For many years, collecting dolls, along with the clothing they wear, have been a very popular hobby around the world.
Dolls normally fall into either of four categories; antique, collectible, modern, or contemporary. But regardless of the category, most dolls are still collectible.
Dolls are considered to be antique if they are at least one hundred years old, but, some that were made just before or during the early 1920's may be considered antique, also.
Collectibles are those that were made between 1920 and 1975. Dolls are said to be modern if they were made over the last 25 to 30 years, and those that are made today are called contemporary.
Even though the making and use of dolls as religious figures date back thousands of years, the first know commercial production of dolls started in the fifteenth century in factories in Germany.
Dolls have been found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians and were also buried in the graves of Greek and Roman children.
Materials used to make dolls include wood, clay, wax, rubber, porcelain, leather, cloth, corn husk, and other materials.
Like other collectibles and antiques, the value placed on dolls is determined by the manufacturer, the age, the condition, and the popularity at the time it was manufactured.
The most popular doll of the last one hundred years is the Barbie doll. First proposed by Ruth Handler in 1959, Barbie, named after her own daughter, Barbara, has become one of the most highly collectible dolls ever made.
Even today, Barbie's popularity is unrelenting. Even though she is challenged every eight or ten years by an upstart, she is still the queen of collectible dolls.
The BRATZ pack dolls, with there knack for fashion, are trying to challenge Barbie's supremacy today, yesterday it was the Cabbage Patch Kids, and tomorrow, who knows.
Other valued collectibles include Raggedy Ann, Bye-Lo Babies, GI Joe, Little Lady, and celebrity dolls such as Judy Garland, Shirley Temple and Jackie Kennedy, just to name a few.
What helps a doll maintain it's value is the condition it is in, which relates to it's clothing, it's accessories, and even the box it came in.
The collectible doll market is wide open with products made in Japan, Europe, and other countries around the world. But be careful because some of them may be re-issues or total rip offs.