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Dolls house dilemma

(82 Posts)
Willow500 Sat 13-Jan-18 19:44:48

In years gone by I was spent many happy hours making and furnishing dolls houses - my dad made me the first one as well as making my mum a shop. I subsequently made 2 more. Fast forward probably 15 years and I now have the shop and two more houses. I no longer do anything with these and we really need the room - one is stuffed on top of a wardrobe and the others are taking up room in the conservatory. I just don't know what to do with them. They're not toys and wouldn't be suitable for young children to play so I couldn't donate them to a hospital or nursery - equally I can't just throw them out as so many hours (and £'s) were spent on them. There is also the sentimental element given my parent's involvement. My granddaughters are grown up and anyway already have another one I made which resides in their garage and I have no one else to pass them on to. Does anyone have any suggestions what I can do with them? Part of me doesn't want to part with them but I'm pretty sure I'll never go back to the hobby and they should be put to better use than just gathering dust.

Tooyoungytobeagrandma Wed 17-Jan-18 20:01:52

I also think that is a good idea. Take a look first to get an idea of prices. I have sold lots of stuff on there and these are beautiful. Or try local auction house they may be interested or give you idea of where together best deal. There are collectors that would love these smile

mande Wed 17-Jan-18 14:44:08

Fabulous doll’s houses. What a talent!

HannahLoisLuke Tue 16-Jan-18 18:08:23

I'm sure there's a big market for your dolls houses. Please don't just get rid of them to just anyone. Do your research and sell them to somebody who will appreciate them. As others have said, the specialist magazines will surely have small ads pages that you could advertise on, and if course eBay.

annodomini Tue 16-Jan-18 10:01:56

Some good recommendations here! And what a lot of ideas. Your head must be buzzing. I have been to the Museum of Childhood at Sudbury Hall and would love to be able to see your dolls' houses there.

Nelliemoser Tue 16-Jan-18 09:13:40

Willow500 they are lovely. Have a look at what is on offer on Ebay and other such markets and get some ideas about their value and sell them in a proper specialists sale.
Don't just let them go in any ordinary sale.

maddy629 Tue 16-Jan-18 07:35:36

Willow500 these are truly beautiful, I am sure a childhood museum would be delighted to have them, or perhaps an enquiry to National Trust or English Heritage would bring a solution.

Hollycat Tue 16-Jan-18 02:09:24

What about Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood? It's now part of the V&A and has all kinds of wonderful things including dolls houses.

Solitaire Mon 15-Jan-18 23:01:08

I sold my 60 year old Triang dolls house on EBay a few years ago and it sold for £600 to Ireland.
Willow Keep framed photos of them, thank them for the happy memories, advertise them and kiss them goodbye.
Use the money for something you'd really enjoy.

shirleyhick Mon 15-Jan-18 21:24:44

Have you thought of donating them to a charity shop and asking them to raffle it off. When my step father was alive he made dolls houses and my sister used to be a manager at a Marie Curie shop and they used to sell raffle tickets to win the dolls houses they used to make a lot of money for the charity.

Maggieanne Mon 15-Jan-18 19:49:15

Google Miniatura, official site, worth a look, at least you might be able to see if they can help you, Good Luck. Such a shame though!

catwoman Mon 15-Jan-18 18:41:02

Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh. I think it's closed just now for renovation. Lots of people could enjoy them

luluaugust Mon 15-Jan-18 16:18:20

I sold mine at auction after it had been used by two generations but if I remember rightly it went for very little, modern houses often don't have the space or storage.

Persistentdonor Mon 15-Jan-18 15:59:44

Don't do anythhing hasty; check out the site called "dolls houses past & present" :
www.dollshousespastandpresent.com/

Many members are serious collectors and have great knowledge, so you will get specialist advice on there and then you can make a decision.

MissAdventure Mon 15-Jan-18 15:49:28

I think that if I didn't feel these items would go to a good home, I would (if I had time) maybe take them along to local care homes, and spend a couple of hours allowing the residents to 'play' with them.
People with advanced dementia often come into their own when something sparks a memory, and childcare seems to stay engrained when other skills have been lost.

Aepgirl Mon 15-Jan-18 15:44:01

I am having the same problem with donating my coachbuilt pram to maybe a film or TV company. My father-in-law was a pram designer and, of course, gave us the pram for my daughter when she was born in 1975, although it was made some years before that and stored in a wooden case. It's a proper wooden bodied pram (similar to what you see in Call the Midwife) in excellent condition but I can't find anybody who will take it off my hands. Every time I look at it I despair!

Rosie21 Mon 15-Jan-18 15:42:53

As beautiful as they are, based on my experience of selling my step fathers houses, gumtree, eBay even face book people want something for nothing. I even tried selling individual rooms and smaller bundles. I won't even tell you what happened to the three sorry Georgian house it will upset you. Good luck whatever the decision.

Kacee Mon 15-Jan-18 15:06:29

I used to have a shop that sold dolls houses and miniatures

GabriellaG Mon 15-Jan-18 14:18:02

WILLOW

Wow!! They are absolutely stunning.
Roseberrys is an auction house which specialises in toys. I sold a large collection of Meccano and Matchbox vehicles through them although they take a percentage.
Somewhere like a museum of childhood where they can be viewed would be nice, as some others have suggested.
They really are remarkable and I hope you find the right place for them.

Redrobin51 Mon 15-Jan-18 11:27:18

When I was at a table top sale someone had donated a beautiful dolls house for someone to try and sell for a very worthwhile charity. Someone who collected them paid £150 - just a thought.x

ctussaud Mon 15-Jan-18 11:16:44

When I downsized I Freecycled my fully furnished doll’s house, and my regrets in giving it away were wiped out by the delight shown by the grandfather who collected it for his granddaughter.
Why don’t you choose your favourite house to keep, and move the contents around between all your houses so that the Keeper house has all your favourite things in it?

Lilypops Mon 15-Jan-18 10:57:46

Willow, I could have written the post myself, I have a lovely dolls house my DH made for our twin daughters when they were 5years old, he made it with an open side each end so they could have half each to play in, My granddaughters then played with it when they came for a sleepover, they are too old for it now, I can't give it away , I am sentimentally attached but it sits gathering dust on top of an attic cupboard complete with furniture bought over the years,

quizqueen Mon 15-Jan-18 10:56:16

Honestly, from the photos they look like they would be worth about £500 each as they are fully furnished. Try ebay, gumtree or an auction room if you do want to sell them but an enthusiast's magazine might be a better place to advertise. It would be lovely to see them on display in a museum setting though. Are you sure your family can't be persuaded to keep them; they look like they are a real family heirloom.

littleflo Mon 15-Jan-18 10:56:05

I would contact your local hospice. Ours, St Francis, has a dedicated person who sells high value items. The children’s Hospice in East Lond also do the same.

NameChange2016 Mon 15-Jan-18 10:44:09

Or you could try an auctioneer. A lady I used to work with found some antique dolls' house furniture in the loft after her parents died. She was told they would probably reach £200 at auction but there was a massive bidding war and they went for £4000!!!

Neilspurgeon0 Mon 15-Jan-18 10:41:03

Bit of an odd dea maybe but what about a dementia care hone. Folks with dementia frequently ‘revert’ to childhood and might well love to play with them and they can be real talking points.