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
- 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)
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