European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 17, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Tommy Tucker doll doling from the turn of the Century hat a $2,080 Price tag. The Charm of Teddy bears and dolls by Mary Neth staff writer sometime during 1909. The year that e. Peary reached the icy North pole Awell to do Little european girl received inelegant new China doll. Today that doll now76 years old is still bringing excitement and Joy to its owners. Mein Liebling my Loveis now a collector s item valued at around 10.000 Marks or at an Exchange rate of 2 50 Marks to the Dollar close to $4.000. The wide eyed character doll trom Germany s Thuringer Wald was one of the prize entries at a recent International doll Market in Frankfurt. Its Price was topped Only by some French Jumeau dolls from Tho 1800s valued at around 12.000 Marks. Doll collecting is no frivolous pastime for the people who attend the markets in Germany once the doll making capital of the Western world. The Frankfurt Market was set up in typical collector s Hall fashion. A Long banquet room in the hotel inter Continental was lined with rows of tables covered with propped up dolls boxes of doll clothes arrangements of doll House furniture plus old Teddy bears and a Jumble Here and there of other antique toys. Within a half hour of opening the aisles were a crush of Well dressed generally Middle aged doll devotees. Very few children were to be seen. Not All of the dolls were old. There were several table displays of new Art dolls scattered through the Hall. They also brought Good prices. A selection from Groele and Schmidt ranged from about 600 Marks to close to 2.000 Marks. Old Stielf Teddy bears from the 1930s and 40s. An in collector s item in recent years ranged in Price from 300 to 3,000 Marks. The Price of the object did t always seem to depend on its condition. Some with worn fur that looked As though they d lived through some wild Days in the Nursery still were bringing top Mark. One crowd stopper did t have anything to do with dolls or playthings. I brought it along just to attract attention said Victoria Attanasso. Of the huge fragile. Wooden two towered Bird Cage which entered her display table of lace and dolls. I bought it for 10,000 Marks from a private party. It s flemish. 18th Century. I Haven t figured out How the mechanical part works. Little teed wagons Are supposed to be pulled up to the Lowers when a Bird Steps on the right Attanasio came to Germany irom san Francisco As a for the 1972 olympics met and married a Munich Man. And has been Here every since. At first i was interested in lace. From that i got into old lace doll clothes and then into antique dolls. There is hardly a weekend thai goes by that there in t a doll Market somewhere in Germany. I go to As Many As i the 10,000-Mark Bird Cage was doing the trick. Curious people were causing a bottleneck in the aisle. Besides the Cage Attanasio had some Large pieces of doll furniture on display. One was a beautifully crat cd China Cabinet. It is not child s play turn Ilure. It was made in the 18lh Century As a practice piece by an apprentice woodworker explains Attanasio. Such pieces Are in big demand by people who collect Large dolls. They use them in their Price Tor this accessory to make your doll feel at Home 14.000 Marks. Now. As the crowd was growing there were More and More people bringing in dolls. There were private sales and trades. Dolls were evaluated. There was even a doll repair. Some people came to buy wardrobe for dolls they already owned. A Large woman dressed completely in purple her Jet Black hair piled High in lacquered 50s-style fashion moved in slow dignity from one display of doll clothes to another. She was followed closely by a big Man carefully carrying a huge doll with Long Blond sausage curls. Every so often the woman stopped and the doll dressed in a fancy Pale peach party dress and White Feather Boa was fitted with a Lacy hat. The Man looked on fondly As hat alter hit was tried and rejected. As the morning turned into afternoon and More and More people paid their 7.50 Mark entry fee. The room became increasingly warm the aisles narrower and the Glassy eyed stares of the or i of dolls More and More penetrating. As we left the woman in purple was still trying to find the right hat to top her doll s Blond curls. Two modern Day doll among thai Page 14 the stars and stripes tuesday f
