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History
Dolls created before 1930 are considered antique by most collectors. Most antique dolls were made after 1850, although you may be able to find dolls that were made earlier in the 19th century and even some that were made in the 18th century. Dolls from the 17th century are extremely rare--only about 30 are believed to exist.
Types
Antique dolls are usually made out of wood, papier mâché, wax, porcelain or bisque. The "type" of doll is determined by what the head is made out of since the body is usually stuffed. The earliest dolls are wood ones that were made in the 18th and early 19th century that are referred to as "Queen Anne" dolls, despite the fact that Queen Anne died in 1714. Papier mâché dolls were made beginning in the 19th century into the early 20th century. Wax dolls came after paper mâché--the earliest wax doll that has been found was made in 1840. Porcelain dolls can either be glazed, which are called china dolls, or unglazed, which are called Parians and are more rare. Bisque dolls were made primarily in Germany and France after 1840. Most bisque dolls are fashion dolls.
Significance
About 1850, the French came out with a new doll called Bébés, which are significant because they were made to look like children. Up until that point, dolls were made to look like adults. French Bébés were extremely popular from the 1860s up until 1880s, when German doll makers came out with a similar, but cheaper, version.
Famous Collectors
Dolls have not been "just for kids" for a long time. Adults have been collecting dolls since at least the 17th century. Some famed collectors include Queen Victoria and author Georges Sands. In fact, Queen Elisabeth of Romania, also known as Carmen Sylva, had a collection that was so large that four train cars were needed to transport it around Germany when it was shown for charity.
Significance
According to About.com, the most expensive antique dolls are bisque dolls which can fetch prices of more than $200,000. Interestingly, this is the same price of an original G.I. Joe doll that was made in the 1970s. However, these are not the most expensive dolls in the world. That honor goes to L'Oiseleur, or the Bird Trainer. This 4-foot-high automaton doll has over 2,340 steel parts and is capable of playing the flute running only a series of spring-driven gears. His prices is a mere $6.25 million.