Dollieh Sanctuary

Last night my ex-roommate came over after work to help me move this entertainment center thing out of the room he used to have out into my living room. I'm in the process of turning his old room into an office for myself. I put a desk in there when he moved out and some bookcases with drawers recently so that I could display some dolls and store my fabric in there. I want to put my sewing table on that side and there was no room with that cabinet in there so I decided to put it elsewhere. It's a pretty huge cabinet, very deep. He used to store his clothes on it and his fishing gear right behind it in about 12" worth of space that's there between the cabinet and the wall.

After we moved it behind it I noticed what looked like a fishing storage box for lures and stuff stuck back in that space behind the cabinet and I just assumed that he'd inadvertently left some of his fishing stuff behind so I handed it to him. He opens it and says "No, I think this is yours." and I'm like "Why?" and he says "It's full of doll heads." and I'm like "What?" Sure enough I open it and there are like 25 heads from all kinds of 16" fashion dolls and get this THEY ARE NOT MINE. I've only just recently put a few of my Tonners and similar dolls in that room and I've never put them on that shelf, only on the new shelves I just got. Plus I don't even have some of the dolls that were in that box. There are two heads to Kingstate fashion dolls, which are dolls I know of but have never owned, a dozen older Gene and Madra heads, a few Tonner heads, a vinyl head I think is from Franklin Mint and might be the Dakota doll they did, 5 older Madame Alex heads, an Elle head, and a couple of Wakeen Eve heads, all of it nicely packed in tissue in this box.

Now I do have some of these dolls on my own. I collect Tonners, MA dolls, I have a half dozen Genes, but they're mostly from Jason Wu, only 3 are Ashton Drake and I do have a few Eve dolls because when she was out I liked her and I bought like 4 of those. But I've never owned any of these particular Gene dolls or the Kingstates or that FM doll either so I know that I just didn't mislay a box of my own doll heads. I'm guess I'm going to have to do a little investigative work and find out who lived here before me and if they collected vinyl fashion dolls. Looks like someone did and they left a small fortune in heads behind them. These heads are all near pristine. They'd probably be worth a cool $35-75 a piece.

I don't know much about the people who owned this house before us. I do know there were three different owners/renters in 10 years before we bought it. Two older single guys and a Hispanic couple that rented for a while from one of those guys for a while from what the neighbors have told me and from seeing misrouted mail I've had to hand back to the postal workers. But I never met any of those people. My Dad bought this place for him and my stepmother and another one they owned for me and my two roommates. Later we swapped houses actually because my step preferred that one after a bit. But I don't have any info other than that and I do know she's never collected dolls. I'm sure the office has forwarding addresses and that and I'll have to go see I guess, but I doubt they'll just give me that info. I'll probably have to ask them to call from there or send a letter or two on. I just think this is too funny though. That whoever lived here before me actually not only collected good dolls but that they left a box of heads behind like this.

I did once find some Barbie shoes I didn't recognize while cleaning out a cupboard in the bathroom when we first moved in here but I just assumed that someone's kids or grandkids lost them and since they were odd shoes I just tossed them. Guess not. Must have been an adult collector. I guess I should not be surprised. I'm far from the only doll person I've met in this park. There are mostly older people here and a few women in the craft club here collect Reborns and Barbies and stuff. I don't know another 16" collector in here though.

They're not real great about hanging out. When we first moved in one lady here tried to start a doll meet up club but that project just fell flat. Other than at the craft meets I don't see these ladies much. We do talk about dolls a bit then but there's just not enough interest to get a proper doll club going. I guess I should ask them too though. Maybe they would know who they belonged to and how to get them back to that person. I should try to do that I guess, but I must admit I was really, really tempted at first to say "Finders Keepers" and rebody them. I opened that box and it was like Christmas came in May. These heads they're like new and they're all stunning. If nobody does claim them I am going to be so absurdly happy.

wow that's amazing!

cool l would keep them. I'v heard of this happien and it's very interested when it dose.

I give you props for even considering finding the original owner, magkelly. I'd go with asking a couple of the ladies neighbors and if they know, then see if you can return the doll heads. Otherwise - make use of them. Someone else would have just thrown them out as creepy old doll parts.

Wow, that is so weird. Just the heads too. I hope you can find the person; she might be a good person to get to know, like a pen-pal or something, if you like. If not, you get to keep the heads and that's definitely a plus. So it's a win-win.

If you do part with some I might be in the market for a Gene head. I cut the hair off the previous one to reroot her and it looks like that ain't gonna happen.

