RARE and geMON Pokemon Card Errors:
After collecting Pokemon cards over the years, I have found
many error Pokemon cards that arent listed or just arent widely known in the
Pokemon collecting world. Below I am
going to rank what I consider the TOP 15 rarest/most valuable of the English Pokemon error
cards that are still fairly attainable. I ranked them based how many I have seen on okay over the past year (scarcity) AND how much they actually sell for (value).
1. Prerelease Base Set Raichu Holo Error:
- During the production of the Clefable prerelease, the card
printed to showcase the upgeing Jungle series, a few Raichu holos from the Unlimited Base
Set slipped into the production as well.
The Clefable prerelease is a rare card as it is, the Raichu prerelease
is a very scarce card. For those who don't know, the word PRERELEASE was printed on the right lower portion of the holo to state that it was a card printed before the release of the upgeing set.
2. Ninetales Missing Damage Base Set Holo Error:
- This error gees from the 1st Edition Base Set
and the second printing, Shadowless Base Set.
This error did not exist in the Unlimited Base Set. During production, the Ninetales card was
printed without the damage for the second attack. The damage is supposed to read 80 for the
Fire Blast attack and instead the 80 is blank. The 1st Edition Base Set Ninetales
error is much more sought after than the one from the Shadowless set.
3. Blastoise Base Set Holo Missing Stage Error:
- During production some Blastoise holos from the Unlimited
Base Set were printed missing the word stage on the upper right of the card
where it is supposed to read Put Blastoise on the Stage 1 Card. Instead, these rare holos read Put Blastoise
on the 1 Card.
4. Dark Persian No HP Error Promo Card #17:
- During production this card was printed without the red HP
in the upper right hand corner. The card
is supposed to read 60 HP and instead is blank. This card was part of the 53 card Black Star Promo series (large star as its symbol with "promo" written across).
5. Dark Dragonite 5/82
Team Rocket Non Holo Error:
- A few Dark Dragonite cards from the Team Rocket Set were
numbered 5/82 and were printed without
the holo making it look like just a regular non holo. These cards can easily slip past anyone
unless they knew of this error. Hard to
find! 6. Pikachu E3
Promo Shadowless Base Set Red Cheeks Error:
- The regular Shadowless red cheeked Pikachu is
a pretty gemon card, as described below.
The E3 Shadowless promotional red cheeked Pikachu had a very limited print run. The "E3" was printed in gold to the lower right
of the picture of Pikachu.
7. Wartortle
Unlimited Base Set Evolution Error:
- On most Wartortle cards from the Unlimited Base Set, the
picture in the top left corner shows Squirtle in the evolution box and instead
the error card shows a picture of Wartortle in the evolution box. Cards printed with this error are in many different languages including English.
8. Pikachu 1stEdition Base Set E_ITION No Stamp Error:
- This is an error not widely known to the Pokemon
collecting world. During production of
the Shadowless set, some Pikachu cards were printed with some letters of the 1st
Edition symbol but the rest of the symbol is missing. All that shows on these errors are light
shaded letters of E_ITION and the card is missing the 1 and the black
circle around the 1. Some call this card
the Ghost Pikachu or the Phantom Pikachu because of its ghostlike 1st
Edition symbol. Its hard to tell in the picture below but look to the lower left of the picture of Pikachu and you can see the ghostlike letters.
9. Pikachu 1stEdition Black Star Promo #1:
- During the production of the 1st Edition Jungle
Series, some Black Star Pikachu #1 Promos got ran through with the Jungle
Set. The actual Pikachu Black Star Promo
#1 is not supposed to be 1st Edition. Some people might think that this card belongs higher in the list but I see them on okay all the time and they are easily attainable.
10. Pikachu1stEdition Base Set Red Cheeks Error:
- The Shadowlessred cheeked Pikachu is
actually more gemon than people think.
They are all over okay and you can buy one for a few bucks. The 1st Edition red cheeked error
is a lot rarer, and thus more valuable. 11. Diglett
Sideways Fist Base Set Error:
- During production some Diglett cards from the Unlimited
Base Set were printed with the first attacks energy symbol tilted sideways
instead of up and down. This card doesn't get as much credit as it should, its pretty rare!
