Would you believe that toys you played with as a child are 'collectible' now? I spent the past two days following several items on e-bay, hoping to win one and reclaim a bit of my past. Let me explain...
The other day, I was moving things around in my attic, and came across a shoebox full of little things. Low and behold, there was a small cardboard 'dresser' of three drawers filled with doll clothes and accessories that I once played with.
When I was about seven, my mother went to an estate auction, and came home with a (very old) hand-crafted dollhouse for me. I was thrilled! She painted it and helped me find some furniture that would fit inside. It wasn't big enough Barbie, but another toy company had just come out with Dawn dolls -- a 6.5" fashion doll that was designed to compete with Barbie. Soon I had Dawn and about 6 of her friends, plus clothes and accessories. My friends and I spent hours playing with the dolls and the dollhouse.
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| Dawn and her friends |
I still have the dollhouse, but it has been re-purposed.
It sits on the counter in our basement and holds the cable box, DVD player, game console, DVDs and videos, and all of my old record albums. It needs a little updating -- a paint job or some new interior wallpaper, but it is still sturdy. It is well over 100 years old.
Well, my attic find of doll shoes, clothing and accessories motivated me to look on ebay to see if I could find a Dawn doll (I guess my mother got rid of mine after I left for college). What a surprise! Mint condition Dawn, in the box, is starting for the high $20s. An odd lot of Dawn and her friends, with clothing and some accessories, was listed at a 'buy it now' price of $250!!
Dawn hasn't aged well...I guess the science of toy making has advanced in the past 40 years. Many of the dolls have green around the knees (from the wire in her leg that allowed it to pose), and some have 'melted' body parts, or holes in the back of the legs from the manufacturing process. Those issues didn't sway me from wanting at least one doll. After two days of watching and being outbid a few times, I got smart and waited to place a bid within the last hour of the auction, and only for a doll that no one else had bid on yet.
My strategy paid off, and I'm now the proud owner of three dolls! Someday, when I have granddaughters, I'll re-purposed that doll house again, and we'll have lots of fun playing with it once more!
Hope you didn't mind my trip down memory lane...just think twice before you throw or give away the iconic toys your children played with...in 30 years, they'll be worth more than you can imagine!
--Renee
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