The fact that vintage paper dolls have survived through the years is a testament to how well some people take care of the items they collect.


It is refreshing to know that in today's society, when many children have very short attention spans that can only be captured by blinking and flashing video games, there are still some people who appreciate something as simple as collecting vintage paper dolls. Paper dolls are a reminder of the time when things were much simpler and people were more inclined to use their own imagination for entertainment.

Paper dolls originated in the time of Louis XV of France. This was during the 1700s and owning one or more of these dolls was a privilege. They were carefully collected and very well taken care of by their young owners.

In America, paper was very hard to come by and was considered a valuable commodity. For that reason, not many people owned paper dolls. As paper production techniques improve in paper became more available for common use, the dolls could be mass produced and became available to many more eventual paper doll collectors.

Most of that vintage paper dolls collected today are from the time during the Mid 20th century when they became very popular. A lot of people like to collect these as a way to look back at the fashions and famous people of an earlier time. Not all paper dolls carry the same monetary value, but collectors of the delicate paper treasures often have reasons for collecting that go beyond money.

photo credit: perpetualplum

If you are looking to either purchase or to sell vintage paper dolls, eBay is an excellent resource to check. I have noticed over the years that sellers in certain categories seem to take a very fine interest in what they collect and put up for sale. For the most part, it seems that the people selling vintage paper dolls and vintage dolls in general on Ebay, have a real connection to the merchandise they are buying or selling. It seems to go beyond nostalgia. Sellers often will offer guarantees and seem to go above and beyond the norm as they lovingly present their treasures to potential buyers. Buyers of the vintage paper dolls on Ebay also seem to realize and share a special bond with their fellow collectors which is evidenced by their willingness to sometimes pay prices that can get a little bit high for a casual doll collector.

For the person who just wants to introduce the fun of paper dolls with a little one, there are printable paper dolls and paper doll templates available online.  But more serious collectors tend to look for specific dolls.  Tom Tierney paper dolls, Victorian paper dolls and Disney paper dolls are a few of the specific brands often searched for on the Internet in general and on Ebay in particular.

If you are not interested in purchasing vintage or antique paper dolls on Ebay, you can try to find them yourself.  They are one of the items that sometimes show up at places like estate sales, but finding them on your own is a very hit or miss proposition.  Looking for the dolls in a collectible shop is another option, but you will almost certainly pay the top "book" price.  This is a major reason that so many collectors have taken to checking Ebay before making any purchases.  There are often items that seem to slip under the radar and that can present a nice opportunity for some serious savings on hard to find items.

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