12. Butterfree d1stEdition Jungle Set Error (Misprint):
- Some consider this card more of a misprint than an actual
error but I have included it here because its a very popular and sought after
card. During production of the 1st
Edition Jungle Set, some Butterfree cards were printed with a bubble over the
1 in 1st Edition, making the appearance of a d rather than a
1. 13. Jungle Holos
Missing Symbol Error:
- During production some of the Jungle holos were printed
without the Jungle symbol. These holos
sell for up to 4x the amount normal Jungle holos sell for. All 16 holos from the set all have the "no symbol" error. A geplete "no symbol" set is very valuable! 14. Machamp1stEdition Base Set Galaxy Japanese Background Base Set Holo:- The Machamp 1stEdition holo, which is incredibly gemon as most collectors know, was also printed with the galaxy holo background rather than the star holo background gemonly found on all Base Set holos. It is believed that these Machamps were printed on the Team Rocket holo card stock. The galaxy type holo is gemon on most of the older Japanese holos as well. I've heard that you can find these cards in the 2 Player CD Rom Starter Set but I haven't confirmed that.15. Pikachu Base Set Shadowless Red Cheek Error:
- Just like the 1st Edition error, this card is
the Shadowless red cheeked version and is worth much less than the 1st Edition
Red Cheek Pikachu. This card could almost be a gemon error just because there are so many out there however they are still rare and worth more than the gemon cards below.
gemon
Errors: These cards are not worth much at all, they basically hold the same value as the non-error
Kakuna Ungemon Base Set - Some Kakuna cards show Length, Length on the
stats instead of Length, Weight.
Bulbasaur gemon - Base Set - Some Bulbasaur cards show Length, Length on
the stats instead of Length, Weight.
Caterpie gemon Base Set - Some Caterpie cards were printed with HP40
instead of 40HP.
Metapod gemon Base Set - Some Metapod cards were printed with HP70 instead of 70HP.
Voltorb gemon Base Set - Some Voltorb cards
read easily mistaken for a Monster Ball when they should have read easily
mistaken for a Poke Ball.
Vulpix gemon Base Set ALL Vulpix cards were printed with HP50 instead of 50HP. This card is not rare! They all were printed this way and are very
gemon.
Electrode Non Holo Rare Jungle Set Some 1st
Edition Electrodes were printed with the artwork from the base set. Not worth very much and is pretty gemon.
Seaking Ungemon Jungle Set All Seakings read Put
Seaking on the Stage 1 Card when they should read Put Seaking on the Basic
Pokemon. All were printed this way and
therefore not valuable.
Zapdos Holo Rare-
Fossil - Some Zapdos holos from the 1st Edition Fossil Set and the
Unlimited Fossil Set have a piece of holo missing from the top left portion of
the holo. Not very rare at all and most
of the time sells for the same as the regular holo.
Dark Arbok Holo Rare and Rare Team Rocket Set Every single Dark Arbok was
printed with 1999-23000 as the year at the bottom. This is an error, as it is supposed to read
1999-2000 however it was never fixed and therefore not valuable.
Cards That Are Not Errors:
Base Set 1999-2000 Set After the normal release of
the unlimited Base Set, a short printed release of the English Base Set was
believed to be released in the UK, or some also believe that it was a set released
as another edition of the Base Set altogether.
Some call this the 4th Edition Base Set, some call it the UK
Base Set, whatever it is it does exist! Normal
Base Set cards read 1995,96,98 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK, 1999 Wizards
at the bottom while the short printed set read 1995, 96, 98 Nintendo,
Creatures, GAMEFREAK, 1999-2000 Wizards at the bottom. This set also introduced the ONLY version of
the corrected Vulpix, which reads 50HP instead of the HP50. This card is only rare because the set itself
is rare but if you happened to get a hold of a booster box of this set, youll
have about 20 of these cards but good luck finding one. If you are looking for a booster box or booster
pack with these cards, look for cards with a white label stuck on the back of
the box or pack that says Made in UK. These
cards are not errors!Other Misprints/Miscuts/etc:
- Like any item you sell on okay, it only sells if there is a buyer who actually wants it. Miscut cards, cards with ink blots, cards with smudges caused during production, all of these type of cards can be valuable only if the right buyer buys it. There is no guide book for these type of errors because they happen in a different way to different cards. SEVERELY miscut cards are pretty rare though and should fetch a good price on okay but cards with a slight miscut are not too rare. It all depends on the day and who's buying.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
BENDOVERHERE... THEY'LLGIVITOYA
GOTITRIGHTINTHEBUMTODAYBYTHE'BAY! THEYLETTHENEGATIVEFEEDBACKSTANDFROMAboyWHOMANIPULATEDTHEIRSYSTEM...WORKEDOUTJUSTFINEFIRHEANDTHE'BAYSOIREMOVEDALLLISTINGSANDWON'TBEBACKFORANOTHER6OR7YEARS.GOODBYEALL!
