What A Doll! Frasher’s Doll Auction’s March Matinee Doll Sale Results

Dolls emerged as a distinct collecting category in the early 20th century, when models across all price points began to be manufactured on a commercial scale across Europe and North America. Today, doll collectors make up one of the largest hobby groups in the world, with the United Federation of Doll Clubs organization supporting over 300 national and international member clubs. 

On March 14, 2025, Frasher’s Doll Auction of Oak Grove, MO presented its 147-lot March Matinee Doll Auction. This sale tempted enthusiasts with a spectrum of relatively accessible antique to modern dolls, as well as accessories, wardrobes, wigs, and miniatures. Here are some spotlight results from this well-curated event. All prices noted include the auction house’s 20% buyer’s premium.

Antique European dolls took several of the top slots in this early spring sale. Lot #20, a German Simon & Halbig bisque model 1279 doll, was estimated at USD 1,200 to $1,600 and delivered $1,560. This 26-inch tall example had a bisque socket head and wooden ball-jointed body. She was marked “S & H 1279” on verso. She came to life with brown eyes that opened and closed and were lined in dark eyeliner, had painted lashes, and feathered brows; a dimensional open mouth with upper teeth and a distinctive heart-shaped upper lip; pierced ears for earrings; and a dark brown human hair wig. She was elegantly dressed in a kimono with a gold sash, a long slip and underwear, and red leather shoes.

Simon & Halbig, founded in 1869, was a doll manufacturer from central Germany that specialized in producing finely detailed and finished porcelain doll heads. In 1902, the company started working with Kämmer & Reinhardt, another well-known German doll firm in business since 1886. As a result of this partnership, Kämmer & Reinhardt designed the heads, and Simon & Halbig produced them. These dolls had both the Simon & Halbig and Kämmer & Reinhardt marks. Kämmer & Reinhardt would go on to purchase Simon & Halbig in 1920 and make dolls through 1932.

Vintage to antique dolls made by American firms and designers were well represented at this event. Lot #142, a doll designed by Dewees Cochran and manufactured by the Effanbee company, was estimated at $300 to $500 and delivered $1,560. This circa 1936-39 example was 18 inches tall, with a composition socket head and a five-piece jointed body. She was dressed in her factory original blue and white dress with a pleated apron and ruffed blouse, blue and white ankle-length socks, and white leather shoes. Her IDs included an Effanbee American Child “Barbara Ann” wrist tag, an Effanbee metal heart bracelet, a heart-shaped tag on her skirt, and an Effanbee Anne Shirley mark. This time capsule treasure came with a 15-inch long trunk filled with extra clothing, as well as additional Dewees Cochran clothing patterns. 

Dewees Cochran (1892 – 1991) was a legend in the doll world for nearly half a century. She is known for many innovations, including her signature portrait dolls (made to resemble real-life children), character dolls, and Grow-up dolls. Grow-up dolls were a series of dolls of the same character which illustrated their physical growth over time. Cochran’s dolls were sold at premier retailers including F.A.O. Schwarz and Saks Fifth Avenue. In the early 1930s, composer and songwriter Irving Berlin (1888 – 1989) commissioned Cochran to make portrait dolls of his two daughters. Her work was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1939.

Doll-scaled clothing, wardrobes, and outfits were also key categories in this March Matinee Doll Auction. Lot #99, an antique silk Bebe dress, was estimated at $100 to $150 and realized $510. This eye-catching red silk-satin dress was lined and measured 13 inches long. It was detailed with a dropped waist, a pleated bodice and skirt, and long sleeves; the yoke and lower sleeves were finished with fine tan lace. It closed in the back with buttons.

Many antique doll enthusiasts also seek original, antique doll clothing made from elegant materials as a parallel collection. For the most part, antique dolls have much more structural integrity than antique attire made from cloth, wool, silk, and other fabrics. These materials often fall victim to damage caused by too much or too little light or humidity, bugs and moths, water, playwear, and other sources of loss or wear. Friction, heat, and even the residue chemicals on someone’s hands can cause silk to fall apart or “melt.” As such, it is understandable that this antique silk Bebe dress in such fine condition called to the high bidder.

Fine doll fashion accessories, including bonnets and shoes, caught the eye of bidders and buyers as well. Lot #93, nine pairs of antique doll shoes, was estimated at $100 to $150 and delivered $450. These were from French and German makers. The grouping included seven pairs of leather shoes and two pairs of fabric shoes; each closed with ties or snaps.

Like clothing, doll shoes have a tradition of getting lost to time. As such, doll footwear is also highly in demand with antique doll collectors. Many dolls were originally designed for children for fun and play, which usually meant that they would be dressed and undressed. It is very easy for a shoe to go missing or be misplaced, and not uncommon today to see dolls from yesteryear for sale with only one remaining original shoe.

This dolly-delicious sale rounded out with travel dolls, miniatures and doll house-related materials, wigs, bears and animals, and modern artist editions. For more information on Frasher’s Doll Auction’s March 14th, 2025 March Matinee Doll Auction, visit LiveAuctioneers.