VINTAGE 1st Year—BETTER BARGAIN Betsy McCall Doll+TLC Rare VARIATION Clothes!!

Description

The .99 beginning bid is NOT a reflection of this doll and outfit's condition!  I am listing ALL of my Betsy doll auctions--the GOOD dolls, BETTER dolls and the BEST dolls--with a beginning bid of 99 cents.
This auction is for one of the VERY GOOD BETSY dolls.
HAVE FUN!
Soon I hope to be listing another vintage 8” Betsy auction.  See her in my Seller’s List:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/antiq45/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
IF YOU WIN THIS BETSY doll and IF you want to try to win the next Betsy doll
that ends the day after this one, please let me know and wait to pay until you are finished bidding on the 2
nd
doll.  I will send a combined invoice after the 2nd auction with the shipping amount adjusted for 2 dolls in one box.
5 day auction—
This sweet, little 8” Betsy Mc Call and her outfit were made only in 1957—the first year of this doll’s production.  Her mesh wig cap and plastic peg knee hinges indicate that she was a 1957 American Character Betsy doll because that is the only year these two features were used.  She  is looking for a new home and is clean and ready to play or display.  Please read the complete description BEFORE you bid because she is not ‘mint’.   She is a lovely doll with issues that are common to these half-century-old girls.  I feel the issue in
black italics
below goes a little beyond those normally found on these vintage dolls.  However, the issue is balanced by her other Excellent qualities which have kept her from becoming one of my ‘Bargain Betsy’ dolls.
Therefore, Betsy is probably most appropriate for the beginning collector, as an inexpensive model for one of the many outfits you may have or for your child/grandchild to play with and to STAY OUT of YOUR collection!  ;-)  You will find that I am very ‘picky’ in my description.
I have discovered that monitors may show pictures differently than those posted from the Seller's computer—even the tilt of the monitor makes a difference.  Therefore, you can rely on the description to be a very good indication of the condition of this Betsy and use the pictures as a support, realizing that the coloring of this doll may be different than you see on your monitor.
Betsy’s positive points:
-- Long, STRAWBERRY BLOND hair sewn to a wig mesh base (only used on 1
st
year dolls) with BOTH ORIGINAL BARRETTES and NO BALD SPOTS; some original curls on the sides and CURLY BANGS; back has some waves, but no longer has curls
-- pretty face complexion with NO CHEEK RUBS in the soft blush
-- lovely BLUE-GRAY eyes with perfect upper lashes
-- head and arms are on ORIGINAL RUBBER BANDS
-- head was loose, so I added a piece of elastic cord next to the original band, now allowing for                           many poses
-- arms are on original rubber band, not loose, and will hold poses nicely  (A little band has been                        added inside of the original to help it hold snugly.)
-- only open seam is the crotch (see below)
-- NO KNEE CRACKS OR FLARES
-- 1
st
year plastic knee pegs still present and not broken
-- knees bend easily; RIGHT KNEE HOLDS ALL POSES; left knee
holds No poses
NOTE:  I am not listing the swingy lower leg under the ‘Not-So-Positive’ section because I feel that this is caused by the character of the mechanism and the passage of time, not by abuse.
-- -- lighter DUSKY PINK, clean, EVEN SKIN HUE overall—not discolored by exposure to bad environmental effects
-- McCall mark in a circle on her back
-- I have not forced her to sit.  However, a very helpful Betsy collector has shared a U-Tube video with me that shows how to safely make your Betsy doll sit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DF5FM0rHaM
-- Her legs are stable enough to allow her to stand on her own with a little careful positioning of her arms and legs (a little swingy as are most).  She will still need a stand for safe display.
Not-so-positive points:
(I am being very, very nit-picky about things that some other Sellers wouldn't have bothered listing and which may have gone unnoticed without my mentioning them.  I do not believe that they take from her loveliness, nor her collect ability.)
-- crotch seam has opened (1/16” wide)
-- eyes need help opening and closing, probably because of the knot in the piece of elastic cord that supports the original head rubber band (not a bad thing—I just wanted to mention it)
-- the back of one leg (calf area) has a couple of very thin lines, which is common—hey! I’m over 60 also and Betsy’s legs look much better than mine
--
There are 2 places with the remnants of red staining
—on the fingers of the right hand and on the back of the upper half of the right leg (see in close-up picture).  I have worked on lightening the stain and will include the instructions that I used for the winning bidder to continue the process if they want (it most likely will never ‘go away’, but
may
lighten more).
Clothes:
Betsy is wearing the 1957
’Holiday’
outfit.  The skirt and combo (combination blouse and panty) are a variation that is seldom seen.  The velvet skirt of this outfit usually has pink satin binding on the hem edge, but this one has pink net binding.  This combo is different in that it has puffed sleeves with lace trim rather than lace edged, plain short sleeves.
The skirt is useable until you find a better example.  The elastic still has a little stretch remaining, but the front of the skirt has faded and looks a little dingy.   There are no holes, tears, or missing stitches.  The taffeta combo is in nice condition with no holes, tears or missing stitches, however, the lace and silver trim on the front has darkened with age and the elastic in the puffed sleeves has stretched out.  If you baste some elastic thread on the inside next to the lace, you should be able to pull it back in.
The shoes are vintage originals to Betsy.  Both shoes still have solid knobs.  There is a teeny beginnings of a split in the ‘buttonhole’ of one of the straps.  I do not button the shoes any more to insure the integrity of these 63 to 57-year-old items!
***
These items came to me through e-bay purchases.  I have a smoke free home and I do not smell unpleasant odors on them, but I cannot guarantee what environment they came from.  In my opinion, this adorable girl will make an excellent addition to your collection.
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I do combine shipment on multiple wins of my other auctions to save on shipping. Please e-mail any questions before you bid.  Cost of purchase less shipping will be refunded if item is shown to be not as described.  Buyer must contact seller within 2 days of receiving item and before item is shipped back.  Selling price refund AFTER item has been received in the same condition it was sent.  No refunds on shipping. Please keep this in mind when bidding.
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Feedback- I appreciate your feedback, and will leave feedback for you as soon as yours is received…thanks!
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If you would like shipping coverage, please ask before you pay.  The U.S. buyer pays for First Class or Priority Mail shipping--see ‘Postage Calculator’ in this ad.  I do not add a handling fee and want to state that I recycle my mailing materials.  I will
try
to mail USA packages within 1 working day.
NOTE:
Depending on what state you live in, eBay may be required to collect sales tax in addition to the auction price and shipping price.
***
Payment is due within THREE days of auction end.
Thanks for looking--and bidding!
:-)