Ashton Drake Dolls - The End Of An Era?
- Date: 2007-04-30 - Word Count: 455
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27 years ago, I was one of the first retailers to get onboard when the Bradford Exchange decided to open a "Dealer Division" in Canada offering Ashton Drake as one of the premier companies whose products were made available.
I am sure there was no one who had looked in a magazine in 1980, and not seen "Matthew". People who had never owned a doll, or even considered owning a doll, were falling in love with the idea of doll collecting as well as falling in love with Matthew. Yes there were dolls before Matthew, but in my mind, he was the one that really blew the doll market wide open.
These new collectors of course, then wanted to complete their collection by purchasing the earlier dolls in the set, and prices on the premier issue "Jason" went crazy. I remember people paying up to $2500. to own this doll, and hundreds to obtain Heather and Jennifer as well.
So where did it all go wrong? Today's market on these older Ashton Drake Dolls is so soft I would not dream of selling those in my own collection.
Ashton Drake Galleries simply made too many dolls. From their original 2-3 different series back in the early days, to having so many different sets it was nearly impossible for collectors to know what doll went with what set. I heard over and over as sales dwindled that there is "only so much room in my house for dolls".
As a dealer, the final blow came when I received an informal letter in the mail, saying my sales were no longer high enough to qualify for dealer status, and I would not be able to purchase dolls in the future. How is that for a kick in the pants, after selling hundreds of their dolls over the years and generating thousands of dollars in revenue for them? How many other small dealers were not able to meet the minimum criteria set out by the company, and simply moved forward to promote other works.
Now you have a situation where you have collectors tiring of the product and upset because their "investment" did not work out, and you also have dealers upset over being treated so poorly.
I have many lovely Ashton Drake dolls in my own collection. I am a Diana Effner fan, but have others as well. I am not planning to sell, so their retail value is of little importance to me right now, but I certainly would call this the end of an era for a once flourishing industry. My hope is that these dolls will make a comeback in the collectors market, as most really are lovely, quality made dolls that deserve to be appreciated in the collectible market.
I am sure there was no one who had looked in a magazine in 1980, and not seen "Matthew". People who had never owned a doll, or even considered owning a doll, were falling in love with the idea of doll collecting as well as falling in love with Matthew. Yes there were dolls before Matthew, but in my mind, he was the one that really blew the doll market wide open.
These new collectors of course, then wanted to complete their collection by purchasing the earlier dolls in the set, and prices on the premier issue "Jason" went crazy. I remember people paying up to $2500. to own this doll, and hundreds to obtain Heather and Jennifer as well.
So where did it all go wrong? Today's market on these older Ashton Drake Dolls is so soft I would not dream of selling those in my own collection.
Ashton Drake Galleries simply made too many dolls. From their original 2-3 different series back in the early days, to having so many different sets it was nearly impossible for collectors to know what doll went with what set. I heard over and over as sales dwindled that there is "only so much room in my house for dolls".
As a dealer, the final blow came when I received an informal letter in the mail, saying my sales were no longer high enough to qualify for dealer status, and I would not be able to purchase dolls in the future. How is that for a kick in the pants, after selling hundreds of their dolls over the years and generating thousands of dollars in revenue for them? How many other small dealers were not able to meet the minimum criteria set out by the company, and simply moved forward to promote other works.
Now you have a situation where you have collectors tiring of the product and upset because their "investment" did not work out, and you also have dealers upset over being treated so poorly.
I have many lovely Ashton Drake dolls in my own collection. I am a Diana Effner fan, but have others as well. I am not planning to sell, so their retail value is of little importance to me right now, but I certainly would call this the end of an era for a once flourishing industry. My hope is that these dolls will make a comeback in the collectors market, as most really are lovely, quality made dolls that deserve to be appreciated in the collectible market.
Related Tags: dolls, collecting, collectible, porcelain, ashton drake
For more information on porcelain doll collecting, visit www.eloradollhouse.com. Jayne Cremasco has been a miniature and doll house retailer for over 25 years. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
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