UFDC Information Update

A Dream

        Come True

                 UFDC 66th Annual Convention

         Thursday, July 16th - Sunday, July 19th, 2015  

                         Kansas City, Missouri

  

   

UFDC is delighted to have filled our room block quota. Thanks to your support the fee for full convention registration is now $375 regardless of what hotel you are staying at and the drawing for the Marriott Sunshine twin dolls will now include all registered convention attendees.

If you were not able to get into the convention hotel, here are some other hotels we recommend in the area:

 

Holiday Inn Kansas City Downtown - Aladdin

1215 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105, USA

Book online or call: 800 439 4745  

 

Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downtown

1301 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105, USA

Hotel Front Desk: 1-816-4746664

 

Hotel Phillips

106 W 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105, USA

(877) 704-5341 or (816) 221-7000

 

Hilton President Kansas City

1329 Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri, 64105, USA

TEL: +1-816-221-9490

  

If you book a room at an alternate hotel and wish to stay at the convention hotel, please check with the Kansas City Marriot Downtown in May or June to see if any cancellations have been made.

From The Strong National Museum of Play: A Scholarly Journal

Playfulness Key To Happy, Lasting Relationships 
In The Latest Issue Of The American Journal Of Play
Now Accessible Free Online At www.journalofplay.org.

Authors Rene Proyer, professor of psychology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and Lisa Wagner, a research and teaching assistant at the University of Zurich, argue that playfulness may serve an evolutionary role in mating preferences by making a person more attractive to potential mates according to research published in the most recent issue of The Strong's American Journal of Play. The authors conducted their research by replicating an earlier study on mating preferences led by Garry Chick, professor and head of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Pennsylvania State University (published in the American Journal of Play in 2012). 

Also in this issue of the Journal:

“Parent-Child Play across Cultures: Advancing Play Research” by Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, professor of child and family studies at Syracuse University, and Kimberly L. Davidson, a doctoral candidate at Syracuse University.

“Competitive Speech and Debate: How Play Influenced American Educational Practice,” by Michael D. Bartanen, professor of communications and theater at Pacifica Lutheran University, and Robert S. Littlefield, professor of communications at North Dakota State University.

“Gender Neutrality in Play of Young Migrant Children: An Emerging Trend or an Outlier” by Smita Mathur, associate professor at James Madison University, and Gowri Parameswaran, professor of education at the State University of New York at New Paltz. 

For information about print subscriptions, visit www.journalofplay.org/subscribe.

The American Journal of Play, an interdisciplinary scholarly journal devoted solely to the study of play, is published by The Strong in Rochester, New York. The Journal is available free online at www.journalofplay.org.

 

Bertha Leon Hackney Doll Auction by Theriault's

Dear Friends,

"Yee haw! We're sending it to Hubbard!" If you attended any of Theriault's major auctions over the years you might have heard me call out these words from the podium on occasion. Sometimes more often than others! That yell became the signature "sold" for whenever Berta Leon Hackney, one of the world's most iconic collectors and personalities, would win another doll from the front row. 


It's a Texas thing, really. You see, Berta is, unarguably, the truest "Texan" I have ever known. She is at once the consummate lady but at the same time spirited and tough, smart, quick with a one-liner, can probably two-step with the best of 'em or waltz in Vienna ballrooms, and will regale you with stories for hours – adding a laugh and twang that oozes charm.

As proof, in the 1970s, long before women were routinely involved in politics, especially in central Texas, she held the post of two-time mayor of Hubbard, perhaps one of the most "Texan" of towns you will ever ride into.

For us though, Berta is the distinctive woman in the front row wearing elegant clothing matched with boots, turquoise jewelry, and beaded jean jackets. Most of all, she is the doll collector that we have come to love and know for decades.

It's hard to believe that it all started when she was five. It's really her father's fault. A generous and true to heart fourth-generation Texan, he began Berta's love affair with dolls when he graced his only child with a special tradition: "A new doll every week." At the time, in the Depression Years, she was blessed with this happy start to collecting that laid down the very foundation of her doll-filled home today.

Growing up surrounded by dolls would be just the start. As Berta began her grown-up life, marrying Jay Leon, whose aristocratic family had fled from Madrid to New York and Texas during the Spanish Civil War, she began to spend more time in Mexico City where her husband's steel business had brought the young couple. But that didn't stop Berta from dolls! It was from there, in fact, that many of her prized pieces were discovered. In the 1950s, Mexico City was a well-kept secret source of fabulous antiques from the estates of European émigrés. Amidst those, of course, were dolls.

