What Should I Look For When Buying Vintage Barbie Dolls?
Filed under Vintage FAQs
The very first Barbie doll was dressed in a striped black and white bathing suit and sported a ponytail. The later versions of Barbie dolls wore varieties of fashion such as mod in the 60's and so forth.
The designers of Barbie's body had also made modifications to her such as giving her a waist that can be twisted, a wider smile and brighter eyes, to name a few.
Vintage Barbie dolls are dolls that were produced before 1972. Before purchasing a vintage Barbie, one should check the exact year that the Barbie doll was made.
The copyright date is another feature that should also be inspected, as the further back the years go, the more valuable the Barbie doll is. One example of a vintage Barbie dolls that are high in value are the ones marked with "1958" or "Japan" on the rear end or on the bottom of one of the feet.
The overall condition of a Barbie doll is very important. Since vintage Barbie dolls are becoming more valuable as the time passes by, one should pay close attention to the dolls overall condition. One should check if there is any discoloration on any parts of the doll's body.
Poor conditions include chipping lips, scratches, neck or body splits, ear discoloration due to the earrings, and hair that is in poor condition. The clothes may also be faded or torn, and one should not forget to make sure that the Barbie doll has all fingers and toes intact and have even color.
Barbie dolls are well known for their extensive collection of accessories. The accessories are different from one Barbie doll to another, according to the dolls' themes. Barbie dolls' avid collectors say that Barbie dolls that are valuable are those wearing attires that still have accurate details. Accessories for Barbie dolls must also be original, in order for them to be valuable.
Amongst the highest sought-after vintage Barbie dolls are the ones with metal tubes in them. These are one of the most valuable Barbie dolls, as they are very rare.
One who has just started collecting Barbie dolls must always make sure that the dolls have Mattel, Inc. trademark on them. This is to make sure that the Barbie dolls are not fakes or imitations, in order to avoid being duped.
When purchasing Barbie dolls, one must be familiar with the terms used by the expert sellers and collectors. The important Barbie doll terms are A/O for all original, book value for the price of a Barbie doll, C grading system for condition ratings with C-1 being poor and C-10 being immaculate, HTF for hard to find dolls, MIB for mint in box, MIP for mint in package, MNB for mint no box, NM for near mint, NRFB for dolls that were never removed from box, and OSS for dolls wearing original swim suits.
Meanwhile, customized dolls are for dolls that were designed for a particular store, collector edition is for dolls that were produced more than 35,000 units intended for collection, and limited edition is for dolls produced in less than 35,000 units.
Limited edition Barbie dolls usually have special features that make them one of a kind. Barbie dolls that have all accessories and are in pristine shape are called mint and complete.
I have several Barbies from 1966 that have a push button in their back, jointed hands, w/heads and shoulders that move up and down, but it also has the mattel trademark on their back w/different countries where they were made.
ie Taiwan, Phillippines. also have some that are from 1966 w/bra & panties painted on their body w/Mattel Inc. on their butt from the Philippines, Hong Kong, etc?
And I have a 1967 twist n turn Skipper doll w/the date written on her back, but copy right 1984 on the back of her head? But, it doesn’t state where she was made? Is she a fake?
Then I have two really Unique Barbies from 1999 — one from China w/Mattel trademark
they are both almost flat footed — one has bendable legs, and the other that doesn’t was made in Indonesia, and neither has twist n turn body. They have a very different look than the original Barbies. They both have numbers on their backs. How would I go about finding out if they are worth anything?
I’ve gone onto several sites looking for info on Barbies made in different countries other than Japan, but have not been able to find out anything? Can you help me?