ALBAWABA – The Barbie movie has generated a significant demand increase for Barbie appraisals in the past month, indicating higher demand in the doll collectors market, according to Reuters.
Collector dolls are usually around $100, while non-collector dolls typically range from $10-$30, AFP reported. Whereas the so-called "Holy Grail" Barbie, the first model produced in 1959, sells for thousands of dollars.
Dr Lori Verderame, an art historian and TV personality with 25 years of experience as an antiques appraiser, said the Barbie doll owners who usually seek her expertise are seasoned collectors assessing the insurance value of their collections of dolls.
According to Verderame, the Barbie movie has increased demand for Barbie doll appraisals by some 60 percent in this past month, as reported by Reuters.
The "Barbie" movie, which opened Friday, is expected to make $100 million in United States theaters on its opening weekend.
Retailers around the world are also hoping to profit off its hype with Barbie-themed offerings from hotel suites to toothbrushes and apparel, according to Reuters.
Many of the dolls collectors have in store come from people with little or no experience in doll collecting. One person purchased a Barbie at a thrift store that turned out to be valued at more than $10,000, and another found a doll that had been sitting in her mother's house for years. It turned out to be worth $8,500,
Florida-based veteran Barbie doll dealer Marl Davidson told Reuters prices have climbed about 25 percent in recent months. Her site, MarlBe.com, has been receiving about 3,000 daily hits, triple the usual, many of whom are from people starting collections.
"I've never seen this kind of interest. It's really bringing a lot of new adults into the Barbie-collecting world," Davidson said.
Matthew Keith bought his first Barbie dolls in the 1970s using his allowance money. He hid them from his parents for fear they would say the toys were not masculine enough, he told Reuters.
Today, 22 feet of bookshelves in his Los Angeles home are filled with his Barbie collection, worth around $20,000, and his Instagram account has more than 70,000 followers. About 15,000 of them followed just these last few weeks.
