GUEST: My grandmother was born in 1890 and she had a half sister quite older than her, and she married a Frenchman, and was living in Paris. And when my grandmother was about five, she sent her this doll directly from Paris.
APPRAISER: What year would that have been?
GUESTL 1895.
APPRAISER: Okay. Did you think it was a French doll since it came...?
GUEST: I assumed so, yes.
APPRAISER: Okay. She played with it, you can tell that.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: She must have played with it very gently, because this doll is in absolutely perfect condition.
GUEST: I know I didn't play with it and my daughter didn't either. I've kept it in my cedar chest since I've had it.
APPRAISER: It's made by one of the most prominent makers of dolls in France.
GUEST: Very good.
APPRAISER: Jumeau. They started making dolls in 1842. These examples were made anywhere between 1890 and 1900.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: It's really in good condition-- original wig, original clothes. You can see the silk is molting.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Just a little bit, but it's just a part of the aging of it all.
GUEST: Well, just age, yes.
APPRAISER: And if we take the wig off... We can see the marking on the back.
GUEST: Oh, okay, I never did look, I guess.
APPRAISER: You can see that it's marked, "DÈposÈ TÍte Jumeau." And you also, you see, number eight, which is a size number, this one is about 20 inches.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: You can see what "1x".
GUEST: Yeah, I saw that...
APPRAISER: That was the artist's mark that painted the dolls. And if you look at her closely, not only is her head marked, but her shoes are marked also.
GUEST: Oh, okay. Yeah.
APPRAISER: It also has the original earrings.
GUEST: Oh, I know, yes.
APPRAISER: The painting on the face, the quality of the bisque is good. Even the quality of the clothes. At auction today, this doll would bring between $4,500 and $7,000.
GUEST: Very good.
APPRAISER: The parasol I'll value separately. It's of the same time period as your doll, but the scale was a little bit larger than what the doll would have. The parasol would bring between $250 and $400 at auction.
GUEST: Very good. I'll bet... I have a granddaughter it'll be passed down to.
