Fun and Profit Collecting Barbies

Fun and Profit Collecting Barbies
By Steve Dolan
One of the most popular collector items is dolls. Collectible dolls can range from antique dolls to modern collectible dolls. If you are interested in collecting dolls, it would be a good idea to focus on a particular type of collectible doll.

Certainly one of the most rewarding and exciting is collectible Barbie dolls. Barbies have become extremely popular since they first came out in 1959. What little girl is there that doesn't own at least one Barbie. The value of collectible Barbies is quite high, so much so, that today there are even Barbies that can be specially designed according to collectors' needs.

People Who Collect Barbies
While every little girl owns a Barbie, most of them do not collect them. Let's face it, the fun of a Barbie is dressing her and doing her hair for those dates with Ken, but the price for this fun is that the monetary value of the doll is shot.

Most of the people who actually collect Barbies are adults. It is believed that there are well over a hundred thousand adults that own these wonderful collectible dolls. Nearly all these adults are women, and about ten percent of Barbie collectors are male. Furthermore, the women that own such collections are statistically usually in their forties, and purchase an average of twenty such dolls each year, sometimes spending about a thousand or more dollars in the process.

How to Collect Barbies
Rule Number One: Keep It in the Box

If you wish to maintain the value of your collectible Barbies, you must leave them in their boxes. Part of the value of a Barbie is the original box; therefore most experienced collectors do not ever remove their collectible Barbies from their boxes. The value of collectible Barbies can depreciate by as much fifty percent if they are taken out of their boxes.

As a collector of Barbie dolls you have a choice to make about whether to take the doll out of its box to enjoy while losing out on value, or simply console yourself that the doll in its box is beautiful and will maintain its value even though you will not get a chance to touch and play with it. However, you can buy a collectible Barbie doll packaged in a lift-off box, so you can still enjoy playing with and feeling your Barbie. In this way it will still look great while it retains its value as a collectible.

Rule Number Two: Ask An Expert
Finding collectible Barbies is not a difficult task, but getting to know the value of your collection can require a bit of effort. Before you are able to accurately judge the value of collectible Barbies, you may need to ask an expert or read up on the literature pertaining to collectible Barbie dolls. If you are new to this activity, be sure to realize that there are a number of sources for you to tap into in your quest for information on collectible Barbie dolls.

There are two classes of collectible Barbie, vintage and modern. Vintage dolls are those produced from 1959 to the early eighties; modern dolls are produced from the mid-eighties on. Both classes have collectible value.

The value of your Barbie can depend on several factors. For example, if you look on eBay, the price can vary according to who is selling the Barbie (if it is a reputable dealer the price will be more), also on the photograph of the doll, and the spending power of the purchaser. Evaluating the current value of collectible Barbies can be a bit confusing. You will find that a Barbie gift set in perfect condition can fetch anything from one hundred thirty dollars to two hundred fifty five dollars.

What Styles of Barbies to Collect

Most collectors who collect Barbies because of their value will gravitate towards Label dolls. These pieces have very detailed attention paid to clothes and accessories. The Platinum Label doll is produced in limited editions that do not exceed a thousand such dolls, and are sometimes only found in a specific retail shop. The White Chocolate Obsession Barbie Doll is a wonderful example of such a collectible doll, and the name refers to the scent of white chocolate that exudes from the doll's hair. Other similar collectible Barbies include Faerie Queen, Badgley Mischka Bride Barbie, as well as the very restricted Nurse Barbie doll that has been designed by Robert Best.

However, Barbie dolls are so popular that they are also made based on TV shows, movies, and famous personalities. Collectors find them appealing, and the value of these popular Barbies will often appreciate. When considering collectible Barbies, these are perhaps the type of collectible Barbie doll that will come to mind first.

There are many elements to consider when collecting Barbies, so it is important that your first and foremost consideration is how well you like a particular Barbie. For most collectors the fun is in the owning and enjoying of a special Barbie, and if it happens to become valuable, so much the better.

Steve Dolan has been collecting for many years. Find out more about collectible dolls at Collectible Dolls. Steve's main collectibles site is Collecting and Collectibles.

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