‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest says 'oh my goodness' after expert revealed the value of her 1884 doll
When most people think of valuable items, toys are not the first things that come to mind, and that’s what one past guest on "Antiques Roadshow" also believed. She was so confident that her doll wasn't worth much that she laughed when it was appraised at a five-figure sum. But her instincts were off, and she seemed genuinely surprised to learn that the doll was indeed worth a large amount of money.
The doll looked like it had been made several years ago. The guest explained that her mother bought it for her when she was a kid. Her parents were antiquers, and she used to accompany them to stores with such items on Sundays. She may not have enjoyed the experience every time, but this doll in particular was something she liked from one of those trips. Although her parents bought it at her request, they never actually gave it to her.
The guest said that the doll was kept in a glass case, only to be looked at, not played with. Even when she got a little older and asked for it, her parents said that it did not belong to her. She eventually caught hold of it after they passed away, when her sister offered it to her. One on occasion, the guest said that they had visited a “doll hospital.” It turned out to be a creepy experience, but that’s when she got it appraised for the first time.
She said that a man with a long beard had asked to keep the doll for a while for evaluation, and after about a week, she got a call from them. “You’ve got to come down. This is the highest-priced doll we’ve ever seen,” the man from the “doll hospital” said. He said that it was worth $16,000, and at the time, the guest simply laughed.
She later took the doll to something similar to “Antiques Roadshow," only to be told that it was worth $3,000. The people on that show even said that they’d pay to buy the doll right then and there. However, the guest’s husband intervened, arguing that it was worth $16,000. Even then, the guest laughed—but thankfully, the doll was not sold.
Expert Billye Harris was fascinated by the story. She revealed that the doll was made in the 1880s, which came as a surprise to the guest. It was made by the French doll maker Schmitt et Fils and was known as a ‘Bébé Doll.’ Harris explained that such dolls were considered high-end in France at that time, and to this day, are worth a lot of money.
“A little doll like this at retail would sell for $16,000 to $18,000,” the expert said. “I’ve even seen them at auction sell for more.” The guest was not expecting this and finally had the proof she needed to believe in the doll’s value. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t have laughed,” she said.
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