SOUTHAMPTON, Penn. — The title of Stephenson’s Sunday, October 1 auction gets straight to the point. Dolls! is devoted to the colorful world of dolls and accessories from the late 1800s through the 21st century. Absentee and live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
“This auction consists primarily of dolls from estates and collections in the Greater Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic region,” said Cindy Stephenson, owner of Stephenson’s Auction Company in suburban Bucks County, Pennsylvania. “On the antique side, there are some fine French and German bisque-head dolls, and for those who collect contemporary dolls, there are many postwar and TV-related favorites in excellent condition with original boxes.”
European ‘porcelain’ highlights include an 18in bisque Tete Jumeau fashion doll with blue paperweight eyes and details including painted lashes, feathered eyebrows, and an open mouth with shaded lips. In very good condition, it will cross the auction block with a $1,500-$2,500 estimate.
The American selection includes several Martha Chase (1851-1925) cotton-stuffed cloth stockinette dolls. Made in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Chase dolls are beloved for their primitive style and charming oil-painted faces. The 1920s examples in the sale are estimated at $200-$300 each.
A collection of 1950s Vogue Ginny dolls, factory clothing and accessories, all in very good to excellent condition, has been apportioned into 32 auction lots. The hard-plastic doll that charmed little girls in the 1950s assumes many roles and appears here as several storybook characters, as well as a pageant winner, a skier, a fun-seeker, and both a bride and bridesmaid. The Queen of Hearts Ginny and Coronation Queen Ginny are each estimated at $300-$500, while a 1950 Ginny Half Century Miss 1910 doll is estimated at $300-$400.
Fans of Madame Alexander dolls will find a plentiful array from which to choose. A 1930s or 40s composition and cloth Baby McGuffey Ana doll has an estimate of $300-$400 while, from the same period, a boxed 7in Gretel doll from the Little Betty series carries a $250-$350 estimate.
Vintage and special-edition Barbies include a blond #4 Ponytail Barbie in a striped swimsuit, with its original box, stand and 1961 brochure, estimated at $200-$400, while boxed examples of Tonner’s glamorous fashion doll Ellowyne Wilde offered in a variety of accessorized ensembles are estimated at $200-$400.
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