Most girls love playing with their favourite dolls, but have you thought about the history of them? There is evidence that dolls first existed in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. They were made from materials such as clay, stone, ivory, bone, wood and even leather and wax. 

In the 17th and 18th wooden and wax dolls were the main materials used in making dolls. These although rare do come up for sale at auction and can fetch several thousand pounds. Later in the late 19th and early 20th century Germany and France were the main doll manufacturers and these dolls featured a bisque porcelain face often with the makers name and model number of the doll impressed into the back of the head. Some let’s talk about these dolls.

Bisque dolls are characterised by their realistic, skin-like matte finish. Their peak of popularity was between 1860 and 1900. Antique German and French bisque dolls from the 19th century were often made as children's playthings, but today contemporary bisque dolls are predominantly made directly for the collectors market. There were seven prominent factories in Thuringia, Germany making china dolls from the early 1840's through the 1930's. One such maker was Simon and Halbig who were known for bisque doll heads with subtle colouring. Another maker was Jumeau who were producing dolls as early as the 1860’s but the first dolls were ladies or fashion dolls known as poupées. 1877 to 1878 was an important time for Jumeau because they introduced the child dolls (bebés) with fully articulated wood and composition bodies. But the most prolific maker was Armand Marseille who produced baby, child and character dolls with glass or painted eyes. The bodies were made of stuffed kid, cloth or composite material.

Another very popular area of collecting is dolls from the 1960’s and 1970’s. One of the most sought after is of course Barbie.  She is a fashion doll first introduced on 9th March 1959 and was created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler and manufactured by the toy and entertainment company Mattel. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over six decades. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. Barbie and her male counterpart, Ken, have been described as the two most popular dolls in the world. 

Another similar doll that you will remember was Sindy which launched in September 1963 by Pedigree Toys Ltd.  Britain’s new teenage fashion doll was dressed in a range of outfits created by cutting-edge designers Foale and Tuffin.

Slightly less well know are Sacha dolls named after her designer, Sasha Morgenthaler who lived in Switzerland. They were manufactured between 1965-1986 are very popular with collectors today, as their unique design has stood the test of time. Sasha dolls were made in England by Frido/Trendon from 1965 to 1986. The English Sasha is the most familiar to collectors, this doll is based on Sasha Morgenthaler's Type III head and face.

Dolls with links to fashion designers are sort after at auction. One such doll Daisy by Mary Quant which was released in the UK in 1973 and was marketed with the tag line "Mary Quant makes Daisy the best dressed doll in the world". Her name was a reference to Mary Quant's logo, a daisy flower. The doll was manufactured in the 1970’s in Hong Kong by Model Toys Ltd, in connection with Flair Toys Ltd. All of Daisy's clothes were designed by Mary.

Palitoy a British toy company manufactured some of the most popular toys in Britain, some original items and others under licence. Its products included Action Man, Action Girl, Action Force, Tiny Tears, Tressy and Pippa. So let me tell you about a couple. Pippa was a "pocket-sized" fashion doll produced between 1972 and 1980. She was only 6.5 inch high and Palitoy produced over 30 different versions Pippa and her Friends. Tressy was first made in 1964. She has side glancing eyes and longish rooted hair. She has hard vinyl arms and straight legs. She came in a triangular shaped box with a stand and was dressed in a lemon, blue or pink dress with a little chain belt, every little girls dream doll!

So if you have any dolls you are thinking of selling or just want to know more about the team here at Sheffield Auction Gallery are here to help.