Every week Berta would find a new doll from these estates: French bébés, German characters, early porcelains and parians, and so forth, thereby continuing on her "doll a week" tradition. Her collection grew and grew.

During that time she still kept her house in Hubbard. The dolls would be shipped there over the years and it was the place her collection developed and was displayed until now. This house in Hubbard is like no other, a stunning original Victorian home from the 19th century. Large high-ceiled rooms, winding staircases, rooms opening into other rooms so the surprises never end. And just to be sure she would have enough room for her collection, when a companion Victorian home right next door came on the market, Berta bought and restored that, too. Jay Leon was also a collector; his collection of Rolls Royce automobiles is considered one of the finest in the country. Off he and Berta would go each weekend, in whichever one she wished, down the back roads of central Texas, a sight that, truly, is classic Texan in every which way. Berta's 50th birthday gift was a 1932 Pierce-Arrow which she still cherishes.

By the 1980s Berta was well becoming established around the world as a "major" collector of dolls. Being back in Texas now on a full-time basis and having more time to interact with other doll lovers, she quickly became known and respected at auctions, clubs and conventions. This is the time that we all came to really know her.

And on her collecting went. After Jay passed away she continued, never slowing in her pursuit of new treasures to add to the cases that now filled virtually every niche in her 18-room mansion. After remarrying some years later (to her original high school sweetheart, no less, of which she often says, "I am the luckiest woman in the world, I got to marry the only two men I ever loved"), Berta brought Jim Hackney into collecting and soon he joined her across the country at doll events and was Berta's bidder online when she couldn't attend...he pressing the bid button as she urged in her Texas accent, "Go, Jim. Bid, Jim."

After Jim passed away a few years ago, Berta still kept on, now into her 80s. I would say to her in my pathetic excuse of Texas lingo, "Berta, you're tougher than a woodpecker's lips." She would often then say to me, "Well, I gotta keep going, but no more men. At my age all they want is a nurse or a purse." So, instead she bought more dolls. Still keeping pretty close to one a week.

It was last year though Berta seemed to have enough. While she still loved being surrounded by her dolls and spending time walking through her house telling stories about each one, "I found this in a small village in Mexico" or "Remember when I didn't get this doll the first time it came to auction and then years later it came back and, by golly, I was determined to get it the second time." Yet what Berta felt now was that, as important as these dolls have been to her life (and what a life, indeed), the time had come for her to see them onto a new journey.

As I sat with Berta this past summer in her living room, drinking sweet tea and chatting in the same spot we had so many times over the years, I heard her say the words I never imagined I'd hear, "It's time to sell my dolls and I want to see them go. I want to be part of their journey." A tough sentiment by a true Texan.

So it leads us here. Or, well, to Las Vegas. For two days starting March 28th until March 29th, at the grand Bellagio Hotel, Theriault's will present one of its most historic auction events, featuring this collection. Fittingly entitled, "Only Child, The Lifelong Antique Doll Collection of Berta Leon Hackney", we will spend the weekend finding the next journey forward for her fabulous collection and rewarding her for the years of care and love that she bestowed upon each and every doll.

Yes, Berta will be there with us. Will you? Join us for one more time as we all yell in unison, in tribute, just for old times' sake, "Yee Haw!! We're sending it to Hubbard!!"

Warm regards,


Stuart Holbrook
President
Theriault’s
stuart@theriaults.com

 

Theriault's March 28th Auction; sharing what Stuart Says

Dear Friends,

"Yee haw! We're sending it to Hubbard!" If you attended any of Theriault's major auctions over the years you might have heard me call out these words from the podium on occasion. Sometimes more often than others! That yell became the signature "sold" for whenever Berta Leon Hackney, one of the world's most iconic collectors and personalities, would win another doll from the front row.

It's a Texas thing, really. You see, Berta is, unarguably, the truest "Texan" I have ever known. She is at once the consummate lady but at the same time spirited and tough, smart, quick with a one-liner, can probably two-step with the best of 'em or waltz in Vienna ballrooms, and will regale you with stories for hours – adding a laugh and twang that oozes charm.

As proof, in the 1970s, long before women were routinely involved in politics, especially in central Texas, she held the post of two-time mayor of Hubbard, perhaps one of the most "Texan" of towns you will ever ride into.

For us though, Berta is the distinctive woman in the front row wearing elegant clothing matched with boots, turquoise jewelry, and beaded jean jackets. Most of all, she is the doll collector that we have come to love and know for decades.

