Saturday, November 17, 2007

Doll show a modest success

Members of the Warren County Doll Club had their Doll and Toy Show and Sale today. Mom and I shared a table, selling off those dolls we'd picked up over the years and recently decided we didn't need any more.

The two of us had three eight-foot tables full of dolls and toys -- and ours wasn't the largest selection. Other members had four tables stacked with shelves, to serve double-level or more. The funny thing is, for having only a half-dozen members actually showing and selling, we had a truly wide variety of items.

Mine tended toward the mid- to late-twentieth century, with plenty of Christmas-related dolls and figurines, and a few cars and tractors and the like (I had an Ertl John Deere for dirt cheap). But Mary Sullivan had plenty of sweet new porcelain babies, plus quite a cache of action figures, including all the members of KISS, in their original blister packs, and a couple of STNG 9-inch dolls (hard to walk away from Captain Picard, even when he's teetoncey!). Maxine Hiett had about forty of her kewpie dolls, plus a number of lovely portrait dolls and a careful selection of magnificent antique bisque ladies. Karen Ruggles brought to the show several dozen pieces of doll furniture, many fit to use with the 18" American Girl Series, as well as some simple play furniture, a passel of beanie babies, and an assortment of other lovelies. Jan Speer laid out everything from a boxload of little 10¢ dollies to a few seriously collectible kids' books (and some guidebks to collecting dolls) to a charming pair of portraits of Jack and Jackie Kennedy in wedding attire, and, like the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat, side-by-side on the table sat Dubya and Rosie. Esther Diehl featured an array including plush monkeys and Cabbage Patch Kids.

Mom & I didn't make a killing, selling off our little things, but we made some space in her guest room, and had a great time in the company of some spiffy people -- plus, we may have persuaded at least one -- and possibly two -- more people to come to our meetings, perhaps to join the club.

As far as I'm concerned, that was the primary purpose of the events.

We likes making our new friends, almost as much as we likes our old friends. And we likes playing with toys, even in public.

No comments: