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Fake #1 and #2 Ponytails!
Sadly, there are dishonest sellers (especially
on online auction sites) who are out to make a quick buck and defraud collectors
by creating faux #1s and #2s.
Then there are others who try to pass off the modern
reproduction Anniversary Barbies as original vintage #1s and #2
Below are some pictures to help educate against this fraud.
I urge everybody to make this type of
investment purchase from a reputable, well-known dealer!
If you are making this purchase from an unknown seller (even if it is through an
auction site), I
suggest paying by credit card. Send the doll to be authenticated by an
expert.
I am always happy to help with this.
Please beware of the many scams! Ask questions, and if the deal sounds too good to be
true...(You know the rest)!
Common #1/#2 Barbie Scams
A #3 Ponytail that has been re-painted to look like a #1 or #2 to the untrained
eye. Sadly, this has become a common fraud on online auction sites. Please
beware!
Drilling holes in the bottom of a #3s feet and/or altering a #3's face paint:
I received both dolls below for restoration, and I was able to take photos comparing both the original and the new (faux) #1 tubes.
This first photo shows the original tubes
Here is an example of new copper tubes! The dishonest eBay seller drilled holes into the feet of a #3 Ponytail Barbie and inserted brand new tubes. Notice how they are neither the same size or color as in the example above.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the dolls' feet (The 'Japan' marking, however, can be found either lengthwise or horizontally on the original #1).
Genuine on the left, FAKE on the right! Beware! Without a side-by-side
comparison it may be awfully difficult for even an expert to note the
differences!
Unfortunately this type of fraud greatly decreases the value of our collections!
For this reason I will
absolutely not re-paint #3s into fake #1s/#2s, and I have lost respect
for 'restorers' who do this. It is against the spirit of restoration, and it is
morally wrong.
And please -- If you do have a #3 who was made into a fake #1 or #2, have her repainted back to her original #3
beauty!
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Anniversary Barbie Fraud!
Also beware of sellers who claim that a Mattel Anniversary Reproduction Barbies
are genuine vintage. The first repro #1 Barbie was released in the mid 1990s for
the 35th Anniversary.
Everything
about this repro Barbie looks and feels different from a true #1. It is
just like any of the dolls from the new reproduction line that debuted in the
mid 1990s: There are no holes/tubes in the feet, it is light weight and made of
a completely different type of vinyl, the face mold is very different, and the
feel and color of the hair is completely different!
But surprisingly, a new collector may not be able to tell the difference until
s/he sees this doll in person.
The
Reproduction 35th Anniversary #1 Barbie doll came in both a brown-brunette and sandy blond
saran hair (rather than black-brunette and golden blond mohair type hair). The hair
fiber, style, color,
texture, and bangs are completely different from the original vintage, the vinyl
is different and even the facial features are different!
PLEASE don't be fooled!
Please make any expensive, investment purchase from a REPUTABLE and well-known
Barbie dealer,
preferably in PERSON at a Barbie convention or doll show. ...and again, if the deal
online is 'too good to be true'...
And now to complicate matters, we have the Silkstone Barbie Debut doll from 2009
...And the 50th Anniversary Barbie from 2009 ('My Favorite Barbie gift set) as well:
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The
doll below was originally a #3. She had been re-painted as a #2 and later
came to me to be correctly restored to her original beauty! This
doll is happy to have her original #3 features once again.
While I absolutely will not create nor fix the face paint on a faux #1/#2, I am
always happy to repaint them back to their original beauty.
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Mattel made
another reproduction ponytail Barbie.
This was the 1972 Montgomery Wards Exclusive (which is usually confused with the
vintage #7 Ponytail).
.
Here is a link to more information on this interesting collectible:
Montgomery
Wards Exclusive Ponytail Barbie