It's hard to believe that it all started when she was five. It's really her father's fault. A generous and true to heart fourth-generation Texan, he began Berta's love affair with dolls when he graced his only child with a special tradition: "A new doll every week." At the time, in the Depression Years, she was blessed with this happy start to collecting that laid down the very foundation of her doll-filled home today.

Growing up surrounded by dolls would be just the start. As Berta began her grown-up life, marrying Jay Leon, whose aristocratic family had fled from Madrid to New York and Texas during the Spanish Civil War, she began to spend more time in Mexico City where her husband's steel business had brought the young couple. But that didn't stop Berta from dolls! It was from there, in fact, that many of her prized pieces were discovered. In the 1950s, Mexico City was a well-kept secret source of fabulous antiques from the estates of European émigrés. Amidst those, of course, were dolls.

Every week Berta would find a new doll from these estates: French bébés, German characters, early porcelains and parians, and so forth, thereby continuing on her "doll a week" tradition. Her collection grew and grew.

During that time she still kept her house in Hubbard. The dolls would be shipped there over the years and it was the place her collection developed and was displayed until now. This house in Hubbard is like no other, a stunning original Victorian home from the 19th century. Large high-ceiled rooms, winding staircases, rooms opening into other rooms so the surprises never end. And just to be sure she would have enough room for her collection, when a companion Victorian home right next door came on the market, Berta bought and restored that, too. Jay Leon was also a collector; his collection of Rolls Royce automobiles is considered one of the finest in the country. Off he and Berta would go each weekend, in whichever one she wished, down the back roads of central Texas, a sight that, truly, is classic Texan in every which way. Berta's 50th birthday gift was a 1932 Pierce-Arrow which she still cherishes.

By the 1980s Berta was well becoming established around the world as a "major" collector of dolls. Being back in Texas now on a full-time basis and having more time to interact with other doll lovers, she quickly became known and respected at auctions, clubs and conventions. This is the time that we all came to really know her.

And on her collecting went. After Jay passed away she continued, never slowing in her pursuit of new treasures to add to the cases that now filled virtually every niche in her 18-room mansion. After remarrying some years later (to her original high school sweetheart, no less, of which she often says, "I am the luckiest woman in the world, I got to marry the only two men I ever loved"), Berta brought Jim Hackney into collecting and soon he joined her across the country at doll events and was Berta's bidder online when she couldn't attend...he pressing the bid button as she urged in her Texas accent, "Go, Jim. Bid, Jim."

After Jim passed away a few years ago, Berta still kept on, now into her 80s. I would say to her in my pathetic excuse of Texas lingo, "Berta, you're tougher than a woodpecker's lips." She would often then say to me, "Well, I gotta keep going, but no more men. At my age all they want is a nurse or a purse." So, instead she bought more dolls. Still keeping pretty close to one a week.

It was last year though Berta seemed to have enough. While she still loved being surrounded by her dolls and spending time walking through her house telling stories about each one, "I found this in a small village in Mexico" or "Remember when I didn't get this doll the first time it came to auction and then years later it came back and, by golly, I was determined to get it the second time." Yet what Berta felt now was that, as important as these dolls have been to her life (and what a life, indeed), the time had come for her to see them onto a new journey.

As I sat with Berta this past summer in her living room, drinking sweet tea and chatting in the same spot we had so many times over the years, I heard her say the words I never imagined I'd hear, "It's time to sell my dolls and I want to see them go. I want to be part of their journey." A tough sentiment by a true Texan.

So it leads us here. Or, well, to Las Vegas. For two days starting March 28th until March 29th, at the grand Bellagio Hotel, Theriault's will present one of its most historic auction events, featuring this collection. Fittingly entitled, "Only Child, The Lifelong Antique Doll Collection of Berta Leon Hackney", we will spend the weekend finding the next journey forward for her fabulous collection and rewarding her for the years of care and love that she bestowed upon each and every doll.

Yes, Berta will be there with us. Will you? Join us for one more time as we all yell in unison, in tribute, just for old times' sake, "Yee Haw!! We're sending it to Hubbard!!"

Warm regards,


Stuart Holbrook
President
Theriault’s
stuart@theriaults.com

My Newsletter from About.com, Raggedy Ann and More

Raggedy Ann Turns 100; 2015

The beloved doll that has become an American icon has a special birthday this year.  This is the first of several posts devoted to Raggedy Ann.  Please email me with your memories to share of this wonderful doll.

