Miss Nancy and her very first doll
Hmmm…. Good question! Now let’s see if I have a good answer 
We have a saying around the office – if you have 3 of something, that constitutes a collection, and the owner would then of course be a collector (even though some don’t want to admit it). A collection can be anything – matches, thimbles, pens, watches, etc. and of course DOLLS!
If you go by this rule, I have been a doll collector ever since I was a child. I still have the #5 Barbie, Bubble Cut Barbie, Midge, and Skipper I played with so many years ago. And even before that I still have my Tiny Tears doll with a caracul wig (which according to the dictionary is the fur from a breed of sheep of central Asia having coarse black, grey, or brown hair: the lambs have soft curled usually black hair). Now, did I know when I was that age that I was a collector? Of course not. But I did keep them all those years – and when I was old enough to have a home and family of my own, I proudly displayed them in a cabinet for all to see. Then at a point when the kids were a little older and I actually had some me time, I got back into the active collecting of dolls. All kinds. Anything I just couldn’t live without. Some of my favorites were Saucy Walker by Ideal, Playpal dolls, Sweet Sue by American Character, and Skookums.
So yes, I have a collection and I am a collector. “Hi, my name is Miss Nancy and I am a dollaholic!” And if you too are a collector with just one collection, or many collections, you know what I mean! It’s a passionate obsession!
So, do you have a collection or two or three?? I would love to read about what you have collected.
Next blog post from me: the life of a collection!
July 7, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Nancy, I so enjoyed your post! The picture is beyond adorable!! This reinforces what I felt about Robert Tonner and everyone at the Tonner Doll Company: this is more than a business. Everyone at Tonner is wonderful, understanding, and awesome! Thank you for sharing!
July 7, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Thanks Sheilah – Glad you enjoyed the post – it was fun to think back and realize how long I really have been a collector
It means a lot to all of us here that you feel that way about Tonner – because for certain we couldn’t do what we do without fabulous collectors like you!
Miss Nancy
July 7, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Well, aren’t you a cutie?
Three of anything? I’m in a lot of trouble.
July 7, 2011 at 1:40 pm
hi Terri – i know…. me too!! lol
teapots
teddy bears
and purple anything!!!!
Miss nancy
July 7, 2011 at 1:49 pm
I too must admit I have been a dollaholic since childhood. And as I get older the hunt and finding out the history is what I find exciting now.
Debbie
July 7, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Debbie,
that is so true!! in the beginning you want everything – then once you’ve been a collector for a while you start to be very discriminating
Miss Nancy
July 7, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Dolls, teddybears, pianola rolls, Cherished Teddies, Precious Moments, ornaments, teapots, postcards, swapcards, stamps, vintage children’s books, antique and vintage books with decorative covers. Not all of these are very active, but I am scaring myself LOL and what have I forgotten!
July 8, 2011 at 9:07 am
LOL Christine
my hubby is also a “collector” – he has books, comics, robots, and cars
and he blames me for getting him started – we went to a doll/toy show – and he was hooked!!
Miss Nancy
July 7, 2011 at 10:18 pm
What a cute baby you were, Ms. Nancy!
My first deliberate collection was minature china animals, the collection began when I bought a china bear for 50 cents at the Natural History Museum on a first grade field trip.
I am new to doll collecting.
July 8, 2011 at 9:09 am
Thanks Mary
and you brought back a memory for me – when i was young during a summer vacation, we went to Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York and they had a gift shop. I bought the cutest little porcelain baby doll there – and i LOVED that doll so much i still have her!
Miss Nancy
July 8, 2011 at 10:17 am
My name is Ashley and I, too, am a dollaholic. :p Nice post! If 3 or more constitutes a collection, than I collect a lot of things! My largest collections are of Skipper dolls and My Little Ponies. I started really collecting Skippers in my early teens, though I had always kept them in pretty good shape to begin with (but that comes with being a collectors daughter!). The downtime between her being discontinued and just recently brought back gave me a lot of time to get some vintage pieces.
As far as Ponies, I got a lot as a kid, but didn’t start officially collecting them until the 2003 line came out. Funny enough, it reignited my love for the original G1 line, not the G3′s!
Other collections? C3P0, Gene, Doctor Who memorabilia, Pinky ST figures, and a slew of other things!
July 8, 2011 at 10:39 am
Hi Ashley!
Welcome to Dollaholics!
I too loved my Skipper. I think that’s part of the reason i fell in love with Robert’s Marley Wentworth – brought back all those good memories!
I know they brought her back but it’s just not the same as the original…. what do you think?
Miss Nancy