Composition began to be used in doll bodies in the late 1800s. Composition dolls with heads made of composition became very popular during the early part of the twentieth century.


One of the reasons they became so popular was their resistance to breakage.  Many little girls were left sadly holding the pieces of a favorite broken doll up until these dolls were introduced.   These dolls still make up a significant niche in doll collecting, although due to their age and what they are made of, they can be more difficult to find in good condition than many other dolls. To make composition dolls, pulped paper or wood was molded by placing it under pressure. Sawdust and glue were also commonly mixed together for this purpose.

After around the mid point of the last century, dolls were more commonly manufactured from hard plastic that didn't get damaged as easily as composition. If you find a composition doll that is in good condition, it is not necessarily going to be worth a lot of money. There are enough common ones still in existence that you should check a pricing guide before spending too much on one. There are some vintage composition dolls that are worth a decent amount of money. If you happen upon a composition doll that is a representation of a celebrity or one that is in exceptional condition with only light or no crazing, you might have something special.

One of the standard ways to judge the relative value of collectible dolls today is to see how similar dolls are selling on eBay.  You can certainly still look up your favorite dolls in price guide books, but if you want to see the actual transactions that have been made recently, eBay is can be a great guide.

There are no big surprises here to be honest.  The classics that you might expect to see are all present. Madame Alexander Toddler quintuplets sold for a hair over $700.  Of course Madame Alexander dolls are in that exclusive class of vintage dolls that you know will sell well if they are in decent condition.  The fact that there were quintuplet dolls being sold pretty much guarantees that there will be interest.  Other top sellers were composition Shirley Temple dolls and a Monica dolls from the 1940s.