A Quickie Guide to Collecting the Modern Style Barbie
If you collect modern Barbie Dolls, you have thousands of choices.  First you need to learn a bit about the Barbie Collectible business. In the past Barbie Collectibles were sold as Limited Edition or Collectors Edition product lines. In 2004 Mattel created a “tier structure†to identify Barbie dolls that will be collectible. The structure is as follows:
Platinum: Platinum Label Barbie dolls are produced in quantities of less than 1000.
Gold: Gold Label Barbie dolls are produced in quantities of less than 25,000 worldwide.
Silver: Silver Label Barbie dolls are produced in quantities of less than 50,000.
Pink label: Pink Label Barbie dolls are collector’s items that do not have a production quota. Items like the Dolls of the World collection are Pink Label.
While there is definitely something to be said for dolls that have not been removed from their boxes, Barbie was originally made to be enjoyed. Many people do hope to turn a profit by collecting Barbie dolls; there are still many others that are having fun with her. Buy the Barbie dolls and accessories that you like. If you want to leave them in the box, that is fine. If you want to take them out and comb their hair, then that is fine, too. You can’t collect them all so you need a strategy. How can you make sense out of the thousands of Barbie dolls issued in the last 30 years–pink box, porcelain, celebrity, fashion, and more? Here are a few suggestions on ways you can rationally build a wonderful Barbie collection.
1. Pink Box or Collectible? First, you have to ask yourself if you want to collect pink box Barbie dolls. Some collectors collect both,. Pink Box dolls have the benefit of being inexpensive, and are often chosen by collectors who like to customize or play hard with their dolls. Collectible dolls are often chosen by NRFB, which is Never Removed From Box, collectors.
2. Collecting Barbie by Themes Another way to make sense of the Barbie Doll world is to base your collection on a theme. Popular themes include Celebrity Barbie (Barbie as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde; Barbie as I Love Lucy), Movies (Gone With The Wind, James Bond, My Fair Lady), Vintage Reproductions, Historical (dolls such as The Great Eras Barbies), Bob Mackie Dolls, or Fantasy. Themed collections can span both Pink Box and Collectible Barbies.
3. NRFB or Removed from Box? Most collectors who collect Barbie collect boxed Barbies. If you are not a NRFB collector then you may be able to find better deals out there. Many bargains can be had on Barbies that have been removed from their boxes. eBay offers both sides of the spectrum, from high end collector dolls to dolls removed from boxes.
4. Barbie as Fashion Doll Barbie is a fashion doll and an excellent way to manage your Barbie doll collection is to consider only collecting the fashion-themed dolls! Fashion-themed dolls include dolls made to represent a designer (Christian Dior Barbie, Nolan Miller Barbie) and dolls made in the traditional, vintage tradition of Barbie with clothing and accessories available separately. Currently, the favorite for Barbie fashion fans is the Silkstone collection. Another, now retired, fashion collection is the Barbie Millicent Roberts collection from the mid 1990s.
5. Do Your Own Thing! The last thing you want is to invest time and money into something you are not truly interested in. Find the collections that you really want.
Once you know the type of Barbie Collector doll you want, you can search for a deal or retail vendors on the Internet and eBay. Search by using keywords like “silkstone†or “Badgley Mischka Bride Barbieâ€.  Be sure that you are familiar with purchasing items over eBay and Ecommerce security. There are necessary steps you must take to protect yourself and assure the validity of your seller. eBay can assist you in learning how to spot a fraudulent transaction if you are a new user. You can also visit Barbie Collector via the Barbie website.  Barbie doll collectors have a large community on the Internet and there are many forums providing information and resources. These suggestions only skim the surface of the possibilities for collecting. This quickie guide to collecting modern Barbie will get you started on your way in to the Barbie Collector world.
