2019 marks the 60th anniversary of one of the most iconic and revolutionary dolls of all time, Barbie™.
Barbie was created by Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel Inc., and a mom who saw her daughter’s toy choices as limited. Ruth was inspired to create a doll that showed girls they had career choices — that they could be anything.
Barbie debuted at the New York Toy Fair on March 9, 1959 with a follow-up television commercial on the Mickey Mouse Club program. After the ad aired on the Mickey Mouse Club, 350,000 dolls sold in the first year! At that time, you could buy the doll, brand new in the box, for around $3.
Fast forward to a short story I will share about Julie, a long-time collector of Barbie dolls and accessories. Julie’s health was failing and she contacted me to provide estate advice as to what to do with her collection.
She knew her children thought it was a bunch of junk and had no interest in it. She feared they would give the collection away or sell it at a garage sale, not fully understanding the value that might be there. Worse yet, she feared they would simply throw the collection in the trash.
She saw her collection as a legacy (cash value) she wanted to leave to her grandchildren. After our consultation, the net result was Julie realized more than $65,000 for her treasured collection. In fact, she got well over $3,000 for one of her early dolls!
The most expensive 1959 Barbie ever sold was at a 2006 auction in California for $27,450. That one was reported as perfect and never removed from box (NRFB). A recent check of online auction sites turned up a #3 Barbie (early 1960s) NRFB, currently offered for sale for $10,500.
If you find yourself in possession of a collection of vintage items, protect yourself by consulting someone with experience so you don’t suffer loss, but rather enjoy a gain! Call me and Know Before You Throw.
Jon Englund has more than 32 years of experience in appraising and liquidating personal property, jewelry, art, collectibles, antiques, furniture, printed items and more, as well as more than 17 years of experience in real estate. Jon, a Midwest transplant, trained at New York University in appraisal studies.
Donna Luger has assisted during that time and is a veteran Associate Broker and Realtor® with HomeSmart Realty – Elite Group.
For more information, call Jon direct at (480) 650-1422, or email Jon@KnowBeforeYouThrow.INFO.