ORLANDO, Fla. – When Jessica Cofsky spotted a Gold Special Edition Millennium Barbie on eBay for $11,000, she thought the doll her parents bought her all those years ago was about to pay the bills and then some.
“I was thinking right, I have something cool here,” she told News 6. “My parents said if I can get money back, then we did something right.”
Cofsky’s special edition Gold Barbie in an unopened sealed box is a beauty but unfortunately, it does not carry that heavyweight value she spotted on eBay.
News 6 did some online shopping and found an identical doll on Amazon for $39.95 along with a range of asking prices for the same doll on eBay from $1,000 and beyond.
Kofsky, a long-time New Jersey resident, contacted Make Ends Meet when she saw our reporting on the internet that featured Barbie collectibles during the “Barbie” movie craze.
When we told her the price was simply an asking price and not a true value she was frustrated and sent us a copy of an appraisal she received for the very same special edition Gold Barbie on Nov. 17, 2023.
The appraiser wrote, “Never having been out of the box makes her much more valuable, around $1,500-$2,000 today actually!
But the appraiser went on to write that “eBay, Etsy, Poshmark and Mercari are your best options today for selling her.”
Valerie Hammond, a top appraiser in Ontario, Canada, told News 6 the special edition Barbie “is not a limited edition and does not carry the value of a rare doll.”
Hammond, who appraises collectibles for ValueMyStuff limited in Canada said it will be 100 years before the current Holiday Barbie dolls will have high-end value.
Hammond is part of a team of 60 experts formerly of Sotheby’s and Christie’s, appraising art, antiques, jewelry, memorabilia and more.
“There’s untold numbers of these out there,” Hammond said, “The prices range from $14 to $82,000 for that doll and heaven knows we’d all love the $82,000 or the $11,000, it’s just not realistic.”
If you need an item appraised, you can check with valuemystuff.com/us
There are other companies available as well.
If you have a consumer or investment issue, email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words make ends meet along with your contact information to 407-676-7428.
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