Building a collection of vintage Barbie memorabilia can be lots of fun. A nice collection may take years to put together, depending on how extensive you wish it to be. I've tried to give some advice and guidelines to follow when putting together a collection that will be impressive as well as rewarding.
| COLLECTORS GENERALLY COLLECT IN A COUPLE OF WAYS: |
| Mint~NRFB (Never Removed From Box): Some people collect only mint examples of dolls, clothing and accessories. These include items that have never been played with, often still in the original packaging, just as they were the day they were new. This way of collecting proves to be very expensive, since mint examples are not readily available, so prices are high in acquiring this type of merchandise. Items will require a lot of room to display as original packaging tends to be large and in order to show off the pieces well, will indeed require a lot of wall & floor space. "Never Removed From Box Clothing" for example, is fabulous to look at but I personally would rather own outfits that are near mint condition and may be displayed on my choice of a doll. There are a lot of personal rewards one gets from experimenting with loose clothing and doll displays. |
| Loose Items: Most people collect loose examples, those that are in excellent condition and may be displayed at will. It is always a challenge to find which outfit may compliment which hair style or face paint on a doll. Setting up creative displays with dolls and clothing is fun when collecting vintage Barbie and friends. The lovely accessories created by Mattel also fit nicely into collections, providing you have the room to display larger pieces such as structures or play sets. These loose articles of clothing and dolls may also be easily upgraded as you advance in your collection. Often collectors will trade with each other for pieces needed or you may find items at shows or online. The search for pieces for your collection may be as fun as the display itself. |
My best advice when building a vintage Barbie collection:
"Always buy the best you can afford to buy."
I have collected vintage Barbie since 1985 and it is easy for me to say that the best pieces always hold their value. Always upgrade to better examples when you have the opportunity or extra funds. It is okay to buy average condition items, but keep in mind these are best used for display purposes rather than investment. They can be handled and played with, but as you advance in your collecting, you will want better examples. If you plan on using your dolls and clothing for display only, you might even consider some of the reproduction accessories being offered for sale, but please, when the time comes to sell, never try to pass them off as originals.
The Barbie world has been inundated with fakes, reproductions and totally new items that are being passed off as originals. Know your seller when buying and be sure they will stand behind the authenticity of what they are selling. If a seller claims "I am not a Barbie expert", avoid them at all costs. This is just an excuse for the seller to pass off the responsibility of being honest about what they are selling. I cannot impress upon you how important it is to ask questions when buying vintage Barbie from anyone that has little knowledge on the subject. Keep in mind that vintage Barbie is a sort of investment and there is nothing good about investing in something that is fake or reproduced while you paid for something you felt was authentic and a genuine early Mattel product. Be very careful of deals that sound too good. Remember the old saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
Simple rules to keep in mind when buying your collection
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Vintage Dolls
Increases Value:
*Original Face Paint
*Original Hair Set
*Mint Vinyl
*Original Mint Box
*Original complete Accessories
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Vintage Dolls
Decreases Value:
*Missing Original Face Paint including lip rubs, eyelash rubs & eyebrow rubs
*Hair out of original set and missing plugs
*Vinyl problems including warped limbs, scratches or pin pricks
*Vinyl splits in the neck rim, behind the knees or across soles of feet
*Stains on vinyl including green from earrings
*Loose limbs, broken knee joints, missing fingers or toes
*Repairs to the doll in any form
*Mold spots
*Unpleasant odors: smoke, mildew
*Changed body parts
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Vintage Clothing
Increases Value:
*Original Condition
*No signs of Play Wear
*No Laundering
*Complete with original accessories
*No Odors
*Original labels without frayed ends
*Original "TM" labels that are harder to find than "R" labels |
Vintage Clothing
Decreases Value:
*Fabric shows wear, snagged or has runs
*Fabric is faded
*Fabric is frayed
*Fabric is stained
*Popped or broken stitches
*Missing closures: Buttons, Snaps, Elastic loops, rings, etc.
*Item has been ironed
*Item has been laundered
*Item has been bleached
*Reproduction accessories replace originals
*Splits in shoes
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MANY OF THE MATTEL EARLY OUTFITS HAVE BEEN REPRODUCED. With reproductions abounding everywhere since the early 1990's, you will see the values of the originals have come down, due to the flood of these reproductions in the marketplace. Many sellers on the internet will try to pass these reproductions off as originals, due to lack of knowledge or just out of deceit. Any outfit with bits of reproduction accessories has much less value than an outfit with all original accessories. While reproductions may help complete a set, they do not reflect or hold the same value as a complete original set. They add little to the actual value of a set but do display nicely while you hunt for originals. Just keep in mind, a set with reproduction accessories will by no means be equal to the value of a complete original set. Some collectors are fine with replacement accessories however, but please be honest when passing these on to others and disclose all replacements to your buyer.
I've recently had some complaints about the replacement safe gold filled earrings you can buy online. Some of these do in fact cause green ear. One of my customers has proof, as to the "pearl safe earrings" on gold filled wires, turned several of his dolls ears green. This took about 4-6 months. Remember, gold plating wears off and gold filling will do the same over time. The money has been spent, dolls ruined and the seller is no where to be found. Please be careful who you buy from and be sure they stand behind their merchandise. I have used only 10 karat gold posts or wires in my dolls for display. You can buy gold wire fairly reasonable from a jeweler's supply, snip off a small amount, glue a fake pearl on the end and never worry. You may also use a small bit of nylon bristle with a pearl glued on to the end.
| A WORD ABOUT THE GRADING SYSTEM FOR VINTAGE CLOTHING: This applies to vintage clothing and accessories. I continually see sellers listing their items as mint or near mint condition. This just is not realistic. I have seen thousands of collections over my past 27+ years of collecting and I can say with confidence that there is very little out there that is in mint condition. The word "mint" is used very loosely, so please beware of sellers that label everything as mint. Following are guidelines for grading merchandise. |
MINT: Items look as they did when produced brand new right out of the package. They will be crisp and bright with no obvious flaws. Mostly used to describe items never removed from the original box.
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| NEAR MINT: Items look brand new and unplayed with, probably stored in near perfect environment, bright colors and crisp with only the most minor flaw. |
| EXCELLENT: Most items fit into this category. 90% of the vintage clothing listed for sale on the internet as "Mint" should be listed in this category. Since 90% of all vintage Barbie items were played with, they cannot possibly fit into anything much more than "excellent" in the grading system. These items listed as excellent will have obvious minor flaws such as lightly frayed labels, faint discoloration, basically just minor issues that slightly detract from the piece. |
| VERY GOOD: Items in this category will show moderate play. This means, obvious light fading, light discoloration, wrinkles, light seam repair and similar problems. These probably will still display well, but may not be a fair representation of that particular item, nor display to it's full potential. |
| FAIR: Items with obvious damage fit in this category. These pieces are for parts only. If you are able to restore better pieces by using buttons, flowers, zippers or other little accessory pieces from damaged items, then these may be useful.They may still display if major flaws are hidden but will do no great justice to your collection. Items with major odors from smoke or mildew fit into this category. This is the kind of item you will find for sale in large lots labeled "TLC" (tender loving care). You need to purchase items in this category for next to free. |
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