How Do I Find Out What My Collectible Teddy Bear or Doll is Worth?

This question is asked of us on at least a weekly basis.  So, where would one begin to find the value of a collectible doll or teddy bear?

There are lots of books written out there that will tell you the approximate value of an item, but keep in mind that these are not updated on a regular basis.  And also please keep in mind that these are estimates and the collectible market is constantly changing in regards to what is popular at the time.  One truly cannot value their collection at X amount of dollars as that is an estimate and sometimes the value will change dramatically when you actually go to sell your collection.

Some books that we recommend checking are:

Boyd's Bears - 

Boyd's Tracker, 2nd edition, 2004
The Boyds Collection Collector's Value Guide 2001

(Unfortunately, no recent Boyd's value books have been published.)

Madame Alexander Dolls - 

There are several Madame Alexander Doll price guides available for purchase.  The latest guide we found was published in 2009.

Steiff Bears - 

Many Steiff price guides can also be found but the latest guide we found in publication was from 2003.

Department 56 Villages and Snowbabies by Department 56 - 

Several guides were available for both Department 56 Villages as well as Snowbabies by Dept 56. We were very pleased to find that a recent guide from 2010 was available.

Charlie Bears - 

Since Charlie Bears is a relatively new company (founded in 2005) there is no value guide available at this time but the founders of Charlie Bears, Charlotte and William Morris, have written a book.  Titled "Love, Dreams and Bears", this book chronicles the first 5 years of the company and contains all teddy bears created in the first five years.

In addition, once in a while, you can find some beneficial information written by sellers on eBay who are avid collectors themselves.


Another excellent way to determine what your collectible is worth is to write in to either "Teddy Bear and Friends" magazine or "DOLLS" magazine.

In the past, Ken Yenke, teddy bear historian, museum curater, and appraiser asked collectors to send him photos and descriptions to him in care of Teddy Bear and Friends magazine.  Unfortunately, we were saddened to find that Ken recently passed away so we would assume that teddy bear appraisals will be unavailable for quite some time.  That is, until a replacement is found to try and fill his shoes.

For DOLLS magazine, collectors can send in their questions regarding doll identification and a current appraisal to:  Curious Collector, c/o DOLLS, PO Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945.  Photos should be included for each vintage and modern doll query.

Hope that you find this information helpful, and good luck with finding the information you desire!

Quote of the Day - "Imagination is more important than knowledge". - Albert Einstein

A Background History of Department 56 Villages

Way back in 1971, an elderly St. Louis potter, who created and sold ceramic items that he had made in his garage, visited Bachmann's Florist in Minneapolis.  As a demo piece, he brought in a cookie jar shaped like a Victorian house and presented it to Ed Bazinet.  Ed was a giftware buyer for Bachmann's Florist and asked the potter to modify the cookie jar by cutting out the windows and inserting a light so that it could function as a nightlight.  He wanted it to glow like a real house.  Bazinet was pleased with the potter's outcome and many lighted houses were soon to follow.

Now known as the 'Original Snow Village', which was comprised of 6 different houses,  these pieces initially sold for between $150 and $200 and became an instant hit.  (Not known to many, Snow Village houses were originally made of ceramic, not porcelain, and continue to be made of ceramic to this day, just as in the originals.)  Production became overwhelming for the St. Louis potter, so Bazinet moved production to Taiwan.  This is when the line was aptly named Department 56, the number assigned to this division at Bachmann's Florist.

In 1984, Dicken's Village, and English Villages based on the classic "Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, was introduced.  These accessories and houses are made of fine porcelain which lends itself to depicting finer details.  Other Village Collections were soon to follow to include:

• New England Village
• Alpine Village
• Christmas in the City
• Snow Village Halloween
• North Pole Village
• Disney Parks Village
• Snow Frost Village
• Downton Abbey Department 56 Village (a 2014 debut)

Although Department 56 has produced several thousand different Villages and accessories, they have always enforced high-quality standards.  Each and every collectible figurine comes in a protective fitted styrofoam container and a printed cardboard sleeve. On the bottom of each house, Department 56 is sure to include the name of the piece and the year that it was copyrighted.  It is interesting to note that these dates are usually the year before their actual introduction.  Dept 56 Village pieces are constantly retired at the end of each year which causes even more of a demand by D56 collectors.

Department 56, now represented by Enesco, continues to create and produce collectible villages and figurines.  Their Snow Village Halloween series is extremely popular and this year they are introducing a Downton Abbey Collection, which is sure to be an instant hit with collectors.

New! Bunting Babies for Minky Bears

Brenda, Owner of Beacon's Glow Collectibles, was waiting for the final item to complete her latest creation - Bunting Babies.  These miniature baby dolls were made to go with her Minky Bears.  If a doll can have a teddy bear, why can't a teddy bear have a doll?  But seriously, these handmade baby dolls can be placed with other dolls as well. They would fit in nicely with either a Madame Alexander doll or possibly a smaller Helen Kish doll.

Pictured above is our Minky Bear model, Bubbles, holding two of the baby bunting dolls in his arms.