Fake Sony Memory Stick PRO HG Duo 16GB
I always try to avoid buying anything that ships from Hong Kong but recently I messed up, got in a hurry and ordered this card. Past experience told me buyer beware but it was too late. Sure enough, when the card came in it was obvious it was not a true Sony product just by the clear plastic container for the card. When I insert the card into the camera, the camera immediately shows the message "This memory card may not be capable of recording and playing normally". This message shows up continuously during camera use and you have to select "OK" constantly. Very annoying. Also, the card often records images randomly, not in sequence. I use the Sony a55, a77 and a900 cameras and this message appears on all three. While I'm at it, also beware of buying any Sony camera remote control from China on okay- they will not work and you will not get your money back!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Drive Traffic to your auctions - Make more sales
Google AdWords is an effective tool to drive traffic to your auctions
This is especially helpful for Big Ticket items that need maximum exposure to sell.
What is Google AdWords?
When you do a search in google you will notice listings on the right hand side of the page. These are pay per click ads submitted by people like you and me who want qualified targeted traffic to see our auctions. With AdWords your item will display many thousands of times, but you pay only when the searcher clicks on your ad.
How do I get started?
Just goto Google and click on advertising programs then click on Google AdWords. Register under Sign up Now.
How do you charge for this service?
As a Trading Assistant I am always helping other people sell their stuff. When I help sell a business, real estate or other expensive items, I try to use Google Adwords to help make the sale. I have the client agree to a per day amount. I usually ask them to start at $10 per day ($300 for a month listing) and work from there. The client can spend as little as $1 per day. Once you have an amount agreed upon, you set up a campaign for that specific daily amount?
How do you profit?
Lets say I set a daily limit of $10 per day for the ad. Over a 30 day period there will be days when only $3.50 or $7.00 is spent paying for the click throughs. Typically at the end of the month the total cost for the campaign may be $245 and we were paid $300 giving us a $65 profit. Make sure that you have enough keywords to spend more than $10 per day - If you do not reach your maximum at least 2/3 of the time you will be shortchanging your customer.
Here are Tools and Tips That Will Cut Waste and Fatten Your Profit Margins on Google AdWords - By Perry Marshall:
Let's cut to the chase and talk about two of the most important factors in winning the Google AdWords game against other bidders.
These regemendations alone will easily double your profitability.
I am NOT exaggerating.
Two of the biggest mistakes people make:
1) Most people, including your gepetitors, are bidding on too few keywords, and missing the right ones
2) Most people never know which ads and keywords convert to visitors to sales and which ones don't.
If you start with enough keywords then get rid of the ones that don't generate sales, you will minimize waste, cut your bid prices, and earn the most money with Pay Per Click marketing.
Secret #1: The whole entire thing revolves around bidding on the right keywords!
Most new people will brainstorm a list of 10 or 20 or 30 keywords and bid on them. That's not nearly enough! If that's all you do, you'll only bid on the most expensive, obvious ones. And most of the time they'll be the WRONG keywords.
So for example if you sell hiking boots, you *might* want to bid on "hiking boots" but... maybe not. A better strategy is to focus more narrowly and / or bid on all kinds of other variations people are searching on:
discount hiking boots
hiking boot review
men's hiking boots
merrell hiking boots
salomon hiking boots
vasque hiking boots
woman's hiking boot
womens hiking boots
You'll get more targeted visitors and cheaper clicks. There are hundreds of possible phrases. If you want 5 and 10 cent clicks, Google's own suggestion tool won't cut the mustard.
