Typical Price Range for Madame Alexander Dolls
First-hand collectible Madame Alexander dolls cost from $145-$850. Most of the modern collectible dolls from the Alexander Doll Company fall in the $145-$180 range and are available at MadameAlexander.com. Collectible dolls are generally part of a series. These series have themes like International, Storyland, Seasonal, and Celebrations. First-hand dolls are brand new and have not been previously owned.
Vintage and antique dolls can range from $20-$40,000. However, most collectors pay from $100-$500 per doll. The most expensive vintage and antique dolls tend to come from limited editions like Fashion Dolls, First Ladies Series, or the very rare Mystery Doll Series. Antique dolls are more than 100 years old. Vintage dolls were made between 1925 and 1979.
Factors Affecting a Madame Alexander Doll’s Value
Several factors affect the value of vintage and antique dolls. Identifying the doll’s name and series are often the first step to determining its value. However, there are several other factors that can drastically change the value of a doll. Age & Era: Older dolls are usually worth more money. However, dolls from the 1940s and 1950s are popular and often demand higher prices. Condition: Condition is very important when determining value. Collectors want dolls, clothing, and accessories that look new without damage, cracks, or wear. Materials: Dolls were made from different materials during different eras, and older materials are not always more valuable. Outfit & Accessories: A doll wearing its original outfit with all of the accessories is more valuable than one that has been redressed or is missing shoes or hats. Rarity: Usually, rarer dolls were issued in limited editions, which means there were fewer produced than more common dolls. Supply & Demand: A relatively common doll, like Madame Alexander’s Cissy, may demand a higher price because it’s extremely popular with collectors.
Estimating Your Madame Alexander Doll’s Value
Determine the era and age of the doll. Once you’ve identified your antique doll as a Madame Alexander, try to determine when it was produced. One way to figure out the doll’s era is to identify the material it’s made of. Generally, the Alexander Doll Company produced cloth dolls from 1923 to 1934, composition dolls from 1934 to 1946, hard plastic dolls from 1947 to the early 1960s, and vinyl plastic dolls after the early 1960s. Once you’ve narrowed down the era, check the doll and its clothing for tags that may have the doll’s name or sometimes the year it was released. Refer to Madame Alexander collector’s guides or Doll Reference to help you identify your doll. Other resources to check are the National Antique Dolls Dealers Association (NADDA), the United Federation of Doll Clubs, inc., and Antique Doll Collector Magazine’s digital back issues.
Research how rare your doll is. Some Madame Alexander dolls were created as a part of a limited edition collection or were based on famous characters or historical figures, which tend to be worth more For example, the Gone with the Wind and Little Women series are often highly collectible and demand higher prices. However, it’s important to remember that “rare” is a relative term in doll collecting. One of the ways to determine whether your doll is rare is to look around to see if it’s available. If you see a lot of them on auction sites, they may not be as in demand. A doll may be rare because only a few were produced, or most were damaged or destroyed through daily use. It may also be rare because it has a unique feature that causes more demand, even though it was produced in normal quantities.
Check for the doll’s original outfit and accessories. After you’ve identified when your doll was made, look for the original outfit and accessories that came with it. Your doll is more valuable if you have these items and they are in good condition. Madame Alexander dolls were also sold with wrist tags and packaging. If you still have them, they also add value to the doll. Madame Alexander dolls were meant to be played with, so it’s possible your doll has been redressed in a different outfit. A redressed doll may still be valuable if the outfit is an original Madame Alexander. However, it may not have the value of a doll in the same condition with the correct outfit.
Assess your doll’s overall condition. A doll in great condition is usually worth more than one that has been repaired or restored. Collectors are often interested in dolls that are as close to the original condition (or mint) as possible. However, many vintage and antique doll enthusiasts may base their collection on sentimental value, so they’re still interested in less-than-perfect dolls. First off, make sure the doll has all of its limbs. Sometimes, the strings inside the doll break, and the limbs fall off, but they’re easy to repair and usually don’t affect the value. Check a composition doll for crazing, which is what fine cracks on the doll’s surface are called. While crazing is often inevitable, it can sometimes affect the value of the doll. The older the doll is, the more likely it is that the lips, cheeks, or eyebrows have worn off. The brighter and more complete the facial paint is, the more valuable the doll will be. See if the wig is still smooth and check for sparse places where the hair is missing.
