CAmerican ollecting
Girl Dolls
EQUINE Lifestyle
Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori
By Dr. Lori Verderame
So, you don’t think the millennial generation are saving objects,
collecting vintage pieces, displaying antiques, well maybe you should
think again. I have been evaluating the collections of 20 and 30 year
old collectors for a long, long time. They are seasoned collectors that
know a lot about the market for a special, historic collectible called
American Girl Dolls.
The three original American
Girl Dolls were Molly
McIntire, Kirsten Larson,
and Samantha Parkington.
Each doll was produced
by the Pleasant
Company prior to the
company being acquired by Mattel, Inc. Some dolls have
since been discontinued making those particular dolls
somewhat rare and typically more pricey and more desirable
with collectors.
To recognize the American Girl Dolls, collectors have
to learn the background of each doll. Arguably the most
valuable of the dolls include: Molly, Kirsten, and Samantha.
The Molly McIntire doll represents a 9-year-old girl living
during World War II, circa 1941-45. Like all American Girl
Dolls, Molly has books and accessories based on her story
including eye glasses, skirt, blouse, sweater, socks and
shoes. Molly, like other American Girl Dolls, has additional
accessories called “Meet accessories” including a purse,
wartime Steel penny from 1943, and a picture of her father
American Girl Dolls were produced by the Pleasant Company
and came onto the scene in 1986. The first three dolls
captured the background of historical figures in the form of
9-year-old girls living at specific times in American history.
The first dolls produced from 1986 to 1991 were character
dolls Molly McIntire, Kirsten Larson, and Samantha Parkington.
These three original American Girl Dolls are valuable
collectibles and attract both adults and children audiences
today. The dolls are robustly traded online, at American
Girl Doll events and on social media sites. The dolls’ collectors
are very active on Instagram showing off their varied
customization of the figural dolls, fashion outfits, and books.
The values for American Girl Dolls vary based on several
factors including condition of the doll body, hair, outfits,
and accessories as well as the type of doll and the
popularity of the doll’s character and story. Some of the
doll characters were featured in television and full-length
feature movies making those particular American Girl Doll
characters better known and thus, more valuable than
other dolls including Samantha, Kit, and Molly.
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