Identify the doll.
Preserve the evidence.
Read maker marks, mold numbers, material, face, eyes, wig, body, clothing, accessories, box, condition, restoration, and provenance before trusting a name or dramatic price.
What kind of doll are you examining?
Material and body construction narrow the field before clothing style or facial resemblance.
Bisque Dolls
Unglazed porcelain heads and bodies, painted features, mold numbers, wigs, eyes, and hairlines.
China Head Dolls
Glazed porcelain heads, shoulder plates, hairstyles, cloth bodies, and reproduction clues.
Composition Dolls
Pressed sawdust-and-glue bodies, crazing, lifting paint, repairs, and maker marks.
Cloth and Rag Dolls
Printed, painted, embroidered, handmade, factory-made, tagged, and regionally distinctive dolls.
Record first. Compare second. Value last.
Browse doll types
Each guide connects visible construction to makers, dates, common damage, restoration risks, and focused listings.
Bisque Dolls
Unglazed porcelain heads and bodies, painted features, mold numbers, wigs, eyes, and hairlines.
Open guide →China Head Dolls
Glazed porcelain heads, shoulder plates, hairstyles, cloth bodies, and reproduction clues.
Open guide →Composition Dolls
Pressed sawdust-and-glue bodies, crazing, lifting paint, repairs, and maker marks.
Open guide →Cloth and Rag Dolls
Printed, painted, embroidered, handmade, factory-made, tagged, and regionally distinctive dolls.
Open guide →
Wooden Dolls
Carved, turned, peg-jointed, Schoenhut, Grodnertal, folk, and artist-made examples.
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Wax Dolls
Poured and wax-over dolls, inserted hair, fragile surfaces, heat damage, and restoration.
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Papier-Mâché Dolls
Early molded heads, shoulder plates, paint surfaces, cracking, and replaced bodies.
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Hard Plastic Dolls
Mid-century molded dolls, sleep eyes, walkers, wigs, markings, and plastic stability.
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Vinyl Dolls
Fashion and baby dolls, face molds, rooted hair, discoloration, tackiness, and odors.
Open guide →Marks, molds, bodies, outfits, and model families.
A maker name is a starting point. Exact identity usually requires a combination of mold, size, body, face, clothing, packaging, and period documentation.
Barbie and Mattel
Face sculpts, body markings, production dates, outfits, accessories, boxes, and reproductions.
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Madame Alexander
Tagged clothing, face styles, body construction, wrist tags, boxes, and model names.
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American Girl
Neck stamps, body tags, hair, eyes, outfits, accessories, editions, and condition.
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Ideal Novelty and Toy
Shirley Temple, Toni, Tammy, Baby Crissy, composition and plastic eras, and marks.
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Effanbee
Patsy family, composition bodies, markings, clothing, sleep eyes, and restoration.
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Horsman
Baby dolls, composition and vinyl construction, marks, molds, and clothing.
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Arranbee and R&B
Nancy, Nanette, Debu’teen, composition and hard plastic examples, labels, and outfits.
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Vogue and Ginny
Small hard-plastic fashion dolls, painted or sleep eyes, tagged clothes, and boxes.
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Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls
Small composition and hard-plastic dolls, series identification, boxes, and wrist tags.
Open guide →Search measurable traits, not just “rare doll.”
Add maker, mold number, material, height, original outfit, box, condition, or a named model.
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Old-looking is not the same as original.
Reproduction heads, replacement bodies, new wigs, reset eyes, restrung limbs, repainting, reproduction clothing, and mismatched boxes are common. Some are acceptable when disclosed. They simply change identity and value.
