Sunday, October 23, 2016

Some Rare Stuff At The Flea Market

   Several weeks ago my friend Lori and I went to a flea market. I am always looking for something I want, and something I can sell to pay for my thing. We went for most of the flea market without me finding anything I wanted, although I bought some records for Ivy and Emma. Finally, we were looking for a place for Lori to rest, since she had recently had another problem with her heart. (She's having a procedure to have her problems fixed next month, so any good wishes, prayers, or whatever you believe in sent her way would be appreciated.) We passed a building with a vintage doctor doll, about 24" tall, standing just outside the door, and the promise of more toys inside. I got Lori a bottle of water for her dogs, and sat with her while she gave it to them and geared back up to continue. When she was ready and decided to buy a water for herself too,I made a quick run back to that building to check it out while she drank her water. Here's what I bought:

  I got a bunch of stuff from one seller. She had it all priced individually for a total of $30.First, this Galoob Baby Face So Shy Sherri was priced at $5. Love her red hair and bright green eyes.

Isn't she gorgeous?


 
Galoob made the Baby Face dolls for only two years in the early 90's. They were designed by toy designer Mel Birnkrant, who was heavily influenced by Kewpies and Betty Boob. His influences really show in the Baby Faces, with their big eyes, cartoonish expressions, and those hands with the pudgy, spread fingers. There were 19 head molds and over 30 dolls made from them. The clothes, which my doll is missing, were designed by Judy Albert, who also designed the clothes of Baby Face's big competitor, Cabbage Patch. 

This signed Lee Middleton baby was priced at $10.


 I'm not into Lee Middleton,and closed eyed baby dolls creep me out, so baby goes bye bye.
I also got the electronic Hogwarts Castle and three Harry Potter playsets,with some figures. It was priced at $10.

And something I've been wanting for a while, a Fisher Price My Friend Becky,was priced at $5. I bought her, and have already misplaced her in my clean up and consolidate raid! She looks like this though:

 Now I have Mandy, Jenny, Mikey, and Becky. Becky and Mikey are my favourites.(You may have seen my post on Mikey.If not,you can see it HERE.) The Fisher Price My Friend series of dolls was launched in 1977, and ran until 1985. I bought Mikey for Unsentimental Niece  when she was little. There was also an African American Friend named Nicky, but I have never come across her. The dolls are 16" tall,have silky rooted hair, vinyl heads and limbs, and firmly stuffed cloth bodies. Their arms and legs fit into sockets on the body that allow the arms and legs to be posed,so the dolls can wave,sit, and even stand unsupported.

That adds up to $30, but I got a 'group rate', and got the whole bunch of stuff for $20!

  After leaving the building where I made the haul I nearly left immediately because Lori was waiting for me. But as I was walking away I noticed something sitting on the ground around the tables outside the other half of the building. I got pretty excited because I recognized it as something kind of rare.

The Barbie Goes Travlin' case from 1965. I had seen pictures, but I had never seen one in person before.


Barbie can sit inside and be "travlin" in a plane or a car. It was a pretty cute idea to make a case that could also be used as a toy like this. Maybe that is what accounts for the wear though.
I did some clean up on it before I took these pictures, so it did look a bit worse when I bought it.


It's missing the drawer from the spot in the upper left corner.The seat has a few melt marks, but it's not broken and is still attached.
It's not perfect, but it is hard to find. It was priced at $7, but when I asked the lady if she'd take less, (Because I only had $6 left!) she said she'd take $5!  I actually had money left!
  Elsewhere I also found an Annalee elf, on his cardboard base, for $1.
  And that doctor doll at the entrance to the building? Well, I didn't buy him because he was about $50 or $60, and I didn't know who he was. I did a little research, and turns out he was a 28"  Dr. Kildare. Dr. Kildare was a TV show which ran from 1961 to 1966. And the doll is pretty rare. The doll I saw had his doctor outfit, but was missing his stethoscope,pin, and doctor's instruments. So I'm hoping he wouldn't have been worth the $175 I saw someone trying to sell theirs for...

4 comments:

  1. So are you going to try to sell that carrying case? I dream about finding rare items that I can re-sell, but I don't have enough knowledge about what most things would be worth. On a somewhat related note, have you ever watched American Pickers? Maybe we need a doll version. :)

    My youngest sister had the My Friend Mandy, and I was somewhat jealous. I'm not sure why I didn't get one of my own except my mom probably thought I was too old for dolls by then or something.

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    1. Yes, I'll probably let the case go. There are other things I want more, (Like a new water heater!) I love American Pickers. I like seeing the stuff they find. I have been a doll dealer, as I mentioned, and a collector for about 25 years. After a while you recognize when you find something great, (Usually. I have been known to find out later what I should have bought!)You have to keep up with prices though, because stuff goes up and down. The things that were worth something when we started all those years ago aren't necessarily worth anything now. Things cycle. Stuff that was worth nothing before may be what people are buying now.(People who were young then may have started to want to recapture their childhoods and collect things they had as kids.) Stuff that was highly collectible years ago may be worth nothing now because the people who collected it are dying off, or are at the age where they are downsizing. A good example of that is Roy Rogers and stuff of the same era. Used to be quite valuable,but these days not so much. Reference books help.Stuff that was rare or hard to find may still be wanted by collectors.But still, that stuff goes up and down too. I have a Barbie collectible, (I'm being cryptic because I'm planning a post on it.)that was worth a few thousand dollars 10 or 15 years ago, and now it's only worth a few hundred.Attending doll shows and looking at auctions, (Finished ones that show what the item sold for, and NOT current ones. That's a lot of people's mistake: Just because someone is asking a huge price doesn't mean they're getting it!)helps keep you upon current prices.
      Did you get over your urge for a Mandy?

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  2. The BTEG family stopped at the American Pickers main store on the way to Missouri, a few years ago. Beautiful location, a lot different feel than it seemed to have on television though.

    It sounds like you should get your own American Pickers: Doll Collections show! I suppose finding potential sellers would be a lot harder, though. But I would totally watch. :) I know what you mean about looking at finished auctions instead of what people are trying to get.

    I did get over wanting a Mandy doll. Maybe because I now have two American Girl dolls who are similar. I think I wanted the Mandy doll mostly for her varied wardrobe. I guess I've been a doll collector all my life.

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    1. I went through a spell where I thought I was too grown up for toys. Imagine that! It caused me to miss out on all the Planet of the Apes toys I would kill for now, and so much more! Hey! I would do a Doll Pickers show, as long as they didn't film me, because I'm fat... I like Pickers even though I know alot of it is fake.I love seeing the stuff they find. I would love to do that for a living myself!I sort of do.

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Thanks in advance for your comments.