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Doll collecting is the second most popular hobby in the U.S., and it's easy to see why. Porcelain Dolls transport us back to our childhood and evoke memories that no other toy can match. We remember our first doll, our favorite doll, the doll we loved to pieces and the beautiful doll we kept on a high shelf. We remember the comfort and love our dolls gave us and the first time we realized we were too old for our dolls. But were we really?

Consider porcelain dolls, they're the perfect collectible doll. With delicate faces and hands, they remind us of why we loved dolls so much in the first place. There are tiny, precious newborn porcelain dolls, child-like porcelain dolls in fancy attire, and porcelain dolls based on favorite characters.

Porcelain doll collecting can be addictive, and the choices can be overwhelming. There are artist dolls, made by hand in limited numbers; antique porcelain dolls, which are scarce; limited edition dolls, which are mass-produced but only in limited numbers; reproductions, that often attempt to duplicate popular antique or rare dolls; and many, many other types of porcelain dolls.

If you want to start collecting porcelain dolls, the first thing to do is decide what type of porcelain doll you want to collect. Perhaps Victorian style porcelain dolls capture your heart, or you just fall in love when you see a porcelain ballerina doll. Whatever type of porcelain doll you can't walk away from is the type for you.

Once you decide what type of porcelain doll you want to collect, (and the choice can be difficult!) you'll want to thoroughly research it. Knowing what porcelain dolls are worth and how to tell an antique from a reproduction just may save your wallet. But, like fine art, purchase the porcelain dolls you love.

Once you start building a collection, it'll be hard to stop. There are porcelain doll shows to attend, new friends to be made, and more and more porcelain dolls to be loved and admired. But every moment spent on porcelain dolls is like spending another moment in childhood.