Black Googly-Eyed Doll, ca. 1911

Appraised on: June 23, 2012

Appraised in: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Appraised by: Floyd Jones

Category: Dolls

Episode Info: Myrtle Beach (#1707)

Originally Aired: February 18, 2013

IMAGE: 1 of 2  

Appraisal Video: (1:34)

GUEST: Well, I started collecting African-American dolls.

APPRAISER: Do you only collect black dolls?

GUEST: Mostly I do, yes. All I know is that she's called a Googly-Eyed Doll, but I'm not too sure about anything else.

APPRAISER: It is a Googly-Eyed Doll, and it has a very impish look. This doll was made at the turn of the century. It was made by several firms in Germany. Heubach, Armand Marseille, and Kestner made the heads for these dolls. And if you look at the marking, you can see the marking 323. That's the mold number. You can also see Armand Marseille, and "Made in Germany." It has a bisque head, composition body. The clothes are all original. What makes it really so unusual is being in the black version. In 40 years of collecting and dealing in dolls, I've never seen it in a black version. How much did you pay for it?

GUEST: I paid about $300 for it.

APPRAISER: If this doll was on the market, it brings twice as much as a white version. And if I was going to put a retail price on this doll, I would say it would be worth anywhere between $1,500 and $1,800.

GUEST: Wow. Thank you.