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 QUESTION: Hi Anne, I found a doll in an antique shop that I was thinking about purchasing but I can't find anything about it online and one dealer that I know in this mall insists that it can't be AM because they only made bisque heads. The head is compo and the cloth body feels like straw - it's a large baby (not a long dress) in it's original faded clothing. (I'll have to double check but I think the head is only marked A & M - I'm going to take pictures of it Wed. if you need to see it) To me, it reminds me of a style that would have been popular in the 20's. She's probably 18" (maybe a little more) and her body is sorta "fat" in style. Without seeing the photos, do you know if they made compo headed dolls and, if so, who she might be? The dealer has her on hold for me and wants in the neighborhood of $200 + - could you give me an idea of if the price is too much? I'd be happy to send you the pics on Wed. if you need to see them. The compo is in Ex cond. the body is good - the clothing, although original is totally faded and dirty (attic find). I'd appreciate any help you might offer. Thanks for taking the time - Dee
QUESTION: You were right - here's the pic - I have others if u need to see more - Thanks! IMAGE: unknown AM Doll Co doll
ANSWER: Dear Dee,
The style of the facepaint and the construction of this doll look to me like those of an American Doll and Toy Company doll. She should be marked "AM. DOLL" on the back of her shoulder plate. She is probably stuffed with excelsior, a wooly stuffing material made of very fine wood strips, which would account for the straw-like feel of her body. This was a common inexpensive stuffing until the use of polyester fiber.
Due to the fit, it's very doubtful that the clothing is original, but it is appropriate to the era. What she is wearing is most likely a small child's undergarment.
She is really quite over-priced, especially in that her condition is not as clean condition as one can still obtain these days for this type of doll.
If you love the doll, I suggest negotiating a price no more than half the $200.00+ you say the dealer wants for the doll. $85.00 should be a satisfactory price to both parties. The cloth-bodied composition dolls are not commanding large prices on the current secondary market. (As I have repeated in every other answer to queries on value, ebay sets the market standard for all but the rare and high-end genuinely antique dolls, as it is encompasses a worldwide market and has a competitive auction format. Check ebay listings for dolls similar to your own to assess present secondary market value and trends.)
Having said that, I am now going to contradict myself. If this particular doll has stolen your heart and you will feel wistful at not taking her home, buy her at whatever price she seems worth to YOU. If the dealer will not budge on the price and you are able to afford it without feeling cheated, you may feel the cost of ownership is worth the price. Whatever its present or projected value, it is not as if this doll were a modern production line doll that you could always find again.
Dolls stir the associations of childhood and, in that they are representations of human beings, have the ability to elicit an emotional response in us. The act of falling in love is subject to inexplicable personal variables.
If you are interested in the doll largely for its potential value, I would not recommend the purchase. There are far too many better examples of composition dolls in excellent condition available at that price.
Please do let me know what you decide and how you make out!
All the very best to you,
Anne
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QUESTION: Anne, Thanks so much for the reply. The back of her shoulder plates reads AM Doll Co and below that is either they copyright symbol or a C - Her face is what attracted me and, after researching Armand M I couldn't find anything like her (and another antique dealer friend kept telling me it couldn't be because they didn't make compo dolls) thus I turned to you. I do have a question - DID Arm/Mar ever make compo dolls? She was and still is over-priced and I won't be buying her. After I examined her, she has been repaired (probably by a father or gfather) in the legs (one has the metal cut from a tin can or something with writing while the other side is the original joint). I have another one I'd like for you to identify if you can and I'll send u pics - hopefully tomorrow - she is an internet purchase - thanks so much! Dee
Answer Dear Dee,
Wise decision! I am hesitant in trying to dissuade a buyer whose heart is set on a particularly lovely face. But dolls can be vastly overpriced, especially by those who are unknowledgeable about dolls. Old is not antique and not all antiques have a high value. Value begins with the popular market interest and then includes rarity, condition and originality. That elusive quality that Jan Foulke, appraiser per excellence and compiler of the indispensable Blue Books of doll values, refers to as "presence" is that attractiveness that draws us to a particular doll.
I know the feeling of being attracted to a doll's face and then discovering the purchase has been one for complicated restoration. I once bought-and still have-a very sweet-faced unmarked hard plastic doll from the late 40's -early 50's. When she arrived, I cut the homemade clothes from her to discover that the clothing was holding her legs on! She is an old walker that someone broke thoroughly in trying to repair with yards of yarn and then had sewn snugly snuggly into a body suit! I still love the doll's face and am still searching for a diagram of her walking mechanism so that I can make a repair without replacing her legs. She has been rejected by doll hospitals as an unfeasible restoration. I don't want to disembowel a working walker to get parts and I want to restore her original walking function rather than stringing her. I prowl yard sales looking for a headless doll with a similar walking mechanism. Was she worth the price? Well, at $10.00, plus shipping, yes -to me. She was an online purchase that I could have returned for a refund.
Be very careful in making online purchases of a vintage doll to get from the seller a series of detailed photos, including all markings and the full undressed body, front and back and any areas of damage or wear. If the seller balks at supplying additional photos or undressing the doll, beware. Also make sure to inquire about the return policy. A responsible seller will usually make a full or partial refund on a doll with overlooked defects. Shipping costs are usually not refunded. If the seller is an online store, check an independent ratings service for their reliability. On ebay, cross-check the seller-buyer feedback for the nature of any negative feedback for the seller.
I look forward to seeing the next doll you are contemplating.
ARMAND MARSEILLE COMPO HEAD
DID Armand Marseille make a composition head? I have found a few inconclusive references to a composition AM head and some photos that are not well-documented. Apparently, there were a few, though, including a composition-mask- over-bisque Googly. Remember, AM made heads for other doll manufacturers and Fulper Pottery bought up some of the AM moulds in the 1920's. Fulper dolls are marked "Fulper", usually in a vertical line.
Apparently the 995 AM mould was used to produce a composition head doll which is marked Armand Marseille on the head, but I don't have a well-documented photo at the moment.
I have written to others with more expertise on AM dolls and will post the results of my research. I will keep you posted!
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