For those who are looking for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, getting familiar with doll manufacturers and their types of dolls through the years is important. But, also important is identifying why you are looking for collectible dolls in San Francisco. Knowing whether your collectible dolls will be played with or pristinely set aside, purchased to relive a childhood memory of your own or to create a childhood memory for someone else, or purchased as an investment, then determining your budget is the best way to start when looking for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA.
Once your interests and budget is clear, getting to know doll manufacturers and their history is next. Take for instance The Alexander Doll Company and Madame Alexander Dolls. The company was founded by Madame Beatrice Alexander Behrman eighty years ago. Her love for dolls started as a youth watching her father repair dolls in America’s first doll hospital. As she later created her own line of fine quality, handcrafted dolls, she became known for her many innovations in the doll industry. Those “firsts” include making dolls based on movie characters, living persons, baby dolls, and full figures.
Any Madame Alexander doll made before the 1930s in considered to be an ‘antique Madame Alexander doll’. A ‘collectible Madame Alexander doll’ are those made more than 25 years ago, but less than 75 years ago. A “modern Madame Alexander doll’ has been made within the last 25 years and a ‘contemporary Madame Alexander doll’ is any doll in current production.
In the 1930s, Madame Alexander began making cloth dolls—one of the earliest is the Alice in Wonderland doll. Composition Madame Alexander dolls were then introduced. These are made of a mixture of several compounds (sawdust, paper, glue, and plaster of Paris)—examples are the Sonja Henie, Dionne Quintuplets, and Princess Elizabeth dolls. In 1948, hard plastic Madame Alexander dolls were created. The first of these had painted skin tones with later dolls being made of rose-colored plastic which were more durable and eliminated the fine cracking (or crazing) of the finish. These had sharper features. Examples include Cissy, Lissy, and Elise. There are many excellent doll manufacturers. The Alexander Doll Company is just one of them.
And choosing the right collectible doll, whether it’s a Madame Alexander doll or another one like Aston Drake, the usage, the era, the value, and even accessories are all important factors when looking for collectible dolls in San Francisco, CA. We, here at Better Everything, can recommend Stella’s Treasures for a little more Madame Alexander Doll history, a great selection of doll manufacturers and dolls, accessories, books, and great advice.