Vintage Barbie
Summary: The discussion topic is centered around "Vintage Barbie," but no specific content or context was provided in the posts by samal_9264, soh.maryl, or kathiec. The conversation remains unclear as all posts and responses lack substantive information beyond the title.
Hi all. I just scored a like new, or never been played with Brunette Ponytail #3 (no box). Ive done a lot of research on #3s and all indications are that her toe- and finger nail polish (all present) is original. Her eyes and makeup are flawless according to several vintage Barbie website descriptions. Her poodle bangs are in great shape and her ponytail is nice and tight. Her curl at the bottom has come loose and is now several small bouncy curls that give her a fuller ponytail look. She must have been bought new in 1960, taken out of the box, admired then put away for decase with proper storage. Her original earrings were removed and repkaced with friendlier ones as she has no green at all. I’m wondering what she is worth. All same dolls on ebay have this flaw or that flaw. Mine has no flaws that I can tell. Her butt markings are consistent with #3s. Her body has faded to a lovely ivory. Thats the only thing (and her curls). anyone wanna put a price on her?
kathiec
·2 months ago@samal_9264
No one is going to even venture a guess on value without at the very least a great many detailed photos. And even that would be problematic, as there are things you can only determine when actually seeing the doll. For example, you can't determine whether face paint is original just by looking at a website. I've been collecting vintage Barbie for 35 years, and I still use a loupe to detect touch-ups.
If you're looking to sell her and don't have access to an appraiser to actually look at her, my advice is to do an auction starting at a price determined by looking at what other #3s have sold for and letting the bidders determine the price. Barbie collectors are always looking for good #3s, so let them determine value. If you get a bidding war (and I've seen some doozys) I think you'll be very pleased with the ending bid.
soh.maryl
·2 months agoSince even experts are reluctant to put a price on an item without examining it in person, doubt you'll get a lot of suggestions. You might want to do your own research, which, have to admit will be only a guess. Have you looked at those that have sold here to kind of figure out an average or ballpark price? How do people determine which Barbie it is if there's no box?
kathiec
·2 months ago@soh.maryl
With vintage Barbie, boxes have no meaning in determining what Barbie it is. These aren't like modern collector dolls that never come out of the box. These were children's toys, and boxes were seldom even kept. I remember cutting out the illustrations on my Barbies' boxes to use as dolls for my paper dolls. So even if a vintage Barbie has a box it's not necessarily going to be the one that came with doll. Instead there's a system of butt marks, hair properties, and face paint colors that are used to determine which doll it is.
soh.maryl
·2 months agoThank you. That's very interesting and seems like something you'd have to study to be well informed about.
Six of my 8 grandchildren were girls and all of them enjoyed playing with Barbies. Most of those I had around here were TS girls, no boxes and sometimes no clothes. At the time one of my granddaughters even made me buy a bald Barbie at the Salvation Army thrift store. A girl in her 3rd grade at school was going through chemo and she wanted all the kids in her class to not forget her friend.