Ellen Tsagaris Doll Collecting Expert Raggedy Ann Turns 100; 2015 Raggedy Ann, one of the most beloved dolls of all times, turns 100 this year! READ NOW » Share   February 23d Rendezvous by Theriault's You can view the R. John Wright dolls that will be featured Feb. 23d now! READ NOW » Share   Building a General Doll Collection A general doll collection, based on the ideas of doll author Helen Young, contains dolls of many types and categories. READ NOW » Share   Tonner, Alexander and American Girl Updates Feb. 2015 Here are some news bytes from three beloved and popular American doll makers. READ NOW » Share   MORE FROM ABOUT.COM • Blog • Madame Alexander Doll Types • Social Media and Doll Collectors • Review: My Size Disney Frozen Elsa • Elementary, My Dear Bella • Doll Collector's Calendar

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: Rendezvous February 23d-see the Dolls Online, Cour...

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: Rendezvous February 23d-see the Dolls Online, Cour...: Theriault's Rendezvous, Monday Night at the Auctions , are conducted at Theriault's headquarters office in Annapolis, Maryland. ...

A Look at Antique Doll Collector Magazine for March

Occasionally an auction will offer something for nearly all doll collectors – French and German bisque, parian-type, chinas, mignonnetes, papier mache dolls, automata, dollhouses – such a sale is coming up March 28 and 29th at the grand Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas where Theriault’s will present the collection of Berta Hackney. It will be followed on Sunday by several hundred lots in their popular Discovery Day Sales. Our cover illustrates some of the exceptional parian-type ladies to be offered in the auction.

 

While best known for their teddy bears and animals, Steiff created felt child dolls that remain collectors’ favorites today. Rebekah Kaufman, the archivist for Steiff North America, has written an article on these special children that debuted in 1908-1909. 

 

Continuing with the identification of Kling parian shoulder heads, Mary Krombholz, the consummate researcher, compares heads seen in the company’s 100th anniversary photo with actual examples. She offers definite proof that Kling was making parians during the early 1860’s.

 

Horsman is a name very familiar to doll collectors as their products are legendary, propelling the American doll industry to the forefront in the early years of the 20th century. In her article Susan Foreman Lewis discusses Charles Twelvetrees whose “Twelvetrees Kids” became the inspiration for Horsman’s delightful HEbee SHEbee dolls.

 

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) arts program began in 1937 providing much needed work for untrained workers to make dolls for libraries, schools and museums. Many were later destroyed but those that remain should be considered folk art and important artifacts of a period in our American history. 

 

We also share with you exhibits from last year’s UFDC national convention. Along with the “Many Faces of German Dolls,” seen in our January 2015 issue, there were several excellent exhibits for attendees to enjoy.

 

Also you will want to take a look at the record doll prices Theriault’s established at their January auction in Newport Beach, CA. 

 

Happy Collecting!

 

P.S. Please visit www.antiquedollcollector.com to take a brief survey which will help us to serve you better.

 

 

Subscribe! Now accepting PayPal.

Antique Doll Collector, P.O. Box 239, Northport, NY 11768
Call us Toll Free at 888-800-2588
Email: antiquedoll@gmail.com

 Check out our calendar of events!

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Barbie Nation | POV | PBS

Barbie Nation | POV | PBS

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: How to Preserve Porcelain Dolls; Courtesy www.Brow...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: How to Preserve Porcelain Dolls; Courtesy www.Brow...: How to Preserve Porcelain Dolls   February 5, 2015 By honcho Leave a Comment Porcelain dolls are the epitome of delicate but ...

Steiner being Repaired, Tsagaris collection

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Creepy A**d Humans; The Dolls Reply!!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Creepy A**d Humans; The Dolls Reply!!: Follow the Link  Below; a new book of poems about dolls! http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollsbymaterial/fl/Creepy-A-Humans-The-Dolls-Rep...

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: An Interview with Doll Collector Maureen Herrod

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: An Interview with Doll Collector Maureen Herrod: Here is this month's interview.  Enjoy! When did you start collecting? I kept my four hard plastic dolls from my childhood, so it cou...



The 19th and Early 20th Century, Continued

The 2014 Exhibition - Australian Plangon (Antique and Modern) Doll Collectors Club Inc.

The 2014 Exhibition - Australian Plangon (Antique and Modern) Doll Collectors Club Inc.



Beautiful Dolls from Australia

The 2014 Exhibition - Australian Plangon (Antique and Modern) Doll Collectors Club Inc.

The 2014 Exhibition - Australian Plangon (Antique and Modern) Doll Collectors Club Inc.





Wonderful gallery and great photos!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: With Love from Tin Lizze: A History of Metal Dolls...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: With Love from Tin Lizze: A History of Metal Dolls...: Below is the link to our review; thanks to Laurie McGill, Editor, and to UFDC! http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/doln/64-2/index.php#/186 ...