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How to Identify Antique Porcelain Dolls

Dating to the 17th century, the earliest dolls were simple peg-like wooden objects dressed in scraps of fabric. Porcelain dolls--in fact, dolls with porcelain heads, as the bodies were usually made from a pressed wood-pulp material known as composition--were popular from the early 1800s until a century later, when they were superseded by hard-plastic models. You should be able to identify them with relative ease.

Instructions

- 1
  Look for initial signs of age by glancing through the doll's clothes. Assuming they are original, they won't make use of Velcro or poppers. In addition, you will probably find traces of trapped dust and occasional signs of perishing or fading.
- 2
  Establish whether the doll is porcelain by comparing the head to the fingers. Because the former is supposedly porcelain and the latter should be composition, the head ought to have a much finer finish. On most late 19th-century porcelain dolls, you should also be able to remove the wig and peer inside the doll's head. Glazed porcelain heads will be glossy on the outside but matte within. Another way-- not for everyone--of testing whether a head is porcelain is to touch it with your teeth. In comparison to other possible materials such as composition, wax or plastic it should feel hard and cold.
- 3
  Check the back of the doll's head for a maker's name and mold number-- not all have them, but many do. By typing these into your computer's search engine, you should be able to find similar dolls listed on online stores and auction sites. The accompanying descriptions will probably include a rough date.

Collecting Vintage Toys