Hundreds of iconic Barbies auctioned off in Hamel, some dating back to the '60s
HAMEL, Minn. — The craze over Barbie continues to take over. This time, it was an auction house in Hamel as Auction Studios put up more than 400 Barbie dolls on the block Thursday night, bringing in thousands of dollars from around the world.
The lot included rare and vintage Barbies, some more than 60 years old. Auction Studios says this year's Barbie mania made this the perfect time for these dolls to become available.
The auction house said it had to bring in two experts to verify the authenticity of the dolls, including making sure the right clothes were on the dolls, and the right heads were on the right bodies.
The auction house says while talking to prospective buyers, they learned the dolls are much more than collectibles to some buyers.
"It's been fascinating. The stories that I have heard from, you know, different people saying, 'Oh, my gosh, I had this Barbie,' and the connection that you have with people," Keirstin Schwellenbach said. "Relating a collection like this has been just truly amazing. It touches people in more ways than you even know."
Even if doesn't bring in the big bucks, they say the joy it will bring buyers is priceless.
Auction Studios says it plans to auction off more Barbies in the coming months.
Yes, there will be some Ken dolls included as well, though there's no word yet on Skipper.