Look up retail price and open market, auction, and insurance values. Pricing antiques and collectibles is tricky because value can change drastically based on the current market. Once you know what doll you have, when it was produced, the condition, and how rare it is, start looking for it on auction sites like eBay or Ruby Lane to see what people are asking for your doll or ones like it. Check the upcoming auctions and sales results at Theriault’s, an auction house that specializes in dolls and other childhood toys. Search for doll shops that deal in vintage and antique dolls online or in your area and see how they’re pricing your doll. Other places to try are collector forums and insurance replacement values. However, collector forums can be unreliable, and insurance replacement values aren’t always available.
Most Valuable Madame Alexander Dolls
“Eloise in Moscow” – $5 Million This doll paid tribute to Eloise, the beloved main character of Kay Thompson’s children’s book series. Eloise is dressed in a Christian Dior ensemble with Katherine Baumann accessories and an Oscar de la Renta fur coat and hat. The doll is decorated with nine-carat diamonds and Swarovski crystals and comes with a little dog. Only 5 of these dolls were ever made and none of those have ever been auctioned. It’s said that Madame Alexander handmade these 5 Eloise dolls herself.
“Pink Champagne” Portrait Lady Mystery Doll – $44,000 Part of the 1951 “Mystery Doll” series, “Pink Champagne” wears an embroidered lace gown, satin shoes, and a taffeta skirt. It is accessorized with pearl drop earrings and a tulle and brass embroidered purse. The near-mint doll still had its net hose, panties, and woven Italian-straw bonnet, including the flower decorations.
“Fashion of a Century” – $25,000 Originally designed to showcase at the Mid-Century Exposition of 1950, the doll wears a blue satin gown with gold foil shoes. The pink feather fan is still present and in excellent condition. This doll was sold in the original box with the wrist tag still attached. The near-mint condition of this doll means the cheek color is still bright, and the wig is perfectly coiffed.
“Antoinette” from the Portrait Series – $20,000 Meant to represent Marie Antoinette, this doll was part of the 1946 Portrait Series. It features a nearly perfect elaborately styled mohair wig and special hand-painted facial features. It wears an excellently preserved silk faille gown with gilt metallic edging. Under the gown are pantalets with cutwork ruffles, white stockings, and pink bow-front shoes. Antoinette is an all-composition doll in excellent condition with sleep eyes that feature real lashes.
Agatha Portrait from "Me and My Shadow" Series – $18,000 This near-mint condition hard plastic doll wears a crisp costume and has excellent facial paint, all in vibrant colors. The gown is made of iridescent faille taffeta trimmed with multicolored braid. Accessories include a woven bonnet, matching parasol, tulle-edged taffeta petticoat and panties, and suede shoes. This doll was originally released as part of a series in 1954.
“Walking the Dog” Cissy – $17,500 Cissy dolls are some of the most collectible Madame Alexander types. This rare doll is in near-mint condition and sold in its original box with the wrist tag intact. It wears a jersey-knit top and black velvet swing skirt with a magenta velvet waistband that appears as fresh and clean as the day it was made. All of the accessories are present, including hot pink heels, a black velvet hat with netting, a beaded necklace, a solitaire ring, and a little white dog on a leash. The hair and face paint are in excellent condition.
"Champs Elysees" from the Portrait Mystery Series – $13,500 This hard plastic near-mint doll was originally released as a part of the very rare 1951 Portrait Mystery Series. In addition to the beautifully painted face and elaborate hairstyle, it features a rhinestone embedded as a beauty mark on her cheek. The doll is dressed in the original gold satin sheath gown with a black lace bodice and overskirt. Accessories include 3 rhinestone bracelets, net hose, and satin side-snap slippers. The lace bodice and overskirt are embellished with bead and rhinestone accents.