Each baby doll measures approximately 3 inches in length and has a detailed, hand-painted polymer clay face.  Their hair is made from a fine application of mohair and comes in either light blonde, medium brown, or dark brown.

A hand-crocheted baby bunting holds each baby and is made from very soft angora yarn or mohair yarn.  Several colors will be offered and if you are looking for a specific color, please do not hesitate to ask and we will try our best to track it down for you.

Also included is an antiqued silver baby pacifier which has been attached to the baby bunting.

Quote of the Day - "Believe you can and you're halfway there." - Theodore Roosevelt

A History of Department 56 Villages

Have you ever read the background history of Department 56 Villages, and how they initially came to be?  We hope that you find this history as interesting as we did. Incidentally, this information was compiled from various sources found on the Internet. 

Way back in 1971, an elderly St. Louis potter, who created and sold ceramic items that he had made in his garage.  As a demo piece, he brought in a cookie jar shaped like a Victorian house to Bachmann's Florist located in Minneapolis.  Ed Bazinet, a giftware buyer for Bachmann's Florist, asked the potter to modify the cookie jar by cutting out the windows and inserting a light so that it could function as a nightlight and additionally glow like a real house.  Bazinet was pleased with the potter's outcome and many lighted houses were soon to follow. 

Now known as the 'Original Snow Village', which was comprised of 6 different houses,  these pieces initially sold for between $150 and $200 and became an instant hit.  (Not known to many, Snow Village were originally made of ceramic, not porcelain, and continue to be made of ceramic to this day, just as in the originals.)  Production became overwhelming for the St. Louis potter, so Bazinet moved production to Taiwan.  This is when the line was aptly named Department 56, the number assigned to this division at Bachmann's Florist. 

In 1984, Dicken's Village, and English Villages based on the classic "Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, was introduced.  These accessories and houses are made of fine porcelain which lends itself to depicting finer details.  Other Village Collections were soon to follow to include: 

New England Village

Alpine Village

Christmas in the City

Snow Village Halloween

North Pole Village

Disney Parks Village

Snow Frost Village

Downton Abbey (a 2014 debut)

Although Department 56 has produced several thousand different Villages and accessories, they have always enforced high-quality standards.  Each and every collectible figurine comes in a protective fitted styrofoam container and a printed cardboard sleeve. On the bottom of each house, Department 56 is sure to include the name of the piece and the year that it was copyrighted.  It is interesting to note that these dates are usually the year before their actual introduction.  Dept 56 Village pieces are constantly retired at the end of each year which causes even more of a demand by D56 collectors. We have been told from several Dept 56 collectors that the retirement stage oftentimes causes a frenzy amongst collectors trying to obtain that much desired village or accesory before it has been retired. 

Beacon's Glow Collectibles will be initially carrying the following Department 56 Villages but we plan on expanding our offerings in moving forward.  This is just a beginning to determine what both old and new Department 56 Village collectors truly want.

1.  Dicken's Village "A Christmas Carol"

2.  Downton Abbey

3.  Jim Shore Heartwood Creek Village

4.  Original Snow Village (to include Christmas Lane and Christmas Vacation)

5.  Original Snow Village Halloween

6.  Winter's Frost 

We will also be carrying Department 56 replacement parts.  If you are having difficulty finding a replacement part for anything Department 56-related, please email us at info@beaconsglow.com or give us a call at 512-990-9881 and we will do our best to track it down for you.

 

Many Dept 56 houses and accessories are already in stock and available to order, but  we are expecting the bulk of the 2014 introductions to arrive in June.

 

Quote of the Day - "Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present." - Jim Rohn

Erika Cattelani's Amazing Hand-Carved Wooden Dolls

Just received in our first shipment of Erika Catellani Dolls direct from Switzerland.  There was a total of nine (9) dolls in the shipment ranging from 6 - 10 inches in height.

These intricately designed dolls are hand-carved out of the finest maple wood and then Erika handpaints their cherubic little faces and their fingernails.  Each outfit is handmade as well and most contain either embroidery or smocking or both.

These heirloom-like collectible dolls each come from a very small limited edition which usually is 20 pieces.  (Clara, incidentally, is the #2 of an edition of only 6 dolls worldwide!)

10 inch dolls include:

1. Bianca
2. Elisa
3. Victoria
4. Heidi

8 inch dolls include:

1. Clara
2. Lina

6 inch dolls include:

1. Ella
2. Tina
3. Marie

We are so excited to get the opportunity to be an Erika Catellani retailer.  These very detailed collectable dolls definitely have the WOW factor.  Their stock photos are nice, but to see them in person is a different story.  If you look very closely, you can see the patterns in the wood itself which is pretty remarkable.

We have read that Erika has been referred to as a "modern day Geppetto" for her woodcarving skills.  She has won the coveted Eurodoll several years in a row.

Each of these dolls should truly be categorized as an heirloom to be passed down from doll collector to doll collector as time passes.

Quote of the Day - "Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest." - Anonymous