About Anne Hoffmann Expertise As a modest collector of appropriately vintage age, I'm good at identifying American vintage dolls (largely late 1940's-1970's) and have the interest and resources to research particularly challenging identifications. I would hesitate to make specific value estimates, however, as markets fluctuate and I am not a professional appraiser. I can recommend at-home repair methods and resources for particular repair instructions and supplies. I can differentiate repairs that will enhance or devalue the historical significance of your doll.
Experience For one, I am 58 and a life-long doll lover. I played with many of these dolls! I am an adult collector, hampered only by my inability to afford the high-end and rare collectibles. I do some doll identification for sellers on eBay and am in demand for local yard sale and church pricing of doll "finds". I like folks to be able to realize a good return for their offerings by correctly identifying their dolls for collectors. I am highly literate and like people as well as dolls! I was briefy a customer service associate for JC Penney (one of those "filler" jobs) and enjoyed resolving issues to customer satisfaction. I am retired and spend a lot of time studying dolls. On the down side, while having an excellent command of the English language, I am a poor typist.
Education/Credentials None for doll collecting. I was a draftsman and machine programmer for an architectural metal firm.
Question Hi Anne! I've recently been given 3 Seymour Mann dolls. Two are 16" and one is 17". The two 16" are Victorian dressed with LOTS of reddish brown curley hair. The back of their necks are stamped with "The Connoisseur Doll Collection" plus the signature "Seymour" above a bold-print "Mann", then "Seymour Mann Inc MCMXCV". One of the 16" dolls name tag is "Anne" and the other "Dana". The 17" has dark blonde hair which is braided down either side then pulled to the top of her head. Her name is "Nancy". I've looked on e-bay and several antique doll sites but see none that look like these dolls. I would appreciate any information you can provide. Many thanks! Susaan
Answer Seymour Mann has long been an importer of various decorative accessories and collectibles. Seymour Mann, Inc. introduced, several decades ago, a large series of affordable "collectible" dolls from sculpts by various artists employed by Seymour Mann, Inc., including Seymour Mann's wife, Eda. Her original doll designs gave the original cachet to the collectible doll end of this import business. Gideon Oberweger, CEO, is married to Seymour and Eda's youngest daughter, so it is still very much a family business.
A bit of interesting Seymour Mann history is that in 2004, the Middleton Doll Co. won a copyright infringement verdict against Seymour Mann, Inc. for unauthorized copies of copyrighted face, hand and foot sculptures created exclusively for Lee Middleton Original Dolls, Inc. by artist Reva Schick.
Seymour Mann, Inc. no longer markets dolls, which may increase values slightly, although collectible dolls, in contrast to antique, vintage and high-end artist dolls, do not seem to have a strong secondary market appeal at present and are generally going at prices far below their original retail.
The sheer number of Seymour Mann issues makes finding a particular doll sometimes difficult. Your best bet continues to be ebay, as it is worldwide in scope and has set the secondary market value for many collectibles, including dolls. I recommend you save an ebay search for "Seymour Mannn doll" that supplies email notifications for new listings.
You may be able to get some information by writing to the company, depending on how exacting their records of these manufactures has been. Be sure to include a clear, identified photograph of each doll and provide a detailed description of each.
The address is:
Seymour Mann, Inc.
2100 N Stemmons Fwy Ste 2038
Dallas, TX 75207-3006
