A guest who appeared on the US edition of Antiques Roadshow wanted to find out how much her old Barbie doll was worth.
Vintage doll expert Billye Harris appeared on the show to give the guest an idea of what she could expect to receive for the classic doll. Speaking of her time as a collector, she said: “I bought Barbie and when I was a kid, I had three other girlfriends.
“We used to get together every day after school and play with our Barbies. I hadn’t pulled her out of my trunk until the other day for probably 50 years.”
READ MORE: Antiques Roadshow guests amazed to learn true value of £5 charity shop painting
READ MORE: Antiques Roadshow guest who ‘threw away husband’ has last laugh keeping one item from marriage
She was asked if there’s any temptation to play with her still and she cheekily responded: “Oh I did, all last week.”
(Image: PBS)
The expert added: “They’re really fun, if you love fashion Barbie’s really your girl. What you have is a very special Barbie, this is the American Girl Barbie and she was made in 1965 by Mattel.”
It was explained that Mattel used the same mould for Barbie from number one through several models. They added: “All they did was change the make-up, change the hair, and of course they updated the clothes.”
(Image: PBS)
The differences between each Barbie was explained as the expert said the original Barbie had a ponytail and a curly fringe while the American Girl Barbie had a platinum blonde hairdo. The doll also had its original bathing suit and three other outfits.
In a shocking valuation, the guest was informed that despite the doll retailing for under $5 at the time, the doll along with her clothes and case would retail between $600 and $850 – a whopping increase on the original value.
Despite being taken aback by the valuation, the owner admitted she has no plans to sell and said: “Great, but I’ll never give her up.”
The shocking valuation came shortly after a pair of sisters were left sobbing on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow after discovering how much their mum’s old lamp was worth. The Tiffany light was purchased for $125 in the late ’60s.
Now the value stands at a whopping $80,000 to $120,000, leaving the siblings in tears after discovering the shocking price.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
