Advice for Beginning Paper Doll Collectors

Narrow what you collect

Define a parameter on what kinds of paper dolls you want to collect such as: childhood paper dolls, fashion history, politics, comics, ballet, opera, fashion design, babies, celebrities (movies, politics, royalty), children, men, storybook characters, military, antique, magazine pages, artist prints, and original art, to name a few.

Some collectors like paper toys such as: furniture, doll houses, vehicles, animals, jumping jacks, villages, stage sets, etc. And there are odd places to find PDs: on fabric, wrapping paper, greeting cards, unexpected publications, stickers, wood, or rubber stamps. The possibilities are as limitless as creators' imaginations.

Choose a subject or two that you really love, and try to stick with that to control your spending. However, your collection will expand nearly on its own accord once you get started. We caution you when buying from general antique dealers who do not specialize in paper, as they often have inflated ideas of the value of fairly contemporary PDs. And some unscrupulous ones pawn off reproductions as true antiques. If the price seems too high, it probably is. Educate yourself first, meanwhile shop garage sales for some real bargains.

Contemporary Paper Doll Publishers

New paper dolls from publishers like B. Shackman, Paper Studio Press and Dover may not seem very collectible now, but even within the last 20 years, some have greatly increased in value. Those that have been discontinued or had small production runs are likely to be more valuable because of their comparative scarcity.

Some major paper doll publishers have gone out of business or stopped publishing paper dollincluding Green Tiger Press, Hobby House, Athena, Evergreen, Archie Comics (Katy Keene) and many others. So their publications become desirable as soon as they are no longer on the market.

Magazine Paper Dolls

Magazine paper dollscan net you at least the cost of the magazine within a couple years of their publication because of their inaccessibility after a short time. Take them out or not? Purists like to collect the whole magazine, but 99% of collectors have space as a major consideration and carefully remove them with a sharp blade or neat tearing out, so they can put them in binder sleeves for easy viewing and enjoyment.

To Cut or Not to Cut

Those who really like to play with their PDs and want to see what costumes look like on the dolls do like to cut them. In fact, if you love cut dolls for this reason, you can build a collection of older pds more cheaply than others who want perfection, as cut dolls sell for a great deal less than uncut. As for today's PDs, you can solve this by buying two-one to keep and one to cut. Many people do this.

I have spoken with editors of the major doll publications and they pretty much expect people to make one playable copy (not multiples due to copyright issues) of paper dolls published in their magazine.

Magazines and Reference Books

For a wealth of information about vintage, collectible paper dolls, the Paperdoll Review MagazinePaperdoll Review Magazine is tops! For a sample issue, send $8 plus 4.95 shipping to Paperdoll Review, PO Box 14, Kingfield, ME 04947. A recommended reference book is Tomart's Price Guide to Saalfield and Merrill Paper Dolls, available on the second hand market.

Collecting Artist Paper Dolls

As a working PD artist, I urge you to consider collecting contemporary artists' work. Much of the work we do is printed in limited quantities in black and white or color laser copies and become collectible within a few years. Also, if you follow an artist's career and support them as a fan, you feel part of the joy as they move up the ladder of success and you can say, "I knew her/him when." These artists may be the Queen Holdens of tomorrow. OPDAG's Paper Doll Studio is a great place to see work by artists of today.

Where to Buy Paper Dolls

For new and reproduction paper dolls, visit paperdollreview.com, eBay.com, and Amazon.com. For vintage paper dolls, check out eBay.com. Many artists over self-published paper dolls on Etsy.com. Also check out Judy Johnson's papergoodies.com for a huge offering of vintage reprints.

Have Fun

It's fun to gather a collection, organize it, show it to visitors, and share with other collectors via newsletters, mail, round-robins, and at parties and conventions. There are a lot of really nice people who are willing to share their knowledge on their favorite subjects, and others who have duplicates that they want to trade or sell. Networking is one of the best parts of having a specific collection like paper dolls. It can take you around the world with the people you meet by mail, internet or at gatherings. Good luck and have fun!