In celebration Catawiki, Europe’s fastest growing online auction house is holding a very special auction of 45 unique and vintage Barbie dolls, all of which have been contributed by the world’s largest collector, Bettina Dorfmann. The auction, which features Barbie dolls from the 60s and 70s, is expected to generate over £11,000 in total sales.
On the 9th March 1957, toy manufacturing giant Mattel presented the first Barbie at the ‘American Toy Fair’ in New York and since then has sold more than a billion Barbies in over 150 countries.
The Barbie doll has been one of the most popular toys in Mattel’s history and many people have become avid collectors. However, German-born Bettina Dorfmann holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Barbies. Having spent 22 years building up her collection, it now boasts in excess of 15,000 different dolls.
Bettina Dorfmann comments, "I started buying Barbies for my daughter, but unfortunately she didn’t really want to play with them. Rather than give them away or sell them on, I started to save them and it was from that moment that I decided to collect Barbies. It then got pretty out of hand, which is why I have such a large collection today!”
Highlights in the auction include the 60s favourite Twist 'n Turn Barbie, which is the most valued of this auction and represents the beginnings of the modern-day Barbie with new hair, a new face and even a new body. Also featured is the Barbie Brunette Swirl Ponytail 1964 edition and the 60s Barbie Fashion Queen, some of the rarer Barbies in the online auction.
Ben Fried, UK General Manager of Catawiki, comments, “We are very fortunate that Bettina Dorfmann chose to sell some of her prized Barbies through Catawiki and this unique collection showcases some of the most iconic dolls from Barbie’s history. All the lots are in excellent condition and present Barbie fans worldwide with an exciting opportunity to build on their own collections. We definitely expect a high level of interest.”
This special Barbie doll auction runs until March 11th 2016 at: http://auction.catawiki.co.uk/barbie-veiling
