Building a Doll Inventory

Permanent IDs, images, measurements, marks, clothing, condition, location, and provenance.

What to record

• Maker or factory marks, mold numbers, country, labels, signatures, or tags.
• Total height and relevant head, body, hand, and foot measurements.
• Head and body materials, jointing, eyes, wig or rooted hair, mouth, teeth, and finish.
• Clothing construction, labels, fasteners, shoes, accessories, box, and paperwork.
• Every crack, hairline, chip, craze, stain, odor, repaint, repair, replacement, and missing part.

What commonly causes mistakes

• Identifying from the face alone when the same mold or style appears in multiple lines.
• Treating a patent date or copyright date as the production date of the individual doll.
• Assuming clothing, wig, body, eyes, or box have always belonged together.
• Using current asking prices instead of completed sales for closely comparable examples.
• Cleaning, restringing, repainting, or separating accessories before documenting the original state.

A practical research sequence

1. Take full-length and close-up photographs in diffuse light.
2. Transcribe marks exactly and measure the doll.
3. Identify construction and material before narrowing maker and date.
4. Match mold, size, body, clothing, and packaging to reliable references.
5. Describe condition and restoration in plain language.
6. Compare only closely matched completed sales and retain records.

Condition and value

Value depends on exact identity, material, size, condition, originality, completeness, restoration, provenance, market demand, and a defensible comparison set. A famous maker or old-looking face does not automatically make an individual doll rare.

Documentation matters

Keep photographs of all marks, measurements, clothing layers, accessories, box labels, certificates, repairs, and acquisition history together. These records protect both research accuracy and future resale descriptions.