Collecting Barbie Dolls--Make Money While You Play

By: John Mowatt

Barbie will be 50 years old in 2009. Wow I wish we all looked
that good at 50. Of course she has had plastic surgery over the
decades. She has even had a complete body replacement.

Barbie was first made in 1959 by Mattel and millions have been
sold all over the globe since then. Barbies official birthday is
March 9th 1959 which is when she was shown at the New York toy
Fair. She wore a one piece black and white zebra striped
swimsuit,high heel open toe shoes,hoop earrings and had white
sunglasses with blue lenses. She has blonde or brunette hair
pulled back in a ponytail and she has strongly arched eyebrows
and white irises. She was made from a type of plastic which has
faded to white over the years. She has copper tubing in her legs
and holes in the feet for mounting on a pedestal. She is marked
JAPAN on the bottom of the right foot and on the body she is
marked Barbie TM Pats. Pend. Copyright MCMVIII.

If you find one of these dolls in good condition you have a
collectors delight which is worth quite a bit of money. The
exact value depends on the condition and completeness of the
doll. Any missing parts or damage will lower the value
substantially. This doll is known as the #1 Ponytail Barbie.

The #2 Ponytail Barbie is the same as #1 except that there is no
copper tubing in the legs or holes in the feet. The pedestal was
changed and made with extensions to support the doll.

The #3 Ponytail Barbie is the same as #2 but has different
eyebrows and blue irises. She has either brown or blue eyeliner
makeup.

The #4 Ponytail Barbie is made from a non fading plastic which
retains it's flesh color. She has blue eyeliner makeup.

The #5 Ponytail Barbie had a new hollow plastic body. The
earlier dolls were made from solid plastic. The markings are
similar with the difference that she is marked R Pats. Pend.
rather than TM Pats. Pend. A new hair color was added to the
line,known as titian,and dolls with this hair color are scarcer
and therefore worth more than the brunette or blonde dolls. Some
of these dolls had a problem in the plastic which developed a
greasy look with age. If you find a matte faced doll it is worth
more than a greasy faced specimen,.

The #6 Ponytail Barbie was made from a new vinyl which does not
develop a greasy appearance as it ages. Her lips and fingernails
are a pinkish red rather than the previous bright red. She is
clad in a red swimsuit and has open toe,red,shoes.

The #7 Ponytail Barbie was made in various different hair colors
including brunette, titian,lemon blonde and ash blonde. Nails
and lips on this doll are coral red in color. This new edition
was brought out in the 1962-1963 period and the markings became
Midge TM copyright 1962/Barbie copyright 1958 by Mattel. Dolls
with this new marking are often called the #7 Ponytail Barbie
but many people still call them #6. Dolls made before the 1962
change are harder to find and therefore worth more than the new
edition.

Condition is undoubtedly the most important factor in putting a
value on early Barbie dolls. Collectors want a doll which is
clean,completely original and not damaged.Such a doll fetches
top price. If the doll is in its original packaging,and in mint
condition,it is a highly desirable collectors doll and will
fetch a premium price. Dolls which have in any way been
repaired,restored or repainted are worth less than those left in
the faded original condition.

Where can you expect to find early collectible Barbie dolls? The
answer is almost anywhere,if you know what you are looking for.
The vast majority of people do not know what an old Barbie doll
looks like or that it is valuable. You can find old Barbie dolls
sometimes by looking in thrift or second hand stores,flea markets
and garage sales. Be sure to carry a magnifier to read the
markings on the Barbie dolls when you are out there searching.
Best of Luck.

Article Source: http://collectibles-articles.com

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