Twins account for 1.9% of the world population. But in real life, I have encountered more twin babies than twin dolls. You would think that twin dolls would be more common.

After all, most antique dolls were mass-produced in factories. And although there was great variety to original clothing styles and fabrics and wigs, even by the same doll factory,  stores did receive shipments of dozens of the same doll at a time, all dressed alike, with identical wigs. Essentially, any two dolls from the same shipment were “twins”.

So why  don´t we find more twin dolls today? My speculation is that most people, back then and now, don’t buy two of the same doll. Very rarely, I will have someone buy two of the same doll, one for their child to “keep nice” & save as a heirloom, and one to play with now. Or
a child will become very attached to a particular doll, and the parent will buy a spare, just  in case the original is lost. (As a parent, I know how difficult it can be to get your child to go to sleep on vacation when you´ve forgotten to pack their special cuddle toy).

But most of the time, parents just buy one. Back in the 1880´s, I believe that this was even more typical; most people were not wealthy, and many a little girl would only receive one or two dolls for her entire childhood. Twin dolls retaining their original clothes are quite rare. I have the good fortune of offering three sets of twin dolls for sale in the shop right now: composition twins, papier mache twins, and pair of  Greiner twins (which are otherwise identical but vary in height), which I just acquired. Click on the antique dolls link (at the top of the page) for more information on all three of these hard-to-find twin doll sets.

Recently, I came across a copy of one of my doll lists, plus some assorted paperwork and flyers, circa 1998.  I really loved putting together the old doll lists.   In the “old days”, antique doll dealers would advertise exclusively in doll magazines and encourage readers to “send an extra-long SASE with two stamps” to receive their doll lists.  My list was 16 pages long, on average, and in black and white.  Dolls were described in detail, just like they are on my site today, and the text was peppered with artwork of Victorian-era dolls reproduced from my doll ephemera collection.  I really enjoyed putting the list together.  I didn’t have a computer, so I would go over to my friend Dee’s house once a month with a stack of my doll price tags and some nostalgic graphics. We would set up shop in her basement.  Dee was also my printer, and a new mom; I was a carefree newlywed with a little doll shop and no kids.  Dee would put her baby down for a nap and we would busy ourselves in her basement- I would type the doll descriptions off of the price tags directly onto her computer, and she would cut out the graphics and arrange them by hand on the master copy of the doll list.  It was a lot of fun.  We’d have tea and chat.

Once the list was printed, I would mail off dozens of copies to the collectors who had answered my ads.  They had all sent in their long self-addressed stamped envelopes, with two stamps, along with a handwritten note requesting my latest doll list.  And then I would wait.   The customers couldn’t tell much from the photos included on the list, so they were all eager to learn more about the dolls for sale and have me describe each doll’s attributes in detail.

In about a week, the phone would start ringing.  The East Coasters always had the advantage, as their doll lists would arrive first and they could scoop up the rarest dolls and the best bargains before those poor souls on the West Coast had even received their lists in the mail.  All of us really “talked dolls” back then.  With the quick back-and-forth of real time conversation, there was always a great sharing of knowledge, not just about the doll being considered for purchase but also related topics such as dolls by the same maker or how to differentiate hand from machine stitching.  The conversations always veered off into tangents, and the tangents were quite entertaining and educational, for both me and my happy clients.  Plus, the conversations were typically peppered with “how’s the weather?” and related pleasantries.  I got to know my customers very well.  I looked forward to hearing all of their accents, from Fern’s elegant Carolinian drawl to  those distinctive collectors from Minnesota.

When one of my competitors announced that their doll list would be discontinued and that their dolls would only be available online, I was shocked- it was such a risky move back then!  But in time, I did the same, starting my own site www.debrasdolls.com shortly after.  I still don’t like change.  And I still don’t like technology.  I like to write my to-do list on the chalkboard every day.  I like to talk with people in person.  And I think it’s fitting.  People like me, who love antiques, usually aren’t very tech savvy.  But at Debra’s Dolls, I try to incorporate the old with the new, antique dolls with new dolls, the charm of a sit-down visit at my store with the speed and immediacy of a frequently updated web site and email availability.  So, in keeping with this commitment to marry old and new, I have decided to create my new Doll Blog.

Here I plan to post mini-articles about antique dolls, to discuss current collecting trends, report on events in both the doll world and my local town, and share with you some of the dolls that come through my doors every day at my store(and the stories that come with them).  Because increasingly, as we all spend more time online, we don’t hear those stories.  I want to bring those stories back.  Because I enjoy telling them, and I think you will too.