Posts Tagged ‘vintage barbie’

Barbie Accessories

by Sandy | No Comments | Filed in Doll Collecting, vintage Barbie dolls

If you collect vintage Barbie, you may or may not realize how much collectible value her accessories also have. 


There has been a lot of growth in the collecting of barbie accessories and some of the individual items can bring a pretty penny at auction.  Of course if you are selling, this is good news.  If you are buying though, you may be seeing some competition.

Vintage Barbie 1611 Satin N Rose Diamond Earrings NM
Vintage Barbie 1611 Satin N Rose Diamond Earrings NM
Paypal   US $75.00
Vintage Barbie Satin N Rose Pink Shoes w Silver Glitter
Vintage Barbie Satin N Rose Pink Shoes w Silver Glitter
Paypal   US $19.00
Vintage Barbie Skipper 1732 Daisy Crazy Dress
Vintage Barbie Skipper 1732 Daisy Crazy Dress
Paypal   US $11.49
Vintage Barbie Skipper 1732 Daisy Crazy Socks HTF
Vintage Barbie Skipper 1732 Daisy Crazy Socks HTF
Paypal   US $20.72
Black Sheath Dress Polka Dot Suit for Vintage Barbie
Black Sheath Dress Polka Dot Suit for Vintage Barbie
Paypal   US $20.59
Lot of Vintage Handmade Barbie Rhumba Long Dresses
Lot of Vintage Handmade Barbie Rhumba Long Dresses
Paypal   US $2.26
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Most people reading this are probably buyers, so I will share a bit of advice that may help you to find some of the better deals on Barbie and her accessories.  These tips are for finding Barbie accessories or anything really, on eBay.  They help you to take advantage of the fact that many of the people selling on the site are not professional sellers and they might not know how to get the best possible prices for what they are putting up for auction.  If you are a seller on eBay, you should also pay attention to these tips because you might be setting yourself up to get less than you expect for your items.

  • Watch for misspelled words in auction listings.  Think of every possible misspelling that you can for the item you are looking for on eBay.  As an example, I'll use the phrase "Barbie Accessories".  That particular search brought back over 900 results, and most likely, every one of those listings will be carefully checked out by Barbie fans.  When I put in a common misspelling like "Barbie accesories", I get back only 31 results.  But guess what?  NONE of those are going to show up when people come looking to buy "accessories" for their dolls!  Which auctions do you think will have more competition?   You can use this technique with any particular Barbie accessory you are looking for online.  Actually, you could use it for any item, not just Barbie gear!
  • Be willing to shop at an unusual time on eBay.  There are some people who go to work, but still want to get something listed on eBay.  Sometimes, they decide to list their item at whatever time is convenient for them to get on the computer.  This might be seven in the morning or eleven at night on a Monday.  Most experienced sellers won't do this, but newer or infrequent sellers often make this mistake, not realizing that the default is for their auction to end exactly seven days, to the minute, from when they listed their merchandise.  Once again, do you think there will be as many people bidding on an item at 7:30 a.m. as there would be at a time like Sunday evening around 9:00?  Your goal is to use the advanced search tools available on any search screen, to search for what you want ending at some strange time like this.  Now that eBay has made sellers pay more to get their items seen in other countries, this should be even more helpful for people basing their shopping on U.S. time zones.
  • Don't forget to check out "lots" of merchandise.  There are many sellers who really don't know a whole bunch about what they are selling.  They may have found some old Barbie dolls or accessories stashed away in an attic or at a yard sale and they just want to sell it quickly without researching which individual pieces might be worth more than the others.  This can be a bonanza time for Barbie collectors or collectors of any doll.  Because the doll clothes and doll accessories are relatively small, many people really don't want to be bothered with handling each individual tiny piece.  It all ends up going in to lots.  When you see a listing that says something like "Barbie accessories lot", take a close look and ask questions of the buyer.  You may find that it is a mix of items from a couple of generations of Barbie collecting within the same family.  If Mom tossed all of her old accessories in with her daughter's stuff, you might find some real gems hidden in the mix.

This is just a short list of tips I've used to find great deals on Barbie accessories (and other eBay items) in the past.  I'll share more as we go along.  I hope these help you find something you have been looking for at a price you like!

