Prior to the 1900s, the materials used for making dolls were broadly paper mache, wax, wood and clay. But these were not ideal materials to make dolls with, so some ingenious makers started manufacturing their dolls with porcelain. Soon afterwards, people started collecting porcelain dolls, and so a new hobby was born.

Why it took manufacturers so long to change over to making porcelain dolls is unknown. After all, porcelain was invented in the 600s by the Chinese and used chiefly for making pots, plates and cups. Because it can easily be formed and molded, porcelain dolls were easily made in different shapes, sizes and colors. And little girls everywhere loved them.

A manufacturer of a porcelain doll would first make the face with special clay and carefully mold the features of the face. Then the face is either left plain or glazed using a special paint. This produces two kinds of doll, the glazed one is known as a china doll while the unglazed one is called a bisque doll.

Next, the manufacturer fires up his kiln (which is a sort of oven) and heats the doll head at around 2000 degrees. After the first firing, it is painted a skin color and popped back into the kiln for more heat. Many more manufacturers produced bisque dolls than china dolls simply because bisque has an appearance similar to real skin.

After the firing, the head is attached to the rest of the doll’s body. Just like the head, the torso, legs and arms of the doll have been through the kiln process as well. Once assembled, the doll is dressed in suitable clothing for the type of doll that it is.

Some of the most well-known porcelain doll makers are in Germany. France follows closly behind as a quality maker of dolls. Doll makers in both these countries have earned their good reputation due to the intricate detail of their dolls. The quality and craftmanship these manufacturers put into their dolls has earned them an excellent world-wide reputation and made German and French dolls very popular among collectors.

Now, you might believe that it will be expensive if you are considering collecting dolls. Not so – some porcelain dolls can be bought for around $10, while others may go for up to $500. But antique bisque dolls do occassionally go for $1,000 plus. Obviously, prices depend on quality, condition and rarity.

So, if collecting porcelain dolls sounds like something you would enjoy, the best advice I can give you is do a little research reading before you start buying. This way you will easily become familiar with porcelain dolls and are more likely to get value for your money when you buy.

Some of the most fruitful places to find porcelain dolls worth collecting is at garage sales and flea markets. Often, if you have a rummage around in boxes of old toys, you will find a porcelain doll buried within. Usually because the owner has no idea of the value – to her it is just an old doll to be disposed.