter, “keep the bestest ones for yourself.”  Even at her young, tender age she understands that the dolls you keep are not necessarily the newest or the prettiest but often those that have been with you a lifetime and show the signs of being well loved.  THOSE are some of the bestest ones!   Keep what makes you happy, what makes you smile, what you have memories tied to.  There are reasons that some dolls will never rotate from your collection.  Don’t overlook those reasons in an effort to make space.