Either way I demand pictures!

I spent my morning playing Nancy Drew. "P

First I went to the office. They had no info at this point. Then I asked one of the people I know from the craft club if she knew anything and she said there was a younger woman (FYI, while technically you can be 39 and live here legally most of the people in the park are 65 plus so "younger" is a relative term here. I'm just barely legal to live here myself.) maybe in her 50's who lived here before me who collected all kinds of dolls and that she had actually died rather suddenly. She had some kind of major illness and it went bad overnight and she just died in the hospital in a matter of days, left the place empty. Since we bought the house from an older guy I'm guessing he was a relative of some sort? I'm not sure on that score. My Dad and stepmom don't remember his name et all, only that he was well over 70. I only have the transfer title from them to me and nothing is on there but them so that didn't help much.

I asked what happened to all her dolls and she said the family from elsewhere came in and she believed they sold them all to some antiques and collectibles market downtown. I knew immediately from the location she mentioned which place they meant as it's next door to a bookstore I've been going to since I was in high school and whenever I've lived here again. I often get paper collectibles there for jewelry making and I know the owner pretty well so I called her and told her what I found and she told me all about it.

She said that had not bought them but that she had seen them all and that the collection of dolls was pretty extensive. The family actually would not take what she offered so she suggested that they put them all on Ebay. Apparently they did just that and made several thousand dollars doing it. I asked her if she had any record of who they were and she said "No, unfortunately not, but that she believed they were from Michigan or NY." Since that covers about 85% of the people that come here during the Winter season to live in this park that didn't help me much. I honestly don't think I'm likely to find out any more than that. So I guess the doll heads are mine to do with as I like pretty much.

I have no way of finding these people and even if I did it looks like they'd just sell them or toss them and I just can't think that woman whoever she was would have wanted that. I wouldn't. I wouldn't want to die and have my relatives just come in and Ebay the lot. I want my dolls to go to my nieces and to doll friends I've made over the years online and off. I kind of figure they made their money on the whole dolls and this is maybe her way of thumbing her nose at them from wherever she is making sure that at least some of her dolls went to someone she actually wanted to have and appreciate them. I almost kind of feel like she saw my girls, reached out from the ether, giggled, and dropped them in my lap, figuratively speaking, lol.

A few of them I am going to put on older bodies. I've got less articulated Alex and Tonner bodies that I've swapped for more articulated bodies and about 6 very old straight leg Gene bodies that I actually bought a lot off someone on the Doll Page about a year ago because my ultra articulated Wu bodies are all more than a bit yellow. I was planning on swapping my Wu heads onto those but I guess these heads can have them instead. I don't have another FM body but I'm thinking I can find one on Ebay or The Doll Page or something. The Eve and Kingstate heads they will be problematic as I don't know that I can get replacement bodies for those. I'm going to try though. See what they might fit among my own bodies and try to get some that will work eventually.

Call me sentimental but I'm not going to sell them. I'm going to keep them together and rebody them and put nice clothes on them and display them. I don't figure I owe anyone anything else at this point. I did the right thing asking all around and it's highly unlikely I'll find her relatives anyway. I have no way of knowing where to even start looking. I fugure that's that. They're all mine now and I'll treat them well and keep them together, and yes, I will take pics as soon as I get them on some bodies and dressed, looking their best. I want to look them all up actually. Some of the Genes I think I recognize, and there is a database for old Genes I can refer to, but I want to check the Tonners and the rest because I have no clue as to who they are.

I agree that you were meant to have those. And I bet the lady who left them is smiling wherever she is, happy that another real doll lover found them and will appreciate them.

magkelly wrote: I wouldn't want to die and have my relatives just come in and Ebay the lot. I want my dolls to go to my nieces and to doll friends I've made over the years online and off. I kind of figure they made their money on the whole dolls and this is maybe her way of thumbing her nose at them from wherever she is making sure that at least some of her dolls went to someone she actually wanted to have and appreciate them.

I know what you mean. I'd hate to think that Ivan ended up de-wigged and stuffed in a box to become Rosco or whatever. All things come to and end but still, it's hard to think about. I'm really glad you got the chance to keep the heads and I hope you have fun with them.

Yes, this! So sad that the lady's relatives were so unconcerned about what was obviously a beloved collection to her that they couldn't wait to sell them for as much money as they could get from them ... If those dolls had souls, they would be thrilled to have been squirreled away for so long to find out they were now going to be loved and cared for the way they should be.