The Advantage Antique Doll Collecting

For hundreds of thousands of years, humans have been using dolls or doll-like figures for entertainment, role play, and religious purposes. Nowadays, dolls come in all shapes and sizes. You can easily get action figurines, stuffed animal toys, and Disney characters from department stores. They are a reminiscent of classic porcelain dolls our grandparents used to own and might still collect. But what is the advantage antique doll collecting?

Owners and collectors say that adopting antique or bisque dolls as a hobby is a great way to invest money. Bisque figures, ranging from about fifteen thousand dollars to over twenty thousand dollars are the most popular kinds of antique dolls. They are usually shaped out of unglazed material. The eyes are made of glass while the hair is sometimes painted on. Besides the head, the rest of the body is either comprised of leather or a kind of cloth. It can also be composed of papier-mache or wood.
The composition of the body is a mixture of several materials such as sawdust, pulp, and glue. The body is not made of the same material as the head because it is very breakable and weighty. Since these toys, made for children, were to be transported via long distances, risk of breakage had to be avoided. The makers thus came up with the idea of using a different medium for the dolls' bodies to give them a longer life.

From a historical standpoint, they were around in the late nineteenth century in Germany and France. Some common French manufacturers are Bru, Haret Gaultier, Simone, and Jumeau. Jumeau was the most influential doll-making company, selling more products than any other manufacturer in Europe. They were hailed for the dolls' exquisite clothing which resembled the fashions of nineteenth century France.

It might be surprising to the reader that the most expensive bisque piece ever sold was worth over two hundred thousand dollars. Such is the value of these antiques. These pieces must be without holes or any marks such as spots or dark lines. The "skin" of the face must have a translucent glow which makes it look more real. All in all, they should look more like sculptures than playthings.

However, as opposed to the aforementioned, China dolls are made of glazed material, and therefore are considered very different from bisque pieces. They are fired to give them a glossy, shiny appearance. Their texture is smoother and more life-like. The origin of china dolls is undoubtedly early nineteenth century to mid-nineteenth century in Germany.

Until the twentieth century, bisque was the most legitimate material used for doll heads. However, after the beginning of the century, another material known as celluloid made its presence felt. Celluloid is a compound made of camphor and nitrocellulose.

As celluloid is easily molded and shaped, it was widely used by American doll-makers such as Kewpie. It is also easy to decompose which is why it is no longer popular today. Nowadays, an overwhelming majority of dolls are made of plastics.