Types of Antique Dolls

Pre-20th Century Wooden Dolls

• The oldest and most desired dolls were made in England during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. These dolls were carved from wood and hand-painted by skilled craftsmen. Further, their garments were also made by hand. As a result, many of these dolls are one-of-a-kind items. One rarely finds these dolls in mint condition or with their original costume. However, even beaten-up dolls of this variety may fetch very high prices.

Paper mache Dolls

• Beginning in the late 19th century, toy companies began to manufacture dolls from paper pulp. Most of these dolls have black hair, a child's body and wooden limbs. Their country of origin varies, but many were made in the United States, France and Germany. Compared with wooden dolls, paper mache dolls are much more common, but mint condition specimens usually sell for several hundred dollars.

Wax Dolls

• Wax dolls became common in the 19th century. Usually, their heads and limbs were created by pouring wax into a mold or by molding wax over paper mache. These dolls are extremely fragile, so mint condition specimens are extremely rare and expensive.

Matryoshka Dolls

• Matryoshka dolls, or nested dolls, are almost always from Russia. They consist of a set of hollow wooden dolls each of which can be unscrewed to reveal another figure of the same kind inside. Many of these dolls are hand-painted to look like women. However, other themes have proliferated in recent decades. For example, a popular variety of matryoshka consists of a series of Russian leaders. The largest doll (Putin) opens to reveal Yeltsin that opens to reveal Gorbachev and so on all the way back to Lenin. Larger and more elaborate matryoshkas often can fetch several hundred dollars.

Barbie Dolls

• Though not yet an actual antique, older Barbie dolls from the 1960s often fetch prices of thousands of dollars. They are made of vinyl plastic, mass-produced, with a date stamp on the right side buttock. Many of these dolls are fairly widespread so you may need to consult with an experienced collector to find out the actual value of the doll.