Friday February 14th, 2020
By GoodLife Appraisals Staff Writer
Newport Beach, Calif. — Antique toys are not considered collectibles, but instead are recognized as fine crafted objects created by skilled designers and artisans of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The quality associated with these toys is evident in their durability, meticulously painted details and creativity. These attributes have attracted collectors to buy and sell them, often trading 'up' for those in better condition.
Some collections are valued in the multi-million dollar range which astounds non-toy collectors. Unfortunately, the world-wide financial collapse de-valued most antique toy and doll holdings considerably.
After the financial collapse of 2008 many areas of collecting had the brakes on full stop. Auction results for antique toys and dolls were hit very hard and prices collapsed as much as most investment portfolios. The main demographic for antique toy and doll collecting has traditionally been high-income investors. This was a demographic that tightened purse strings and outright quit buying toys and antique dolls.
However, 8 years later the antique toy and antique doll markets have had a resurgence. The number of antique toy and doll auctions is on the rise and buyers are bidding values back up. Several auctions this past year hit $2 million and more for single collections. Buyers are hoping to get bargains and obtain items that were already off-the-market for 10-20 years prior to 2008. With sellers upbeat about increased values they are now much more willing to liquidate their holdings and it has created almost perfect market conditions.
Certainly, demand is the main driver of the antique toy and doll prices, but that is apparently not the complete story. There appears to be signs that many buyers are new to toy buying. Many bidders are first time auction buyers based on several surveys completed by the major auction websites. This could represent a growth in the base of buyers which is definitely a good thing for sellers and the auction houses.
GoodLife Auctions welcomes this growth in the auction market. Antique clock-wound trains and litho tin toys, cast-iron banks and porcelain bisque dolls are all a link to our past. Their workmanship and styling make them fantastic accents to any collector’s home. We do hope that the markets continue their growth and will be happy to report here when we see that trajectory take off.
If you have a collection of antique toys, trains or antique dolls that you are considering selling, please give
GoodLife Auctions a call at +1 866 294 0150 to discuss our appraisal and services.
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