The Value of Blythe

After putting another girl on layaway I began to think about what's the value of Blythe?  The original Kenner Blythes are easy to figure out - they're extremely rare and hard to find MIB.  Really want one? Expect to pay anywhere between $600 to $2,500 USD depending on the condition and whether or not they still have all their original stock.

As a museum professional, I look at the doll value from two perspectives:

Their value as an art piece:

• Is the Customizer well known? Different customizers fetch different prices
• Amount of work done - reroot. sleep eyes, matte face, carving, body change etc...
• Dolly Couture

 The value of the doll as a collector:

•  All original body parts. Many customizers change out the body, add new eye chips, suspend the eye mechanism, etc....).
• All original stock. Many dolls are sold 'naked' or with a 'Seller's Choice Dress". This leads me to believe that people are selling the original stock separately in order to maximize return on their initial investment while stripping the market of intact collectables.
• Original owner and if not do you know the doll's provenance?

Some other facets that I've noticed that add value:

• The doll's Flickr set. The better the set, the higher the price. It seems that many of the Blythe-ists are actually photographers and not doll collectors. 

• Connectivity - how does one connect with the doll? Many of the dolls that go up on a popular Dolly Adoption page are there because their owners couldn't bond with them

My latest acquisition is a Takara Tomy Neo 12" Blythe Doll - I Love You It's True. She is listed new on Ebay for $229.99 USD plus shipping, This is MIB. The doll I purchased is not new in box but came from Gina Garan's collection and is hand signed by Gina. Although I believe the value of my doll to be higher, it will ultimately depend on how we get along.

Virtual Hugs from A  Dozen Blythe (and more)

Felicity

While on vacation in the summer of  1974 (I believe) my mother's brother threw me into the olympic sized swimming pool.

He said "It's the best way to learn. They'll come by it instinctually - survival of the fittest. It's perfectly natural. You'll see. She won't drown"

A Facebook post on safely teaching your child how to swim brought this memory to the forefront. I asked my cousin Felicity about it. I honestly couldn't even remember if she was there. And if she was, she was just a baby. #smiles

She replied "He did the exact same thing to me." And then added on some more.

It struck a nerve. No wonder we all have trust issues with our parents. I wasn't crazy. There were others! And we were related!

I've never had someone know exactly what I meant without having to explain it in morbid detail. Even though we grew up separated by land and family issues, we were connected on another level. I sat alone, in front of my computer and cried. After all these years, I found my home.


Virtual Hugs from A  Dozen Blythe (and more)