Tips For Attending A Doll Auction

Doll Collecting

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"THERIAULT'S AUCTION WEEKEND" > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Tips For Attending a Doll Auction

Here are my survival tips for attending live doll auctions.

1. Get The Catalog Ahead Of Time: The more time you have to look over the dolls being offered in advance, the smarter the bidding decisions you will make will be. You can check market values from previous auctions, dealer lists and online prior to the auction, and you can narrow down the choices in the catalog to the dolls you are most interested in. If you are attending a Discovery Day or other uncatalogued auction, see if you can get the list of dolls faxed to you ahead of time.

2. Dress Comfortably: Whatever you choose to wear, make sure it is comfortable! Auctions can run many hours, and you will want to be as comfortable as possible so you are not distracted from the bidding. Also, wear comfortable shoes--you can spend several hours before the auction starts on your feet at the preview.

3. Eat Something First! Auctions often run right through a meal time, and you don't want to make poor bidding decisions due to lightheadedness from lack of food! So, eat first (yes, I know I sound like your mother!). If you can't eat first, then bring a snack in your purse--its often hard to get a quick snack at hotels where auctions are held.

4. Pack The Following Items In Your Purse:

A Snack: (see #3 above!)
A Small Flashlight: To check for hairlines and other imperfections in bisque dolls. Also, lighting in hotels where auctions usually take place is notoriously poor (see #8 and #13 below).
A Doll Value Book: Don't be embarrassed to check a value right in the middle of an uncatalogued auction! Its better than making an era in judgement.
A Pen and Paper: To mark down prices realized and write notes on your bidding.
Your Check Book: Some auction houses take credit cards, and a few charge an extra premium for that.
Your Seller's ID: If you have a doll business, so you don't pay sales tax.
Your Identification: To establish your bidders account if its the first time at the auction house's auction

5. Get to the auction early: No matter how good (or bad!) a doll looks in a photograph, it will always look different in person. This is why time spent at the preview of the auction (usually immediately preceding the auction) is essential. I cannot count the number of times that I went to an auction to bid on ten items, and after the preview, decided to bid on ten different items. The previews can be short--sometimes only 2 hours or less--and crowded, and there can be hundreds of dolls to review. So, get there when the preview starts, and use most of the time to carefully examine the dolls.

6. Go To The Auction Even If You Don't Plan To Bid On Anything: If you are a collector of vintage or antique dolls, or if you are a dollmaker, do not miss a chance to see quality dolls in person if a doll auction comes to your area. Other than museums and doll shows, there generally isn't a better opportunity to see rare and unique dolls than at a doll auction.

7. Save a Seat!: Auctions can be very crowded! As soon as you arrive, use your pad or your doll value book, a sweater or something to save a seat! Otherwise, you may end up standing during the auction if it is a popular one.

8. Check The Dolls Carefully Prior To Auction: Try not to bid on dolls you have not examined prior to the auction. If you want to examine a doll, especially at a catalogued auction, ask a staff member of the auction house to assist you (there should be several in the preview area). Don't be shy--especially at an uncatalogued auction where condition is not guaranteed, look at everything! At an uncatalogued auction, if a Barbie is dressed, ask to undress it (you never know what type of body flaws you might find). For a bisque doll, remove the wig and put your flashlight inside to reveal any repairs, hairlines or damage. Consider if the body of a doll, or perhaps its arms or legs, have been replaced. If a lot of dolls are in boxes, and the boxes are stacked and rubber-banded, take the whole thing apart and look at each doll! You get the idea. Remember, uncatalogued auctions (such as Discovery Auctions) are Buyer Beware--its your responsibility to find any flaws (and, you WILL), so bid accordingly. On the other hand, remember also that all dolls at uncatalogued auctions are NOT fatally flawed--there are reasons that dolls end up in uncatalogued auctions besides major damage. I have purchased blue-ribbon UFDC dolls at uncatalogued auctions, and you can too, if you are careful.

9. Set a Budget: Set a budget and don't go over it for the auction. Remember, its easy to get carried away in the heat of bidding when you see so many beautiful dolls!

10. Pre-Determined High Bids: You should determine your high bid for each doll, and stick to it. Your high bid does not necessarily mean your bid will be in the range of the pre-sale estimate. You might only be interested in certain dolls if they are a bargain and come in under the pre-sale estimate. For other dolls, your pre-determined high bid could be double the pre-sale estimate if you want the items badly enough. Whatever you determine prior to the auction, try to stick to that pre-determined high bid--this will prevent you from getting carried away in the auction and later regretting paying too much.

11. Don't Forget the Buyers Premium: During the auction, when you are bidding and when you are adding up what you have spent, don't forget the buyers premium. The amount of the premium can vary (for example, Theriault's premium is 12% on all auctions) Some buyer's premiums can be as high as 18%! The premium can really add up quickly, making a doll that seemed a bargain be less of a bargain. You don't want to be surprised when you get your bill.

12. Pay Attention!: Auctions can be fast! You don't want to be getting a glass of water or chatting in the lobby when an item you are interested comes up (I was busy getting an ice cream sundae at last Saturday's auction and missed an item that I had been waiting for! Bad planning on my part--don't make my mistake).

13. Check the Dolls Carefully As Soon As You Receive Them: Generally, you must check all items that you purchase at a doll auction at the check out--not later back in your room or at home. Dolls purchased in cataloged auctions should not have any flaws that have not been disclosed in the catalog, but people can make mistakes, and dolls can be damaged in transit. This is another good reason to take a flashlight--at the auctions this weekend, the hotel lighting in the check-out area was horrible, and I couldn't see a thing. For cataloged auctions, if you find a flaw that was undisclosed in the catalog (such as a hairline crack or a missing finger) the auction house will take the item back. This weekend, I purchased a bathing beauty at one of the cataloged auctions. I was very excited about it, and had really wanted the doll (I had paid over estimate). Unfortunately, when checking out, I discovered that two very small fingers were missing). I was heartbroken, but I had to return the doll (the doll was resold the following day at the Discovery Day auction, with the flaw disclosed, and I was pleased to again be the high bidder, at a lower price).

14. If You Are Travelling: Special Advice: Plan on ways to get your dolls home! If you drive to an auction, transportation of your dolls shouldn't be a problem. However, if you are travelling by plane, more planning is required. I usually take empty carry-on size cases with me, stuffed with bubble wrap. If I am going on a major buying expedition (such as the UFDC National Convention), I take an empty trunk stuffed with bubble wrap. Even if you think you are only going to buy one or two dolls, its better to be well-prepared--you never want to pack a doll in a soft-side case. Also, you need to know that airlines won't insure antiques, so there is some risk involved in transporting the dolls on airplanes. When you are travelling to doll auctions, you even need to consider the car you are renting! At the auctions last weekend, my husband and I had rented a cute little Mustang convertible. We purchased a number of dolls at the auction, and brought them home in a trunk that we didn't have when we arrived. Well the trunk with dolls didn't fit in the trunk of the car! We were quite the sight leaving the hotel--we had to put the car's top down to get the dolls' trunk to fit in the back seat!

Other Pages:

>Main Page > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

>The Little Ones: All-Bisque Auction > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

>No Regrets: Cataloged Marquis Auction > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

> French Dolls In Folklore Costume > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

>The Little Prince Tour > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

>Photo Album > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Do you have additional tips for collectors attending doll auctions? Don' forget to visit the Dolls Forum to discuss with other doll collectors!

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