There are many types of antique dolls and many collectors choose only one type to collect. The most common are dolls made of wax, papier mache, bisque, cloth or ceramic.
What to Look for in Antique Dolls
When buying old or collector dolls look for those with the original clothing intact. Mild signs of aging on dolls are only acceptable if the doll is especially rare, or if the collector really wants it, regardless of condition. It's also important that the original wig is extant. Better a matted wig than a replaced one. So, the more original the doll, the rarer and therefore of higher value.
Antique Wax Dolls
Wax dolls were very popular in the nineteenth century, because it was easier to sculpt those little features and they were warm and soft to the touch like real skin. These are quite rare in good condition. The wax will crack in the cold and melt or soften in heat, so to find one in perfect condition would be a great find.
The English wax dolls are especially sought after. The eyes were of hand-blown glass and very life-like. Hours of tedious work went into adding each strand of hair by hand. The German doll makers soon followed the English and up to the late nineteenth century, were adding wax details over the papier mache.
Antique Papier-Mache Dolls
Papier-mache dolls were mainly produced in Germany and the United States. Most of these dolls had painted eyes and applied wigs. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the makers began using wooden legs and bodies covered in kid leather.
Antique Bisque Dolls
Bisque doll heads were also made in Europe and the United States in the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth century. Early on, they were pressed from matte porcelain with a slightly pinkish tint. The most sought after are also considered the finest of the bisque dolls. These were the French fashion dolls, designed by Emile Jumeau of Paris who was a master doll maker. These dolls had delicately painted faces and were very life-like. Each eyelash and brow was finely painted and the doll's ears were pierced.
It wasn't until the late nineteenth century, when child dolls struck a chord with little girls. The adult styled doll was loosing steam. Soon after, baby dolls were created and they are still loved today.
Antique and Vintage Cloth Dolls
Cloth dolls in the United States were first manufactured in 1850 by Izannah Walker. These dolls are very hard to find in good condition. Martha Chase was another American cloth doll maker of the period. Her dolls had jointed limbs and the facial details were painted in oil. These were produced well into the twentieth century and are much easier to find than the Walker dolls.
Raggedy Ann dolls represent the American Doll like no other. She first came on the scene in 1915 and has been remade over and over again. The original Raggedy Ann doll is still being copied today.
Antique Ceramic Dolls
Ceramic dolls were frequently sculpted to emulate the stars of the day. Jenny Lind and Mary Todd Lincoln both had a doll in their image. Porcelain dolls were glazed or given a matte finish.
For the most part, these dolls were made in Germany between 1840 and into the 1920's. A buyer could easily find legs, arms or heads to replace those that broke. Parts were readily available. The hair would be molded with the ceramic and then painted. Dating a ceramic doll is easy for a collector. If it has peppering or black spots, it speaks of the poor quality of the porcelain. Meissen dolls of Copenhagen were fine quality, however, and are highly sought after today.
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