AN ANTIQUES Roadshow guest was left wincing after an expert spotted something VERY wrong with their vintage Barbies.
A recent episode of the BBC show saw expert Hilary Kay meet a female guest who had brought in a collection of Barbie dolls in their original boxes.
The dolls were from the 1960s and came with a bag of accessories and Hilary said: “We’ve got a tabletop here full of Barbies, fabulous costumes, in their boxes, and a great collection of accessories. Were they yours?”
The lady replied they had belonged to her mother and Hilary said: “Well first, talking about Barbie, her birthday is March 9, 1959, which is when she was unveiled at the New York Toy Fair as the brainchild of Ruth Handler.”
The guest told Hilary she thought one of the dolls was from the 1960s but was unsure about the other.
Hilary said: “Barbies have a serial number as they come from a particular series.”
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She then explained how the Barbie wrapped in an orange coat was from the 850 series, which first came onto the market in 1965.
She continued: “Originally, in her box, she would have just been wearing a red swimsuit, the 850 was the start of Barbie in her really glamorous period.”
She then asked: “Would you say they are in very good condition?”
It prompted the guest to admit that a lot of the dolls had green ears, and Hilary said: “It’s really bad news.”
As the camera zoomed in on one of the dolls’ ears, she continued: “[The green] is from the stud of the pearl earring and if they are not kept in exactly the right conditions they just deteriorate.”
The guest looked disappointed but Hilary told her as a small comfort: “There is nothing you can do about it.”
After adding there was no way to restore them to their original colour, Hilary told the guest: “You’re going to have to enjoy them as they are.”
On the plus side, the clothes and accessories were in great condition and Hilary said the collection was worth between £400 and £500.
Hilary concluded: “It looks as though they are going to have a great rest of their lives, they’ve certainly got the outfits for it.”
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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