How to Collect Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls

Check to see whether the doll has its original box. This is one of the best indications that a Nancy Ann collectible doll is authentic. The Nancy Ann dolls produced between 1936 and 1939 have boxes with a sunburst pattern. Boxes made from 1937-1938 are accompanied by a gold label. Boxes produced from 1938-1939 have silver dots. Box designs created in 1940 have a colored background and white dots. Those made from 1941-1947 are white with colored dots.

Check for a gold sticker or tag. You can find this important sign of the authenticity of Nancy Ann Storybook dolls in different places depending on when the doll was made. There is a gold sticker attached to the dresses of dolls made from 1936-1940. You can identify dolls made after 1941 by their gold wrist tag.

Look at the doll's body type. The baby dolls made in 1936 are only 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches tall. Some dolls produced in 1937 and 1938 have molded hair, and others made in 1938 and 1939 have molded socks or bangs. Nancy Ann dolls from 1940 may have the "pudgy" body. These are more valuable than the "slim-strung" body type, which was produced around the same time. Both pudgy and slim-strung dolls have jointed legs. Dolls made from 1943-1947 have "frozen legs," which are immovable at the hip. Later, "frozen leg" dolls had plastic arms.

Check the condition of the doll, as flaws and damage reduce the dolls' value. Common issues include crazing, mussed hair, discoloration, torn and soiled clothing, detached limbs and missing pieces. Also, many Nancy Ann Storybook dolls came with accessories and are not worth as much without them. Broken dolls with missing parts can be worth money. Still, you shouldn't pay too much.