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Restoration of the past is part of doll collecting
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By CHUCK CLEMENT, Staff Reporter
| 03/11/2010 |
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Four bridal dolls are on display at the Smith-Zimmermann Museum as part of Karen Becker's collection which she has temporarily loaned to the Madison museum.
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Sometimes there are fond memories of slot race cars spinning out on track curves or racing a Mattel Big Wheel down the sidewalk.
Possibly there are no more personal recollections of child's play than with dolls, whether the dolls were babies that needed tending to or adult Barbies that needed dressing up.
Karen Becker and the audience that attended her brown-bag lunch presentation on Wednesday at the Smith-Zimmermann Heritage Museum shared memories about their childhood dolls while Becker showed the group part of her extensive doll collection.
Becker collects all types of dolls. She has dolls that are more than 60 years old and others that originate from 1970s TV shows. Becker owns china and tin dolls, dolls that were sold in the five-and-dime stores, and dolls that portray Prince Charles and Lady Diana on their wedding day.
Her interest in dolls started as a child with the ones that she could buy with nickels and dimes in stores. The mother of one of her classmates would crochet clothing for Becker's dolls to wear.
Becker said the dolls that see the most use are often the most highly-valued dolls.
"The valuable collector dolls, the ones that accrue in value, are the ones that children play with most," Becker said.
The difficulty in possessing those collector dolls is related to finding them in good shape. Even if none of the parts are missing, collectors seek dolls that still wear the original clothes that they were purchased with, the boxes that they came in from the store and without repairs.
Becker said serious collectors want, as much as possible, to purchase dolls in their original condition.
According to Becker, if a doll owner has the hair on the toy replaced, they should make sure to keep the old wig, in case a collector wants to buy the toy in the future.
And although collectors also want the original packaging with the dolls, Becker said dolls should come out of the store boxes to improve their preservation. She warned against storing dolls in plastic boxes or bags.
She recommended wrapping the dolls in acid-free paper, placing them in acid-free, corrugated cardboard boxes, and storing them away from extreme temperature and humidity conditions.
For dolls that have eyes which open and close, Becker advised storing them face-down in a box. She said the weights that shift the eyes have the tendency to pull the eyes out of the sockets if the dolls are stored face up.
She also warned about a breakdown in the plastic used to construct the dolls -- a condition that's sometimes referred to as the "Barbie disease."
According to Becker, sometimes the plastic will soften, get sticky or start to ooze. The plastic breakdown is often accompanied by a change in color. She said a doll owner has little choice but to throw away the doll.
"If you have one doll that has that problem, you have to get rid of it, get it out of there," she said. "If you don't, the breakdown can transfer to other dolls."
Becker also advised doll owners to exercise moderation in cleaning the dolls, such as using light vacuuming and a soft cloth for dusting. If they wash the hair, avoid soaking the heads completely and use baby shampoo and conditioner.
Becker said that she really became engrossed in collecting during the late 1960s. And although she has some Barbies in her collection -- such as a Queen of Hearts Barbie wearing a Bob Mackie-designed costume and a Marilyn Monroe Barbie -- she doesn't concentrate on collecting that doll brand.
Some of her collection was purchased from yard sales and home auctions. If she buys a new doll, she looks for some particular aspect that makes the it unusual and possibly sought-after in the future.
Dozens of dolls from Becker's private collection will stay on display until March 19 at the Smith-Zimmermann Museum. The museum is located on the Dakota State University campus and is open Tuesday through Friday from 1-4:30 p.m.
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©Madison Daily Leader 2010
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