Antique Doll Prices: What Old Dolls Actually Sell For

Most antique dolls sell for hundreds of dollars, not thousands. The value guide from the auction firm Lion and Unicorn (read September 2026) gives these broad bands:

• Modern porcelain collector dolls: about $5 to $100.
• Mid-century hard plastic or vinyl: about $25 to $300 and up.
• Composition dolls: about $50 to $500 and up.
• Early German bisque: about $200 to $1,500 and up.
• French fashion dolls and bébés: about $1,000 to $10,000 and up.

The top of the market is far higher and depends on rarity. In 2014 a French character doll by the sculptor Albert Marque, made around 1916 and numbered 27 of about 100, sold for $300,000 at Theriault's in Naples, Florida, a world auction record for a doll (PR Newswire; Paul Fraser Collectibles reports it beat the previous record, $263,000 for another Marque doll in 2009, by 14%). The German record at the time was a Kämmer & Reinhardt mould 104, one of three known, at $212,000 with buyer's premium on 12 January 2013 (PR Newswire).

Broad bands hide how much the exact mould number matters. At Theriault's Chicago sale on 31 May 2008, Antiques and the Arts Weekly reported these results. They are 2008 prices and are shown to compare models against each other, not as today's values.

• Thuillier bébé, 13 inches, kid body: $52,000.
• Bru bébés, 20 inches each: $34,000 and $25,000.
• Jumeau Triste bébé, 26 inches: $19,500. Jumeau portrait bébé: $18,000.
• Kämmer & Reinhardt 131 googly, 15 inches: $8,400. K&R 114 Hans, 22 inches: $5,800. K&R 101 Marie, 20 inches: $4,800.
• Simon & Halbig 1019, smiling: $5,200. Simon & Halbig 908, 12 inches: $2,700.
• Gebrüder Heubach 7843: $4,200.
• Kestner 143 black doll, 11 inches: $1,900.
• Schoenhut models 30 and 312: $1,700 each.

The pattern holds across sources: French bébés by Bru, Jumeau and Thuillier and German character moulds such as K&R's 101 and 114 sit well above the common German dolly-face moulds such as Armand Marseille 390.

Start with the mark, because the maker and mould number set the price band before condition adjusts it.

• Find the mark. On bisque socket heads it is on the back of the head, often under the wig; on shoulder heads it is low on the shoulder plate. Lift the wig gently rather than removing it.
• Read the parts. A German mark usually gives the maker's name or initials, the word Germany and a mould number, for example A.M. for Armand Marseille, S&H for Simon & Halbig, JDK for Kestner and K★R for Kämmer & Reinhardt.
• Use the mould number to date and rank it. Kestner used only a size number or letter before 1892 and a three-digit mould number after 1892 (Doll Reference). The Armand Marseille 390 is the most common AM mould, while the 341 Dream Baby is a popular line (Dr. Lori).
• Identify the material. Bisque is unglazed porcelain with a matt surface; china heads are glazed with moulded painted hair, typically mid to late 1800s; composition is painted wood pulp and binder that crazes and cracks (Lion and Unicorn).
• Check originality. Original body, wig, eyes and clothing add value; replaced parts reduce it.

One quick test from Doll Reference: Kestner dolls do not normally have pierced ears, so a head marked Kestner with pierced ears deserves a second look.

On bisque heads, look for hairline cracks around the eyes, ears, neck socket and crown, and for chips at the eye cuts, mouth and neck. Restoration, repainting and replaced bodies all lower value (Lion and Unicorn). On composition dolls, crazing, lifting paint and moisture damage are the usual faults. Dr. Lori adds that damage to the bisque head, a poor composition body or a lost wig all reduce value, and that direct sunlight should be avoided in storage.

Do not wash or repaint a doll before an expert has seen it: Lion and Unicorn lists restoration and repainting among the things that lower value. See antique condition grading for how dealers describe wear.

Yes. The UK auction platform the-saleroom listed 2,893 Armand Marseille doll lots in its price guide when we checked in September 2026, with further sales scheduled at houses such as Hansons and Rogers Jones, and specialist sales still set records at the top end.

How to sell depends on what you have. Lion and Unicorn recommends auction for marked French or German dolls, rare models, complete collections and dolls with original clothing, box or paperwork, and a local sale for common decorative dolls when speed matters more than price. Before contacting anyone, photograph the doll front, back and sides, the mark under the wig, and any damage, and note the height in inches, since both catalogues and price reports quote size.

For where and how auctions set prices, see antiques at auction.

Photograph the face straight on, then the mark on the back of the head with light from one side so the impressed numbers throw shadows. AntiqLens reads the mark and the face together and suggests a maker, mould and period; check the mould number against the prices above before deciding how to sell.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Prices are copied from the named auction report or guide with its date; where a figure could not be confirmed we say so rather than estimate. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.