Cissy as “Forever Darling” Bride – $12,000 The Cissy “Forever Darling Bride” wears a wedding gown with a white lace bodice over a pink tulle blouse and pleated tulle skirt. Underneath is a pink underdress, 2 tulle petticoats, and 2 pink taffeta petticoats. The silver heels, pearls, solitaire ring, and bridal coronet are all in beautiful near-mint condition. This doll is known as the “Lucy Bride” because it represents Lucille Ball’s character in the film “Forever Darling.”
Godey Lady in Lilac Taffeta – $9,750 This near-mint, hard plastic doll was originally released in 1949. It has a pristine gown with lace trim and a platinum blonde wig with delicate floral clusters. The gown is made of taffeta faille and is over a full-length petticoat. It comes with the original box, corsage, pantalets, socks, and shoes. The doll also still has the clover-shaped wrist tag printed with “Godey Lady.”.
“Brunette Mystery Bride” from Early Portrait Series – $8,400 This bride doll is a part of the Portrait Series of the 1940s. It is in near-mint condition with flawless complexion paint. The Pima cotton organdy gown with a satin-edged hem covers a polished cotton underdress. The unique double-tiered veil features a coronet of white flowers. The doll’s satin panties, white nylon stockings, snap-front shoes, pearls, and bridal veil are all present and in excellent condition. The only visible flaw on this doll is that it’s missing the extended lashes on the left eye. This doll is extremely rare, with only a few others known to exist.
“Ballet Des Fleurs” Portrait Doll from the Mystery Series – $8,250 The hairstyle on this doll is perfectly smooth and pulled back into a rhinestone-studded snood at the nape of the neck. The ballet dress is embroidered Alencon lace with rhinestone embellishments and a multilayered satin tutu. The choker adorned with silk flowers, satin panties, net stockings, ballet slippers, and starched-lace crown are all present and in near-mint condition.
Cissy in Aqua Flowered Skirt Doll – $7,000 This version of the Cissy doll is in near-mint condition with a blonde curly wig with bangs and excellent complexion paint. The ensemble was released in 1960 as a separate outfit. The box, wrist tag, and pink hat box are all present. The clothing colors are bright with an aqua and pink floral pattern, attached pink sash, and can-can petticoat with a hot pink ruffle. Accessories include panties, stockings, cross-strap shoes, a beaded necklace, double-pearl drop earrings, and a woven hat.
Where to Buy & Sell Madame Alexander Dolls
Buy and sell your dolls at auction or an antique or collectibles shop. If you’d like to buy or sell a Madame Alexander doll one of the easiest places to find them are auction sites like eBay and Ruby Lane. Vintage and antique dolls are available on these sites for a wide range of price points. For higher-end collectible dolls, you might have better luck with Theriault’s auction house. They’re also able to help you with appraisals or selling an entire collection. If you enjoy the thrill of the hunt, visit antique and collectibles shops and thrift stores. Many people also successfully buy and sell Madame Alexander dolls on Etsy. It’s important to stay current when determining how much something is worth, but ultimately, a doll is worth what you want to pay for it. So make sure you set a budget and stick to it.
History of Madame Alexander Dolls
Madame Beatrice Alexander Behrman founded the company in 1923. Alexander worked with her stepfather, a German-trained toy maker, in his doll hospital in Brooklyn during her childhood and into her adult years. She grew up seeing beautiful porcelain dolls that were too fragile for children to play with. After marrying, she obtained a loan for $1,600 to start the Alexander Doll Company with the goal of creating beautiful dolls that wouldn’t break so easily. Madame Alexander dolls were handcrafted by artisans Alexander trained herself. Alexander was an innovator who introduced one of the first walking dolls, developed a durable hard plastic, and created a plastic mold that allowed dolls to have more expression. In 1955, she debuted “Cissy,” the world’s first fashion doll, beating Barbie by 4 years. She led her company for 65 years until she sold it in 1988.
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