VINTAGE Betsy McCall Doll + ORIGINAL Clothes—NO KNEE CRACKS and LONG HAIR!!

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 BETTER  BETSY dolls.
HAVE FUN!
5 day auction—
This gorgeous, 8” Betsy Mc Call is looking for a new home.  She seems to have experienced very little ‘play’ from her childhood owner, yet does show evidence of the passage of time.  She is lovely, clean and ready to dress and display and I believe she will be an asset to your collection.  Please read both her pros and cons before you bid because she is not mint.  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:
-- SMOOTH and SHINY, desirable BRUNETTE hair (after all, the Betsy paper doll had brunette hair!) rooted into a rubber wig base with BOTH ORIGINAL BARRETTES.  You will rarely find hair on Betsy dolls that is this LONG.
NOTE:  You can date this doll to 1958-1959.  According to author, Marci Van Ausdall, Betsy’s hair was made from courser fibers in 1958 and 1959 before the silkier fibers were introduced in 1960.  (page 17, Betsy McCall, A Collector’s Guide)   However, as you study more and more vintage Betsy dolls, you will find that the early skull cap wigs were haphazardly rooted which sometimes made thinly-rooted areas.
The bangs area of this doll’s head is thinly rooted (
not
a bald area).
You can see the result of this in the pictures.  You can try wetting her bangs and arranging them to cover the thin area and hold it down with a covered ponytail stretch band while it dries.
-- rubber skull cap is still in nice condition, considering the rubber is over 58-63 years old—there is one tiny chip out of the edge of the rubber cap that is hidden by her hair
-- pretty face complexion with NO CHEEK RUBS and just the right amount of blush
-- lovely BLUE eyes with perfect upper lashes
-- distinctive BLACK LOWER LASHES like those painted on many of the Betsy dolls produced in 1957 (the first year of her production).  I believe this definitely dates this doll to early 1958 when the last of the 1957 inventory was used with the ‘upgrades’ that began in 1958.
-- 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.)
-- NO KNEE CRACKS OR FLARING
-- knees bend with ease and hold a pose well
-- only opened seam is the crotch (see description below)
-- FLESH-TONED BEIGE clean, EVEN SKIN HUE overall—not faded or yellowed by exposure to negative environmental effects
NOTE:  Though this Betsy's arms are a little lighter than the rest of her, they are original to this doll, the same hue and not faded.  By 'hue', I mean the same color pallet--'value' means lightness or darkness--so her arms have a slightly lighter 'value', but the same 'hue' as the rest of her.  This is just the way she was put together at the factory.
-- NO STAINS
-- McCall mark in a circle on her back
-- I have not forced her to sit.  However, a very helpful Betsy collector has shared a YouTube 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 with 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.  Some issues are very minor and some may be important to you)
-- head has been reattached with elastic cording—It is not really a downside because many times a head that is reattached (elastic cording is all that you can get back up in there) is much sturdier than one with an original band that has loosened with age which makes the head ‘floppy’.  However, a head without a sturdy original band might be of concern to a ‘purist’ collector.  I want to be up-front with my customers so that they are not disappointed with what they purchase—a lovely, pre-loved Betsy!
-- eyes open and close with help, probably because of the knot in the piece of elastic cord mentioned above (not a bad thing—I just wanted to mention it)
--
Exposure to the environment has changed her coloring from pinky to a darker shade.
I still believe that she is very pleasant to look at, even with her color change—much like she just got back from a week or two in the Bahamas (lucky girl!).
-- crotch seam has opened (about 1/16” wide)   NOTE:  The lower tip of one side seam seems to have missed out on the glue when she was made…
-- There is one faint line on one knee, which is common—hey! I’m over 60 also and Betsy’s legs look much better than mine!
Clothes:
Betsy is wearing the Basic outfit that Betsy dolls came dressed in from the 1958-1963.  This ‘Roses and Buds’ variation chemise is still clean and crisp with elastic that is stretchy/tight and no stains, tears or holes.  The flowers are still bright—not faded.   It looks as if it was never played with.
The socks and shoes are vintage originals to Betsy.  The ‘thin’ socks are the type that American Character Doll Company included with Betsy’s outfits from 1958 to 1959.  Both socks are still nice looking—clean with no holes, tears or missing/loose stitches.  Both shoes are still a nice white with knobs and only the teeny beginning of a split in the ‘buttonholes’ of the straps.  The base of one of the knobs has pulled away from the shoe just a teeny bit—you can tell this when you run your fingernail over the stem of the knob where it meets the shoe.  I do not button the shoes any more to insure the integrity of these 63 to 57-year-old items!
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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!
:-)