Additional Coverage:
- ‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest says ‘oh my goodness’ after expert revealed the value of her 1884 doll (marketrealist.com)
A woman’s childhood doll, once relegated to a glass case and deemed “not for playing,” has been revealed to be a valuable antique on “Antiques Roadshow.” The guest recounted how her antiquing parents purchased the doll but refused to let her play with it, even after she grew older. It remained in its case until her parents passed away and her sister offered it to her.
Her first appraisal experience was, in her words, “creepy.” She took the doll to a “doll hospital” where a long-bearded man kept it for a week before calling her back with surprising news: it was the most expensive doll they’d ever seen, valued at $16,000. The guest admitted she laughed at the appraisal, skeptical of the doll’s worth.
A later appraisal, similar to “Antiques Roadshow,” valued the doll at a mere $3,000 and even offered to buy it on the spot. Her husband, however, insisted it was worth the initial $16,000 appraisal, leading to more laughter from the guest.
“Antiques Roadshow” expert Billye Harris finally put the skepticism to rest. She identified the doll as an 1880s Bébé Doll by French maker Schmitt et Fils, a high-end toy of its time.
Harris appraised the doll at $16,000 to $18,000, noting that similar dolls have sold for even more at auction. Stunned, the guest admitted, “Well, I guess I shouldn’t have laughed.”