Dollwatch

Keep a look-out in Toymaster Stores, Beatties and Woolworth. Recently Woolworth were selling beautiful Cabbage Patch babies for half-price, and though they were being snapped up, you might still be lucky and find some. Beatties, too, had Cabbage Patch in their sale. They also had Zapf Baby Borns at a third off. Toymaster have gorgeous large Zapf babies, dressed in sleepsuits of either vivid red, blue or green, or pastel pinks, blues and lemon, for just Ł14.99 These are lovely dolls and certainly worth adding to your collection. Toys R Us usually have a section where they sell off end of ranges. We've found they often sell off doll's clothes really cheaply, and have acquired several sets to fit dolls such as those made by Mattel - ideal if you later come across the doll at a jumble sale. Toys R Us have also reduced some of the Collector's Barbies, including the Medieval lady but stocks vary from store to store. They often reduce them if the box is damaged, too.

As we said in the last issue, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find doll bargains at car boot sales, and any dolls which do appear are quickly snapped up. However, there are still some bargains around, but it's a case of being in the right place at the right time. We recently bought a beautiful 1970's Pedigree First Love for just 50p on a street market, and after a wash, she came up like new. We've also noticed that suddenly there seems to be a glut of second-hand Mattel's Miss Makeup and Ideal's Dolly Surprise, probably because the little girls who were of an age to be given these late 1980's/early 1990's dolls are growing up and discarding them. They might be ones to put away for the future. Charity shops are often a good source of dolls - it depends what you are looking for. You're unlikely to find an old bisque or composition doll, but more modern vinyls still crop up, and even the grubbiest doll once washed and prettily dressed can be an asset to a collection. We recently bought a Meritus battery-operated doll in a baby-walker, in perfect condition, who moves and giggles, for just Ł2.25 The best way to find the bargains is to know what you're looking for - read as many books on dolls as you can. If your library has no doll books, then they can obtain them through the inter-loan service. The best book on modern dolls is by Colette Mansell and is called 'The Collectors Guide to British Dolls since 1920'.

There is an excellent publication called 'Doll Magazine', published bi-monthly by Ashdown Press, packed with features on both modern and antique dolls. The British Doll Collectors Club, run by Frances Baird, (Address: The Anchorage, Wrotham Road, Culverstone, Meopham, Kent DA13 OQW) is full of help and advice. Museums such as the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood in London, The Lilliput Museum in Brading on the Isle if Wight, The House on the Hill Toy Museum at Stansted, Essex, Frances Pepper's Doll Museum in Paignton, Devon and The Museum of Childhood, Anglesey, N.Wales, are worth visiting to learn about dolls of all types - not just antiques.

The other way to discover more about dolls, is to visit Doll Fairs. These are an absolute treasure trove, and are an ideal way to learn about the subject, because most stall- holders are only too willing to let you hold the dolls and to answer any questions. Often 'Collector's Fairs' have a stall of dolls, too, though 'Antique Fairs' will probably only have bisque or maybe composition. Permanent Collector's Markets (two excellent ones are sited side-by-side at The Maltings, Sawbridgeworth, Herts) can be another source of obtaining dolls, as many of them sell all kinds of bric-a-brac. Doll dealers often will take on a stall or cabinet at these outlets, knowing they will be allowed to sell modern plastic and vinyl dolls, not just antiques.

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