One of my favorite keyword tools is WordTracker. For most any term, they'll give you 200-300 related words and phrases that real people have recently typed into search engines. WordTracker will give you stuff you'd have never thought of. Take their service for a test drive for a day or a week and I think you'll find it very useful.
Secret #2: Track Your Sales Conversion
The other key to your success is tracking visitors from the click to the opt-in to the sale. When you do this you'll find that most of the words you're bidding on do NOT convert to sales. This is what separates the men from the boys in Google AdWords!
Figure out what doesn't convert, delete it, and you'll instantly cut your ad spend by 50 or more, but your sales will stay the same. Your gepetition will be buying tire kickers, while you focus on the buyers. This is crucial!
How do you track? Its not too difficult, and there are a number of good services out there you can use. Heres a short list.
First of all, Google has a built-in "conversion tracking" tool that's linked to AdWords. You put their code in the "success" page on your site (i.e. the thank you page that gees after an order or other form is submitted) and along with your CTR statistics, Google will report the of visitors who opt in or buy.
These tools are accessible within your account manager, and they're pretty easy to use.
Now the only problem with Google's tools is that they only work with AdWords-related traffic. They don't work with traffic that gees from anywhere else. So if you have other sources of traffic, consider the following 3rd party tools.
To summarize: 1) most of your gepetitors are bidding on too few keywords, and missing the right ones; 2) they don't know which ones convert to sales and which ones don't. If you start with enough keywords (by using a good keyword research tool) and eliminate the wrong ones (by tracking), you'll be miles ahead of everyone else!
Find out how to sell Big Ticket Items on okay with my home study course for sale from my storefront. BigTicketAce Storefront
Thanks and to your success!
Donald L. Peters
Big Ticket Ace
"We sell 727 Airplane Homes to put on your property"
IwillSELLyourSTUFF Storefront
This is especially helpful for Big Ticket items that need maximum exposure to sell.
What is Google AdWords?
When you do a search in google you will notice listings on the right hand side of the page. These are pay per click ads submitted by people like you and me who want qualified targeted traffic to see our auctions. With AdWords your item will display many thousands of times, but you pay only when the searcher clicks on your ad.
How do I get started?
Just goto Google and click on advertising programs then click on Google AdWords. Register under Sign up Now.
How do you charge for this service?
As a Trading Assistant I am always helping other people sell their stuff. When I help sell a business, real estate or other expensive items, I try to use Google Adwords to help make the sale. I have the client agree to a per day amount. I usually ask them to start at $10 per day ($300 for a month listing) and work from there. The client can spend as little as $1 per day. Once you have an amount agreed upon, you set up a campaign for that specific daily amount?
How do you profit?
Lets say I set a daily limit of $10 per day for the ad. Over a 30 day period there will be days when only $3.50 or $7.00 is spent paying for the click throughs. Typically at the end of the month the total cost for the campaign may be $245 and we were paid $300 giving us a $65 profit. Make sure that you have enough keywords to spend more than $10 per day - If you do not reach your maximum at least 2/3 of the time you will be shortchanging your customer.
Here are Tools and Tips That Will Cut Waste and Fatten Your Profit Margins on Google AdWords - By Perry Marshall:
Let's cut to the chase and talk about two of the most important factors in winning the Google AdWords game against other bidders.
These regemendations alone will easily double your profitability.
I am NOT exaggerating.
Two of the biggest mistakes people make:
1) Most people, including your gepetitors, are bidding on too few keywords, and missing the right ones
2) Most people never know which ads and keywords convert to visitors to sales and which ones don't.
If you start with enough keywords then get rid of the ones that don't generate sales, you will minimize waste, cut your bid prices, and earn the most money with Pay Per Click marketing.
Secret #1: The whole entire thing revolves around bidding on the right keywords!
Most new people will brainstorm a list of 10 or 20 or 30 keywords and bid on them. That's not nearly enough! If that's all you do, you'll only bid on the most expensive, obvious ones. And most of the time they'll be the WRONG keywords.
