If a doll collector is looking for antique German dolls, chances are she is on a lookout for a Handwerck. These antique German dolls have large almond shape eyes that are said to be the best and most prominent features. It may have a French appearance but it has good quality because it is made from the best materials.
Antique German dolls such as the Handwerck were manufactured in 1876. This continued til the early 1900s. The Handwerck manufacturing company was owned by Kammer & Reinhardt after the original owner Heinrich Handwerck passed away in 1902.
The Handwerck is found on a ball. This is the composition for the body which Handwerck made as he was constructing the doll. Doll companies purchase the bodies and the parts of the dolls that they are constructing from other manufacturers nowadays. Therefore, a collector must have a keen eye and determine which are the original authentic parts of antique German dolls and which aren't. As much as possible, they want to collect dolls that are unmarked. They want the dolls they invest in to come from original antique German dolls parts.
Collectors know that there are a lot of doll hospitals during the manufacturing of the antique German dolls. If there is a paper sticker on any part of the doll, then these might have been obtained on a hospital repair visit. This does not make the doll less desirable for any collectors. Collecting it is still a trend but those true blue collectors want their dolls to be as authentic as possible. In fact, businessmen made profits by buying then selling antique German dolls and there is a difference in pricing when the dolls are authentic and when these dolls have stickers. The average doll collector prefers those attic finds. They don't want any modern restoration facilities doing something t the antique German dolls because these would make it modernized and not antique.
The hype on collecting antique German dolls has even hit eBay. Most collectors check out the values and prices of the dolls that are sold online. They compare and check whether these dolls are authentic antique German dolls or they have parts from other construction companies making these less authentic.
There are some collectors who remove the non-original bisque parts of their antique German dolls and continue to scour stores and online sites in search for the original parts so that they could replace these. Since the doll is connected to a ball, there are chances wherein the stringing cord is already black with dust and can no longer be used but this is what those die hard collectors prefer.About the Author: