Recent Pickings

Who doesn't love the thrill of the hunt?  This area contains highlights of thrilling true life adventures hunting for collectible dolls in Los Angeles.  Check here for the latest discoveries of new old stock, the interesting and unusual, and the journey along the way.

A local estate sale agent ran a Thursday preview sale today.  I thought that I saw a German character baby in the email photos.  I ran down from work, went to the sale, and there was the character baby.  It's a 142 mold socket head doll by Hertel & Schwab, about 14" tall.

Here's the same doll back in the photo booth in my office:

Hertel & Schwab mold 142 German bisque character baby

I hit two local estate sales this weekend.  One was a typical clear out the house to sell it sale that advertised antique dolls.  Turns out that those sellers' definition of  "antique" is hard plastic dolls from the 1950s.  The other sale was another estate, but that one was only selling the contents of various sheds, barns and outbuildings.  It is unusual to find a farm sale in this part of Los Angeles county, so I went to that one too.  Here are some of the items that I found:

Muffie dolls by Nancy Ann Storybook.  Both are walkers, one with painted eyebrows and one without the eyebrows.

Ginny by Vogue doll clothes for 8" doll, 1950s

Littlest Angel by Arranbee, 10-1/2 with jointed knees

Two hard plastic Nancy Ann Storybook dolls, one with blinking eyes and one in transitional painted eye style

Toni by Ideal doll, tagged dress, nylon wig

These items came from the barn sale:

Interesting Mid Century Industrial Chic Metal Shopping Basket

Mutual Liquid Gas Spec. Inglewood Cal. Cast Iron Pot Swing Bail Handle

Here are some finds from some other local estate sales this summer:

Limited edition Corolle doll by Catherine Refabert

Pretty Furga Italy doll with hangtag

Doll clothing, etc. from the crafter's estate.  Items include ca. 1985 Mattel My Child outfits in original packaging.

Earlier this year, I saw an add for dolls in a Saturday morning sale.  I arrived early, and began to look through the items.  First I only saw some fairly highly priced collector Barbies.  Then, I saw a small antique German bisque doll house doll on a table.  I poked around and found a shoe box under the table full of similar dolls.  Turns out it was the elderly seller's mother's personal collection from the early 1900s.  When I purchased the dolls, the seller cried.  But all of the little treasures found great homes.