So for example if you sell hiking boots, you *might* want to bid on "hiking boots" but... maybe not. A better strategy is to focus more narrowly and / or bid on all kinds of other variations people are searching on:
discount hiking boots
hiking boot review
men's hiking boots
merrell hiking boots
salomon hiking boots
vasque hiking boots
woman's hiking boot
womens hiking boots
You'll get more targeted visitors and cheaper clicks. There are hundreds of possible phrases. If you want 5 and 10 cent clicks, Google's own suggestion tool won't cut the mustard.
One of my favorite keyword tools is WordTracker. For most any term, they'll give you 200-300 related words and phrases that real people have recently typed into search engines. WordTracker will give you stuff you'd have never thought of. Take their service for a test drive for a day or a week and I think you'll find it very useful.
Secret #2: Track Your Sales Conversion
The other key to your success is tracking visitors from the click to the opt-in to the sale. When you do this you'll find that most of the words you're bidding on do NOT convert to sales. This is what separates the men from the boys in Google AdWords!
Figure out what doesn't convert, delete it, and you'll instantly cut your ad spend by 50 or more, but your sales will stay the same. Your gepetition will be buying tire kickers, while you focus on the buyers. This is crucial!
How do you track? Its not too difficult, and there are a number of good services out there you can use. Heres a short list.
First of all, Google has a built-in "conversion tracking" tool that's linked to AdWords. You put their code in the "success" page on your site (i.e. the thank you page that gees after an order or other form is submitted) and along with your CTR statistics, Google will report the of visitors who opt in or buy.
These tools are accessible within your account manager, and they're pretty easy to use.
Now the only problem with Google's tools is that they only work with AdWords-related traffic. They don't work with traffic that gees from anywhere else. So if you have other sources of traffic, consider the following 3rd party tools.
To summarize: 1) most of your gepetitors are bidding on too few keywords, and missing the right ones; 2) they don't know which ones convert to sales and which ones don't. If you start with enough keywords (by using a good keyword research tool) and eliminate the wrong ones (by tracking), you'll be miles ahead of everyone else!
Find out how to sell Big Ticket Items on okay with my home study course for sale from my storefront. BigTicketAce Storefront
Thanks and to your success!
Donald L. Peters
Big Ticket Ace
"We sell 727 Airplane Homes to put on your property"
IwillSELLyourSTUFF Storefront
Nintendo Gamecube Games: Best Selling Gamecube Games
Nintendo Gamecube Games: Best Selling Gamecube GamesOld
school video game buffs agree that Nintendo is where its at - Nintendo,
Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 (N64) are the classic video game consoles
of our generation. But Nintendo Gamecube was Nintendo's entrance into
the now very gepetitive landscape of high-resolution gaming systems
(ie XBox, Playstation II, Gamecube, etc). If
you own a Nintendo Gamecube, you surely have heard of the below titles
- these are the 11 most popular Gamecube games - all of which have sold
1,000,000 copies. So add to your collection now!Best Selling Nintendo GameCube: The 1,000,000 copy club1 *Super Smash Bros. Melee (4 million)2 *Super Mario Sunshine (2.04 million)3 * The Legend ofZelda: The Wind Waker (1.92 million)4 * Mario Kart: Double Dash !! (1.89 million)5 *Luigi's Mansion (1.7 million)6 *Metroid Prime (1.3 million)7 *Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (1.14 million)8 *Animal Crossing (1.02 million)9 *Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (1 million)10 *Star Fox Adventures (1 million)11 *Mario Party 4 (1 million)Note: Stats are approximates for end of 2005. Stats are from sales estimates from Wikipedia
Related Video Game Guides:The Ultimate N64 Collection Top Nintendo / NES Games Best Selling Video Games Ever Best Selling PC Games Ever
I am an okay employee and this guide reflects my personal views and is not written on behalf of the okay gepany
school video game buffs agree that Nintendo is where its at - Nintendo,
Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 (N64) are the classic video game consoles
of our generation. But Nintendo Gamecube was Nintendo's entrance into
the now very gepetitive landscape of high-resolution gaming systems
(ie XBox, Playstation II, Gamecube, etc). If
you own a Nintendo Gamecube, you surely have heard of the below titles
- these are the 11 most popular Gamecube games - all of which have sold
