| KEY
TO CONDITION |
|
MINT |
Never displayed, never out of the Annalee bag |
| NEAR
MINT |
Mint, but might not have the Annalee paper hang tag |
EXCELLENT |
Displayed in a store or home. Might have VERY SLIGHT shelf dust or fading |
|
VERY GOOD
|
Slight fading, shelf dust, discoloration |
|
GOOD |
More fading, shelf dust, possible moth holes or nibbles |
|
POOR |
and lower:extensive damage-fading, shelf dust, moth/silverfish, missing
accessories. Call for detailed description |
| Things
to check for condition:
Moth
holes or nibbles: check under chin, hairline,
creases, under clothing. Holes will go all the way
through- you will see the white stuffing. Nibbles
only go part way, they resemble "craters on the moon".
Silverfish: they do the same damage as moths
but seem to make a path in the felt as they eat.
Fading
or shelf dust: check in creases and under clothing. Straighten
out legs, check to see if it is darker in the crease. What you
want to do is compare areas that have never been exposed to the
elements to areas that have been. Be sure to compare both the
front and the back of the doll. Fluorescent lighting, exposure
to sun, cigarette smoke, wood stove and kitchen odors and exposure
to dampness can often cause damage to the doll.
Rips or tears: check for loose stitching or areas where
the wire has poked out through the feet or hands. Many times if
someone removed a tag, the seam will split.
Check
hands / body for evidence of glue. If you find
glue in the hands, it is possible that the doll is
missing an accessory.
Caroler
and Choir: It is very common to have the
"Merry Christmas" sheet music that is held
in their hands to become creased and or turn to an
off white in color. If a doll is listed as MINT, NEAR
MINT, EXCELLENT the sheet music could still have creases,
bends or discoloration. It is unavoidable. Many came
directly from the factory this way. I suggest ungluing
one side out of the hand to make it easier for storage
and less chance of damage. In many cases, I will ship
them this way to avoid damage in shipping.
I
am very particular how I grade the condition of Annalee Dolls. My definition
of MINT is NEVER OUT OF THE ANNALEE BAG. A doll that is missing the paper
green, beige or white tags with no signs of being displayed would be considered
NEAR MINT. If a doll has Mint/ Near Mint in the description, it means
I have some in MINT condition with tags, but occasionally they might not
have the paper hangs tags-NEAR MINT. That is the only difference between
the two. I do not charge any more with or without the paper hang tag.
All dolls will have the Annalee fabric tag which is sewn in the seam.
I always note it in the description if it has been cut. A doll that has
been displayed out of the Annalee bag on the shelf in a store or in a home would be graded as EXCELLENT condition due to possible slight fading or shelf dust. |
PICK
YOUR FACIAL EXPRESSION
I will
do my best to accommodate you facial requests, but I can not guarantee that it will be in stock. Please remember that 95%
of my inventory has been RETIRED and NO LONGER AVAILABLE. If you are not happy with a face, you may return the doll at your expense. Please note any facial requests when ordering. Facial requests can not be made on Early Buy orders or Sale items.
If the description DOES
NOT have the eyes and mouth mentioned, your
order will be filled with the face that is currently available.
I have devised a system which gives each face
its' own unique item number. Not all dolls will be inventoried by facial expression. Some dolls have been cataloged with both the eyes and the face mentioned. Others just the eyes are mentioned (especially, the mice). If the eyes or mouth are NOT mentioned in the description, then the actual facial expression on the doll being shipped could vary from the photo.
Direction of the eyes can not be guaranteed. Feel free
to make facial requests in the NOTES section when ordering or call me at 860-434-5641.
For those collectors
that desire various facial expressions or just like one in particular,
you will LOVE this system. This is a HUGE TASK and I hope
I live long enough to catalog and photograph all 15,000 dolls I have in
stock!!!
For example,
please type in item number 544098 in the SEARCH box. You will
see that I have 6 different facial expressions in stock of
that one particular doll. Try typing in "ooh", "winking" and
"closed mouth" in the SEARCH. You will see ALL the dolls that
have that facial expression! Be sure to try the ADVANCED SEARCH.
For example, type in: elf closed eyes, you will be AMAZED
AT WHAT YOU WILL FIND!
While working on the ornament
photo project, I came to realize what some of "them" were trying to "tell
me". Here are a few of my interpretations of the facial expressions that
I observed, along with my coding system at the end of the Annalee item
number.
Open eyes,
open mouth (yeah, excited) = has nothing added to the Annalee
number (I call this the default face)
Open eyes,
closed mouth (content, shy) = ox
Closed
eyes, open mouth (getting ready to say something) = xo
Closed eyes, closed mouth ("I'm so relaxed") = xx
Winking
(“hey baby, what are you doing tonight?) = w
Puckered
mouth (surprised look, kissing or blowing out a candle) =
ooh
Laughing with tongue
showing (let's party!!)= tong
For
those of you new to suecoffee.com: if an item does not have a photo and
it says available now, it is IN STOCK . I just haven't had a chance to
photograph it yet! Please email or call me to request a photo. |