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Everything About Barbie Collecting: Tips for Collectors

Barbie was created by Mattel in 1959, and while toy critics weren't excited with her, little girls across America instantly began pleading for their own Barbie doll. Her good looks, appeal, and charisma won everyone over and soon became wanted by adults and kids alike for their own collections.

The Barbie doll started out as a basic idea that came to creator Ruth Handler as she watched her own girls play with their paper dolls. After seeing a doll in Germany that was quite similar to what she imagined, Ruth developed a doll that would grow with us all - in both fashion and attitude.

Barbie Means Something to Everyone

It doesn't matter what naysayers thought in 1959, they might never have expected the recognition that Barbie has produced.Throughout the years, Barbie has become a model of trends. She has held a range of jobs, and she has found herself in a number of countries. Barbie has long been an absolute fashion leader with her hair, makeup, and ever-growing closet of clothes, shoes, and accessories.

Collecting Barbie Dolls

When collecting Barbies, you'll find that you're not by yourself in the hobby. There's a large number of children, teens, and adults who collect Barbie dolls. It's believed that there are over 100,000 Barbie doll collectors, with roughly 90% of collectors being adult females of about 40 years old, who purchase about 20 Barbies each year with about 45% of them spending about $1,000 a year.

When searching for Barbie dolls, you want to look around to find the best deals. Do not forget that if you should want to sell a doll from the collection, you would want to be able to say that you made a profit, which can only be done if you buy low and sell high.

Variety is the spice of life, so when looking for Barbie dolls to add to your collection, it's a good idea to keep number of dolls in your collection. This selection can be in the types of dolls you may collect (i.e. Celebrity Barbie dolls like the Farrah Fawcett Barbie doll,certain theme or event-related barbies, vintage barbie dolls or modern barbies). One way to include variety is to use the system Mattel formulated in 2004 that adds a color-coded tier system for each doll that describes what level of doll collecting that Barbie belongs to. The colored label not only adds to the packaging style and design but makes them stand out to collectors.

Pink Label - The Pink Label involves a collector's most important and fun momento Barbies. These dolls are offered at a quantity of retailers.

Silver Label - The Silver Label Barbies are those where less than 50,000 dolls are produced worldwide.

Gold Label - The Gold Label represents dolls where less than 25,000 dolls are produced worldwide. The dolls marked with a Gold Label are those that are packaged in "cake boxes" with a acetate layer to shield the dolls and complicated artwork on the lid and back. These dolls are sold through authorized Barbie doll retailers, as well as fine retailers.

Platinum Label - The Platinum Label are those that are in higher demand, as these dolls are produced with less than 1,000 dolls globally, to include special one-of-a-kind dolls and dolls established specifically events.

Barbie Collecting Hints

Though your collection is increasing, you really should figure out what it is worth. When pricing your collection, you will want to look into buying a collector's guide book for Barbies. There are a number of collector's books, doll catalogs, and a variety of auction sites that may help you place value to your collection of Barbie dolls. Though the prices and details in these places will vary and change over time, so it's a smart idea to check a variety of sources before figuring out the value of your dolls. In general you'll discover that value can be very subjective; you may be able to find some practical site on my Barbie doll collector site about the Farrah Fawcett Barbie.

Online Barbie Collectors Communities are Helpful

Online trading websites is usually a great source of information and should supply plenty of information newbies and experienced collectors alike. Participating in discussion, trading dolls and meeting people will provide instructional opportunities that most can't find by simply sitting on the sidelines. Also conferences and regional Meetup groups are great ways to meet other enthusiasts, have fun and learn a lot.

Shortage Means Value

Remember that to figure out which dolls are worth your investment, you have to be informed in the community. The more particular the doll and the better the quality and workmanship of the doll, the better the prospective value of the doll.

Better Condition is Highly Desirable

A few things that you ought to remember is that dolls which might be mint in the box (doll in the original box), mint in the package (all accessories still in the package), and mint no box (doll is in pristine condition, possibly in a collector's case but not original box), are ordinarily likely to be worth more than a used doll. Furthermore, consider fan club exclusive dolls, special edition, collector edition, online exclusive, timeless treasure, and the label dolls are probably worth more than a mass production doll.

Gather Barbie Dolls That You Love

In short, many individuals put a large amount of time and money into their Barbie doll collections and those that get the most out of it assemble those dolls that they most love, no matter profit. For example, I appreciate collecting celebrity Barbie dolls such as the new Farrah Fawcett doll, the Marilyn Monroe Blonde Ambition Barbie and more. So assemble the types of Barbie dolls that you love to get the most enjoyment out of your collection.

If you're curious about learning more about collectible Barbie doll, you're welcome to head over to my blog about celebrity Barbie dolls: Farrah Fawcett Celebrity Barbie Blog.


Barbie Doll Collecting: Valuable Hints & Tips

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