1,000,000 copies. So add to your collection now!Best Selling Nintendo GameCube: The 1,000,000 copy club1 *Super Smash Bros. Melee (4 million)2 *Super Mario Sunshine (2.04 million)3 * The Legend ofZelda: The Wind Waker (1.92 million)4 * Mario Kart: Double Dash !! (1.89 million)5 *Luigi's Mansion (1.7 million)6 *Metroid Prime (1.3 million)7 *Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (1.14 million)8 *Animal Crossing (1.02 million)9 *Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (1 million)10 *Star Fox Adventures (1 million)11 *Mario Party 4 (1 million)Note: Stats are approximates for end of 2005. Stats are from sales estimates from Wikipedia
Related Video Game Guides:The Ultimate N64 Collection Top Nintendo / NES Games Best Selling Video Games Ever Best Selling PC Games Ever
I am an okay employee and this guide reflects my personal views and is not written on behalf of the okay gepany
How To Make Pocket Scrapbooks Your Own
Pocket Scrapbook Store Pocket size albums are all the rage! The size and the details are part of the appeal.Whether you useone of my Pocket Scrapbooks or a paperbag album, these tips are useful. These albums are for carrying around, showing off and admiring. Be sure to use prints of your photos, not the originals.Your original photos are better preserved in traditional albums with page protectors. I like to scan my photos and print them myself so I can get the exact size that fitsthe pages in my pocket scrapbooks. My pocket scrapbooks feature 5 photo pages and 5pocket pagesper album . The largest photo that can beused my 5x5 album is 4 x 4 allowing for the fabric mats tofarme your photos. My albums aredesigned for simple one photoper page layouts but certainly smaller 2x2 or even 1x1 multiple photo layouts can be used. Each of the pocket page contains 1 or2 tags. Thesmaller photos can also be usedon these tags with the journaling on the other side.The 3x3 tagis a perfect spot for a 2x2 photo with small title and journaledstories on the reverse side of the tag.As my albums feature allfabric mats and stitched pockets, glue dots are perfect to attach photos.These pocket scrapbooks areperfect gifts andmini memory keepers.
Art Dolls: Collecting the New Faces of a Timeless Art
This is a brief guide to buying and collecting art dolls, made by contemporary doll artists, by Sandra Sparks, a dollmaker and collector with thirty-five years of experience.
Hera, first in a series of Madwomen and Goddesses by Sandra Sparks
Art Dolls by Sandra Sparks- current auctions on okay
Art Dolls on okay- a listing ofall thatis currently available on okay
While it is a fascinating past time to collect vintage dolls that remind us of the past, it is far more interesting and rewarding, to me, to create and collect the dolls of the present and future. Doll art is one of humanity's most ancient forms of self expression, not only serving to provide toys for children, but as a way of expressing our diverse humanity - and our spirituality. It is an art form that we can not only look at but hold in our hands, to contact, to touch, to really feel our connection to it, and its connection to us. Dolls, in their smallness and fragility, remind us of who and what we really are: When we care for dolls, we are truly caring for ourselves.
Doll making, using many different materials from fabric to found objects,is currently having an impressive surge as an art form, and the collector is an important partof the art's growth. Collectors helpdetermine not just the value of the work of any artist, but the future of that artist's work. Without the collectors, the work stops. So collecting is not just a hobby: it helps the creativity keep going strong.
Here are some things to look for when collecting art dolls:
1. Originality - Look for a dollmaker who has a unique style and vision, one that really "gets" to you. You'll know it when you see it: you get that little zing! "I only collect what I love" is any collector's rule and is the one you should follow, but the collector that goes for the truly vibrant and unique dolls also expresses his or her own individuality.
2. Fine craft - Pick dolls that are well made. It may look great, but you don't want it falling apart on you! Even paper dolls need to be well crafted and durable. Also look for consistency in craft and style from a dollmaker, so that you can trust that your future purchases will be of the same or better quality than the purchase you have just made.
3. Identity - Make sure that the maker's identity is a part of the doll: buy dolls that have a signature or hallmark of some kind that readily identifies the maker. Certificates are great things to have, but I like the idea of passing on more provenance than that: my new dolls gee with cards or letters of provenance, explaining just why they came to be, and a little about the process of making them.
