Saturday, May 23, 2015

The Haul of the Century

Last Wednesday, as I was trolling the AGPT forum for the millionth time in between doing actual work at work, I noticed my state mentioned in a new thread. A click revealed an eBay auction that was listed as "local pick-up only," and a kind board member pointed it out to us because it was THE. BEST. DEAL. EVER. I had to look at it several times before I could even comprehend what I was looking at.

It was a nearly complete early Pleasant Company Kirsten doll and collection. Everything was photographed so nicely. There was a doll asleep in her bed, surrounded by tons of outfits and accessories, and her beautiful trunk in the background. Behold!


The BIN price was $200. That sounded like a lot for a second, until I started to really think about what I was seeing her. A PC Kirsten alone could conceivably go for $200, if the condition was right. And the trunk? Holy cow! 

Now, there were a lot of factors that could have made this dream collection a nightmare. There were only two pictures, the seller had 0% feedback, the only thing in the item description was "entire set in excellent condition." The doll was only pictured lying down, so I had no idea what the state of her hair was, or if she had silver eye. Everything could have reeked of cigarette smoke or perfume. It could have mold growing all over it from being stored in a basement. When it comes to buying anything AG on eBay, especially dolls, I always make a point of asking the seller the important questions about strong odors. I am horribly allergic to pretty much everything, and things like mold and cigarette smoke can trigger my asthma. 

But, that morning, I sort of freaked out, and the thought of someone else possibly getting to this first made me panic. I didn't want to wait around for an inexperienced seller who may or may not see my question before it was too late. SO I BOUGHT IT!

Since "summer hours" at work mean that I can go free at 11:30 am on Fridays, the seller and I decided I would pick everything up that Friday. It's actually embarrassing how excited and nervous I was throughout the rest of Wednesday and Thursday as I went over and over again in my head how I could have screwed myself out of $200 taking such a gamble as this. 

Friday came, finally, and when I arrived at the seller's house, I felt a rush of relief. The seller was so sweet, and told me that this collection had been given to her daughter at Christmas a long time ago, and her daughter showed little interest. I was laughing because she said her daughter maybe changed Kirsten's clothes once, and then she put her to bed...forever. Like a little Sleeping Beauty! Everything except Kirsten in her bed was packed up and ready to go in the trunk, and my first impression was that I had nothing to worry about; the worst thing I could detect was a layer of dust on the bed and Kirsten's sleeping face. That was easily remedied.

The whole way home I was flying high, and kept talking to Kirsten, who was in the trunk of my car, and apologizing whenever I took a turn and heard things bumping together.

When I got home and started to inspect everything, I literally started to get overcome with excitement. I don't think any of my childhood Christmases could compare (sorry, Santa!) Even Parlor Day was overshadowed! Kirsten herself was so lovely, with manageable hair that just needed a little care, and no sign of silver eye under those lovely brown lashes. Her Meet Dress read "Made in West Germany Especially for Pleasant Company." She was wearing her authentic amber necklace, though someone (probably the daughter) had comically wrapped her neckstrings multiple times around her neck as well (which seems like it would be a completely logical solution for what to do with them, for a kid). 

As I lifted each accessory and outfit out of the truck, I continued to be amazed. I was seeing all these tiny treasures from the Pleasant Company catalogs of my youth, largely untouched and perfectly preserved. Everything was there, from her wooden spoon in the spoon bag to each little grasshopper in her bait basket. Even the fishing pole, with it's cork floater and minuscule hook, was in tact and all there. When I opened the carpet bag, I had another heart attack of joy when I found the paper dolls mint in their original envelope and the thaumatrope still in the plastic package! 

At this point, my DH had to kindly ask me to stop screaming, because he was working at home that afternoon and didn't want to have to explain what the heck was going on to the other people on his conference call. 

For the rest of the day, I gave lovely Kirsten a spa treatment, softening her hair with conditioner and giving her vinyl a good cleansing. Then I handwashed her entire wardrobe, which was a bit dusty. I never wanted the day to end! 

Miss Kirsten!


The Whole Collection!
Look at dis stuff!! Isn't it neat?