A couple of weeks pass and I find myself armed with about a dozen dolls and a page of handwritten notes explaining who the dolls are, their backstory, how to undress them and sell the outfit separately, how long to list them for, and a starting price. The world of doll collecting... I had never given it any thought until this day and was completely unaware of exactly how many people there are out there that collect them. But isn’t that the way, if you’re not personally into something you are, more than likely, completely oblivious to the fact that such a niche hobby/interest exists. To this day when I meet someone new and get asked what I do for a living they are in awe and seem to have difficulty grasping that I could actually make a living selling such things. They don’t get it, and at the time I didn’t either; I just looked at it as something to do in my spare time and a way to earn a little pocket money. I took the dozen or so dolls home with me to photograph and list; if my memory serves me correctly they were all Tonner brand, and all or most of them were from the Tyler Wentworth collection. They were BEAUTIFUL and as I undressed each one I admired every little intricate detail; their gorgeous hairstyles, the life-like sparkle in their eyes, the array of fine materials used for their clothing, the embroidery and beadwork, their little matching shoes, and... pantyhose? Pantyhose under a floor-length gown, pantyhose under a skirt, pantyhose under pants, pantyhose with a bodysuit... Tyler and her posse of friends are all modern girls living in the modern world, not the 70s! “You have perfect legs my little friends, let them breathe, let them be free”, but I digress. The nude dolls and their matching outfits were all listed for five days with a starting auction bid price of $9.99, the market would decide the selling price. I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this but five days later I found myself picking my jaw up off of the floor.
Henry on my lap, helping me with my listings... he is also very shocked at the end of auction sales!