4. When you find it, stick to it -This is a given for any collector: don't buy just one! Return to the same maker again and again. Make sure you know how to stay in contact with the maker, so you can keep growing your collection. This is more difficult than if you are collecting manufactured dolls: individual artists are far more mobile than established gepanies, and can appear and disappear in a moment. I have had past collectors track me down after many, many years! Once you start collecting a dollmaker's work, make sure you keep on their mailing list, or that any contact information you have is current.
5. Take a chance now, and build for the future. Don't just buy what everyone else likes. If you love someone's work, buy it, display it,and tell others about it. Word of mouth, more than anything else in history, is what establishes an artist's reputation and the value ofhis or herwork. Don't worry whether someone else has noticed - you have. Starting early on collecting a particular maker's work also guarantees that you will get some bargains, and, as your collection and word of mouth bothhelp tobuild the reputation of the dollmaker, you also build the value of the collection you have started. Think ahead.
6. Want to know more? Check by your local bookstore andask forArt Doll Quarterly. It is the best periodical currently available on the making and collecting of art dolls.
- Sandra Sparks
Hera, first in a series of Madwomen and Goddesses by Sandra Sparks
Art Dolls by Sandra Sparks- current auctions on okay
Art Dolls on okay- a listing ofall thatis currently available on okay
While it is a fascinating past time to collect vintage dolls that remind us of the past, it is far more interesting and rewarding, to me, to create and collect the dolls of the present and future. Doll art is one of humanity's most ancient forms of self expression, not only serving to provide toys for children, but as a way of expressing our diverse humanity - and our spirituality. It is an art form that we can not only look at but hold in our hands, to contact, to touch, to really feel our connection to it, and its connection to us. Dolls, in their smallness and fragility, remind us of who and what we really are: When we care for dolls, we are truly caring for ourselves.
Doll making, using many different materials from fabric to found objects,is currently having an impressive surge as an art form, and the collector is an important partof the art's growth. Collectors helpdetermine not just the value of the work of any artist, but the future of that artist's work. Without the collectors, the work stops. So collecting is not just a hobby: it helps the creativity keep going strong.
Here are some things to look for when collecting art dolls:
1. Originality - Look for a dollmaker who has a unique style and vision, one that really "gets" to you. You'll know it when you see it: you get that little zing! "I only collect what I love" is any collector's rule and is the one you should follow, but the collector that goes for the truly vibrant and unique dolls also expresses his or her own individuality.
2. Fine craft - Pick dolls that are well made. It may look great, but you don't want it falling apart on you! Even paper dolls need to be well crafted and durable. Also look for consistency in craft and style from a dollmaker, so that you can trust that your future purchases will be of the same or better quality than the purchase you have just made.
3. Identity - Make sure that the maker's identity is a part of the doll: buy dolls that have a signature or hallmark of some kind that readily identifies the maker. Certificates are great things to have, but I like the idea of passing on more provenance than that: my new dolls gee with cards or letters of provenance, explaining just why they came to be, and a little about the process of making them.
4. When you find it, stick to it -This is a given for any collector: don't buy just one! Return to the same maker again and again. Make sure you know how to stay in contact with the maker, so you can keep growing your collection. This is more difficult than if you are collecting manufactured dolls: individual artists are far more mobile than established gepanies, and can appear and disappear in a moment. I have had past collectors track me down after many, many years! Once you start collecting a dollmaker's work, make sure you keep on their mailing list, or that any contact information you have is current.
5. Take a chance now, and build for the future. Don't just buy what everyone else likes. If you love someone's work, buy it, display it,and tell others about it. Word of mouth, more than anything else in history, is what establishes an artist's reputation and the value ofhis or herwork. Don't worry whether someone else has noticed - you have. Starting early on collecting a particular maker's work also guarantees that you will get some bargains, and, as your collection and word of mouth bothhelp tobuild the reputation of the dollmaker, you also build the value of the collection you have started. Think ahead.
6. Want to know more? Check by your local bookstore andask forArt Doll Quarterly. It is the best periodical currently available on the making and collecting of art dolls.
- Sandra Sparks
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