Antique doll without a leg left the auction for a lot of money (5 photos)

At Vectis Auctions in Teesside (England) was sold rare porcelain doll from the early 20th century. Despite the fact that this the collectible was far from being in perfect condition (one leg dolls were gnawed by a dog), there were many who wanted to buy it, and between they even got into competition.





The experts of the auction house Vectis identified the rarity in his hands as an antique characteristic doll No. 102 from biscuit porcelain produced by the German company Kammer & Reinhardt Walter" in 1910. Collectors encounter something similar in sale no more than once every 20-30 years!

Biscuit porcelain is a hard ceramic of double or single firing, without glazing, that is, its surface is matte and porous. A very popular material since the 18th century, especially for various ornaments and figurines. Biscuit porcelain dolls are different realistic matte finish that resembles skin. Peak of their popularity fell on the period from 1860 to 1900, when the French and german dolls.



Inspection showed that the doll presented for auction one leg is damaged (a foot is missing), so experts evaluated its cost is 12-17 thousand pounds sterling. However the lot aroused such significant interest that in the end the toy was sold for 52 £567. Moreover, the buyer bargained it from America on the phone, outbidding his competitor from Germany.





The collector's rarity seller said that the doll belonged to her grandmother, and then her mother.

For as long as I can remember, she lived in the living room on the sofa, and when our now deceased dog was a naughty puppy, she chewed doll leg.

“My mother, unfortunately, is now unwell. We dismantled the house and found that toy again,” she added. We needed so many make out that we threw away a lot, and at first I put the doll in a pile for ejection. But the husband felt sorry for throwing her away and he decided to leave her “on memory". And then we realized how special she is.”



Only a few surviving examples of this dolls, making it one of the rarest in the world. In a 1912 newspaper about they wrote that they were "not dolls, but rather real children."



These porcelain babies, crafted with amazing realism, were based on the appearance of real children of that time and made with such attention to detail that they just won the hearts adult collectors. Their production and sale ceased in overnight with the outbreak of the First World War, and that is why they are a huge rarity.