Here is a video I found on YouTube about Barbie accessories that you might enjoy...

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The Vintage Barbie Doll

by Sandy | Comments Off | Filed in Vintage Dolls, vintage Barbie dolls

People who collect vintage dolls often specialize in one type of doll or another. 


One of the more popular dolls collected today is the vintage Barbie doll.  Honestly, vintage Barbie dolls have a very strong following of extremely savvy collectors who really know there stuff.   There are quite a few very detailed guides available for serious Barbie collectors who wish to know the exact value of the dolls they own.  These guides are a wise investment for serious collectors as they will include very specific information such as mold numbers and trademark clues that will help to identify a particular vintage Barbie doll that you have in your collection.

VINTAGE BARBIE TNT TWIST AND TURN DOLL BODY NEAR MINT
VINTAGE BARBIE TNT TWIST AND TURN DOLL BODY NEAR MINT
Paypal   US $40.04
VINTAGE BARBIE DOLLS AND ACCESSORIES 1965 1966
VINTAGE BARBIE DOLLS AND ACCESSORIES 1965 1966
Paypal   US $26.00
Vintage Mod Barbie 2 Doll Lot Summer Sand TNT PJ
Vintage Mod Barbie 2 Doll Lot Summer Sand TNT PJ
Paypal   US $55.00
TWO LOVELY VINTAGE MOD TNT STACEY BARBIE DOLLS
TWO LOVELY VINTAGE MOD TNT STACEY BARBIE DOLLS
Paypal   US $45.00
VINTAGE BARBIE TWO BOB MACKIE DISPLAY DOLLS NICE
VINTAGE BARBIE TWO BOB MACKIE DISPLAY DOLLS NICE
Paypal   US $26.22
4 VINTAGE 1968 MEN KEN MATTEL MOD ERA BARBIE DOLL PARTS
4 VINTAGE 1968 MEN KEN MATTEL MOD ERA BARBIE DOLL PARTS
Paypal   US $26.50
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To truly be considered vintage, Barbie dolls must be from between the years 1959 and 1972.  Other special "collectible" editions of Barbie were released by Mattel later than that, but they are their own story and I may write more about them later.

Prices for the very early Barbie dolls can get quite high.  Values can exceed ten thousand dollars in some cases.  The value of each doll will depend on factors such as the model itself, its condition, and whether or not any type of restoration work has been done to the doll.  If restoration has occurred, the quality of the restoration becomes very important.  The techniques and materials used during the restoration process should be true to the era from which the doll originally came.  The value of a Barbie doll can drop significantly if it has been restored improperly or by inferior means.  There are many Barbie doll collectors who do not want anything to do with restored dolls.  They prefer to pay the extra money required to obtain only original, undamaged Barbies (preferably with the original packing).  Certainly, if you are considering the purchase of a vintage Barbie doll as an investment or as an expensive addition to your collection, you should ask the seller for as many details as possible about the dolls history.  A quality seller of vintage dolls or any antique or vintage merchandise will feel obligated to mention any restoration that may have occurred, but you should still ask if it has not been mentioned specifically in the listing for the item.

Often, the original packing material for a vintage Barbie doll will be long gone by the time a collector is considering its purchase.  If you do happen upon a truly vintage Barbie doll still in its original package, you should be prepared to pay a premium price to own it.  Do some investigative work before bidding on one of these items and be sure that the seller is knowledgeable about the doll they are offering for sale.  Specifically ask the seller if this is an original or if it is a replica Barbie released to commemorate an earlier addition.

Probably the most rare vintage Barbie doll available is the original 1959 doll wearing a black and white swimming suit.  You can take a look at one of those if your travels ever take you near the Smithsonian.  They are very rare but it is possible that you will find one selling at someone's garage sale (you never know!).  There are still quite a few vintage Barbies floating around out there in peoples attics and basements waiting to be discovered by collectors.

Collecting vintage Barbies can look like a hardcore business at times, but it should be fun first of all.  Serious collectors also find themselves playing the part of serious investors at times, so caveat emptor (buyer beware) certainly applies.  Do some research and enjoy yourself as you build your collection of vintage Barbie dolls!

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