replybuthall: caspar melchior balthazar

Like most all collectors, I did not start out with
Purchasing collection dolls when I was a kid. Collecting dolls is too expensive
For most children. As a matter of fact, rather than starting out with collector
Dolls, I started with some pretty crude rag dolls that my grandmother had made.
As I got older, they impressed me less, but when I was a kid I thought they were
The neatest thing around. I can't imagine how, but as a child I imagined that
They perfectly mimicked real life down to the smallest detail. I think that I
Actually believed they were alive As I grew up, my parents got me more and more
Dolls. The difference between a doll collector and your average kid is that doll
Collectors hang on to the dolls that their parents get them. By the time that I
Started looking for serious collector dolls, I already had over 30 different
Dolls, most of them in good condition.

Of course, collectible dolls are
Not something that you get for kids. Part of the reason is that kids aren't
Responsible enough to keep track of highly priced collectibles, but that is not
The only reason. Kids want to play with their dolls, but collectors dolls are
Not to be played with. I had my own Barbie doll collection, and although I kept
Most of them in pretty good shape, some of them suffered from my games. I would
Cut their hair, modify the clothes - all the things that kids do with the
Barbies. When I got my first collector doll for a Christmas present and my mom
Told me that I couldn't play with it unless I was very gentle, I was a little
Bit offended. What was the point of having nice collector dolls if you couldn't
Play with them?

Still, my parents trusted me a lot with those collector
Dolls. You see, I had always been very good with my toys. Unlike the other kids
In our family, I wouldn't swing them around or throw them at the walls. I played
Quietly, and that made me a perfect candidate for the collector dolls. If you
Don't collect anything, it might be hard for you to understand, but there's
Something satisfying about adding to your set. Every doll that I acquire somehow
Makes my collection a little bit more complete, although of course there are an
Unlimited number of dolls out there.