I've got this old cabbage patch doll and I'd like to know what a
collector would pay for it.  It's a soft-sculpture "Little People"
doll.  I think it was made in 1982.  It's got her original clothes and
papers except that her shoes are missing.  It looks like the signature
on her bottom was signed with a pen (it's pretty faded.)  All of the
stitching is in perfect condition (a couple of hairs are out of place)
she's just a little dirty.  About how much is she worth?  I looked on
eBay and nobody seems to be selling them.  How rare are these dolls? 
I'm wondering if I should sell it now or if I should hang on to it
until it's really old or just give it to my daughter to play with
because it's worthless.

techgoddess,

Thanks for your question.  One of the key factors in toy collectibles
is the condition of the box.  You will often hear "NRFB" which means
never removed from box.  It sounds as if your doll has been removed
and played with, which is what it was intended for! :)  When
evaluating Cabbage Patch Dolls, there are some key things that are
looked at:

1.  Condition of the box
2.  The condition of the birth certificate, if it has been written on
3.  What condition is the doll in.  Is she complete with all the
ribbons, socks, shoes, original outfit.
4.  Does it still have the body tag attached?
5.  Is it mint or "preloved"?

Some other aspects:
manufacturer
year made
type of CPK 
head shape 
hairstyle and color, 
eye color 
ethnicity of doll, 
clothing, 
condition of doll, papers, and box, and 
where and when the doll is being sold

To determine the manufacturer of the doll and the year it was made, if
you look on her left butt cheek, there should be signature and a date.
 The color will tell you the manufacturer:
1983 - Black (Coleco) 
1984 - Black (Coleco Preemies and Foreign Kids, Green (Coleco and
Foreign Kids)
1985 - Blue (Coleco and Foreign Kids) 
1986 - Red (Coleco) 
1987 - Aqua (Coleco) 
1988 - Lavender (Coleco) 
1989 - Rose (Coleco) 
1990 - Mauve (Hasbro) 
1991 - Teal (Hasbro) 
1992 - Royal Blue (Hasbro) 
1993 - Forest Green (Hasbro) 
1994 - Burgundy (Hasbro) 
1995 - Purple (Mattel) 
1996 - Pine green (Mattel) 
1997 - Blue/grey (Mattel), Grey (Mattel Keepsake Edition) 
1998 - Maroon (Mattel), Black (Mattel 15th Anniversary) 

Some other aspects:
manufacturer
year made
type of CPK 
head shape 
hairstyle and color, 
eye color 
ethnicity of doll, 
clothing, 
condition of doll, papers, and box, and 
where and when the doll is being sold.

From your description, it sounds as if you may have an older doll,
however, without the box and from your description, the overall value
is tough to say, but I would hazard a guess that, at most, she may be
worth $10, depending on which doll she is and other factors.  I would
recommend you visit the doll collector's newsgroup at
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=rec.collecting.dolls
and post your information there that can gather based upon the above
information.  However, with any collectible, the value is what someone
is willing to pay for it.  If you look on Ebay, you will see that
there is a good number of dolls for sale, but very few are over $25. 
An example is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20393&item=1950686207
Still in the box, though there is some wear and the bid is $26.00. 
You can see more at:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=cabbage+patch

I would give the doll to your daughter and let her get the same
enjoyment you did out of it as, afterall, it is a doll and dolls were
meant to be played with.  You could hold on, but think about this: 
how many people are still holding those Beanie Babies they paid $100's
for?

Enjoy the doll!

Regards,

-THV

Search Strategy:
cabbage patch value

References:

What is my Cabbage Patch Worth?
http://www.starofwonder.com/Index/Collections_Evaluation.html

Cabbage Patch Kids
http://www.angelfire.com/la/jillianstories/cpkhistory.htm

---

Request for Answer Clarification by techgoddess-ga on 15 Jan 2003 10:56 PST

I'm not sure that you really did enough research to adaquately answer
the question.  I looked at a link that you provided
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=cabbage+patch

 and the highest priced doll was very similar to mine (except that it
was made in 1983) and the highest bid was $199.  The description
states that it didn't come in  a box (like mine) and that it didn't
come from a toy store (like mine).  I will give you a little more
information, though.  It has light brown hair in two braids and green
eyes.  It doesn't have a plastic head.  It still has the body tag and
it says "Little People" and "Copyright 1982" (The only place that
say's "Cabbage Patch Kids" is on the birth certificate.)  The birth
certificate has been written on but is otherwise in good shape.  The
shoes, socks and hair ribbons are missing.  It's wearing a red dress
with white polka-dots and is still wearing the diaper and diaper
cover.  It's never been played with (it's just been moved across the
country a few times.)  I would really like some more information on
the value of the original dolls (without the plastic heads.)

---

Clarification of Answer by tar_heel_v-ga on 15 Jan 2003 12:35 PST

techgoddess..

I am sorry you don't feel I provided enough research for your answer. 
What is the exact wording on the birth certificate?  The fact that it
does not have a vinyl head is key and that may change things
dramatically.  Do you have a photo of the doll that you can upload
somewhere?  Regarding the auction you saw, you are better off looking
at completed auctions,
http://search-completed.ebay.com/search/search.dll?GetResult&query=cabbage+patch&from=R8&ht=1&combine=y&st=0&SortProperty=MetaHighestPriceSort
to get a feel for what is and is not selling.  That being said, if you
can provide me exactly what is written on the birth certificate I
should be able to give you a better idea of the value.

-THV

I just came across this question because i have been trying to find
out how much mine is worth also.
I actually contacted Babyland General Hospital via internet and she
said i should contact the Collectors Information Bureau to find the
worth.  I havent done it yet i was still trying to find info on here
first..but mine is an original fabric face little people doll and it
was signed by Xavier in 1979 with black ink and with just his first
name and '79. Mine is a bald headed boy with green eyes.

I too have an original Cabbage Patch.  My doll is a "New 'Ears Doll" 
She came in a pink dress, bonnet, and a New 'Ears sash.  She was
different because she had "ears" unlike the other dolls.  My parents
gave her to me for Christmas.  They purchased her from an Atlanta, Ga.
gift store.  They were only available in gift stores, not in
department stores.  In 1980, it cost $100.00.  These were handmade and
were signed by "Xavier".  Each came with a birth certificate.  If
anyone has any way to help me find out the value, I would appreciate
it.

Hi There,

It sounds like the person answering your question thought you had a
mass market (Coleco) Cabbage Patch Kid when in reality, you have a
soft sculptured baby hand-stitched by Original Appalachian Artworks in
Cleveland, GA. Although soft sculptures in general have not held their
value - especially the editions that coincided with the mass market
craze in 1983 - 1985, generally they are worth $50 - $100 depending on
condition and whether you have the original birth certificate.  Hand
signed editions from 1976 - 1979 though have held their value and are
still sought after by Cabbage Patch collectors worldwide.

Raine-GA - your baby is older and hand signed.  The first edition of
Little People came out in 1978 and your's came out a year later. I'm
not an expert on the older editions but your baby could possibly be
worth $400 +. If you haven't contacted the Collector's Information
Bureau, I would do so ASAP or better yet, contact Wayne Wiltse - a
collector local to Cleveland, GA at waynek8bth@alltel.net who monitors
the eBay values and can give you a presice value based on how many
have changed hands on eBay (and privately) and give you an average
based on the last several years.  CIB pricing tends to be way out
there and not as realistic as howWayne would assess.

abbysmom-ga - your New Ears edition doll is worth between $75 - $100
on the secondary market presently.

I hope this helps!
Leah