Most Valuable Barbies
Stefano Canturi Barbie: $250,000 Chances are, you don’t have this one-of-a-kind, diamond-studded Barbie collecting dust in your basement—but if you do, prepare for a windfall of cash! Created by jewelry designer Stefano Canturi and released in 2010, this bejeweled Barbie was auctioned for $250,000, though she’s easily worth more money than that. Release year: 2010 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Short black dress
Diamond Castle Promotional Barbie: $94,800 The year 2008 was a big year for cinema, especially in the Barbie universe. To highlight the movie Barbie & the Diamond Castle, Mattel released a diamond-studded Barbie that could allegedly be worth over $94,800 (though it’s never actually been put on the auction block before).
De Beers 40th Anniversary: $85,000 As another one-of-a-kind bejeweled Barbie, this extremely limited-edition Barbie made by jewelry company De Beers is worth 10s of thousands of dollars (if you’re lucky enough to have her in the first place). Release year: 1999 Hair color: Black Outfit: Gold bikini with long pink skirt and orange shawl
Original Barbie: $27,000+ Known for her sharp swimsuit, curly bangs, and iconic side-eye, the very first Barbie is worth around $27,000 if she’s still in the box. It’s okay if she’s slightly used, though—some collectors are willing to pay around $8,000 for even a used version of her. Release year: 1959 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Black and white swimsuit
Pink Diamond Barbie: $15,000 If you’re on the market for a luxurious Barbie, look no further than the one-of-a-kind Pink Diamond Barbie, which authentically lives up to its name. This doll’s attire (and existence) are so valuable, in fact, that you’d have to pay $15,000 to get your hands on it. Release year: 2013 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Pink diamond dress and long pink fur coat
Lorraine Schwartz Barbie: $7,500 This rare, one-of-a-kind entered the Barbie scene in 2010, where the doll was auctioned off for charity. Given how rare this Barbie is, her estimated worth is around $7,500. Release year: 2010 Hair color: Red Outfit: Short black dress and scarf
Marie Antoinette Barbie: $1,500+ In 2003, an exquisite, limited edition Barbie recreation of the famous French queen Marie Antoinette was released. Given her rarity, she’s often resold for over $1,500. Release year: 2003 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Large blue and gold gown
Happy Holidays Barbie 1997 Brunette Misprint: $1,201 This ribbon-covered Barbie actually isn’t that pricey when you buy the normal version. However, there are a few rare copies of this 1997 Barbie where the eye color on the back of the box differs with the actual Barbie, which jacks up the doll’s price. Release year: 1997 Hair color: Brown Outfit: Red, white, and gold ribbon-themed dress
Devi Kroell Barbie: $1,075 This rare, one-of-a-kind Barbie was made and sold at an auction for $1,075. If you happen to have this Barbie on hand, you could resell it for a pretty penny! Release year: 2010 Hair color: Brown Outfit: Short black dress
Color Magic Barbie: $850+ If you were lucky enough to get your hands on one of the original Color Magic Barbies from 1966, you could be in for a world of cash. Depending on the doll’s condition, the Color Magic Barbie can resell anywhere between $850 and $1250. Release year: 1966 Hair color: Blonde or brown Outfit: A yellow, green, white, and pink patterned top with pink pants or a yellow, blue, white, pink, and green argyle romper
Harvey Nichols Special Edition Barbie: $650 This special edition Barbie is nostalgically and financially valuable, with people reselling their dolls anywhere between $650 and $900. Release year: 1995 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Pink jacket and black skirt
Francie Barbie: $650 The Francie Barbie line came out in the 1966 and featured Barbies with different skin tones, hair colors, and outfits. The “Barbie Francie and Her Swing’ Separates” line specifically can sell for extremely high, with a minimum resale value of $650. Other Francie dolls can sell for over $1,000 on marketplaces like eBay. Release year: 1966 Hair color: Brown, brunette, blonde, and red Outfit: Colorful clothing with bright
City Smart Barbie: $650+ This sharp-looking Barbie sells for at least $650, but can net you as much as $1,151 (depending on the doll’s condition). Release year: 2003 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Knee-length black dress
Centennial Barbie Alpha Kappa Alpha: $445+ This decked out Barbie is as beautiful as she is valuable, with a resale value between $445 and $1,526. Release year: 2008 Hair color: Brown Outfit: Long green and pink dress
Golden Gala Barbie: $375+ The beautiful Golden Gala Barbie lives up to her name, sporting a long, golden evening gown and a matching gold jacket. This Barbie tends to sell between the $375 and $1,450 range, depending on her condition. Another model of this Barbie with darker skin and hair can sell for as much as $450. Release year: 2009 Hair color: Blonde or black Outfit: Long gold dress
Pink Jubilee Barbie: $300+ An original Pink Jubilee Barbie (produced in 1989) has a high resale value, with some people listing their dolls within the $900-$1,100 range. Release year: 1989 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Silver dress with shoulder pads
Bob Mackie Countess Dracula Barbie: $300+ This exquisitely costumed vampire Barbie sells for at least $300, with an upper value as high as $886. Release year: 2011 Hair color: Red Outfit: Red and black gown
Athena Barbie: $265+ This iconic Barbie looks ready to take on the battlefield in an outfit fit for a Greek goddess (or warrior). She can be sold for a pretty godly price, ranging anywhere from $265 to $650. Release year: 2010 Hair color: Brown Outfit: Greek warrior outfit
Queen Elizabeth I Barbie: $240+ This Barbie, modeled after the famous historical monarch, can net you anywhere from $240 to $800 (and possibly more, if online marketplaces are anything to go by). Release year: 2004 Hair color: Red Outfit: Fancy white gown
Karl Lagerfeld Barbie: $200+ Back in September 2014, a special-edition Barbie produced with well-known fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld hit the markets, with less than 1,000 total Barbies for sale. This Barbie’s resale value often sits between $200 and $350, but some sell this doll for as high as $10,000. Release year: 2014 Hair color: White Outfit: Suit and tie Notable accessories: Fingerless gloves and black sunglasses
Monique Lhuillier Bride Barbie Gold Label: $199+ In 2006, 2 Monique Lhuillier Barbies were released: one with brown hair, and one with blonde hair. The brunette version of the doll has a higher resale value ($199-$500) than her blonde counterpart ($325-$350). Release year: 2006 Hair color: Brown Outfit: Long white gown with sash
Pink Splendor Barbie: $135+ This elegant doll has an epic price tag in addition to her epic updo. If you get your hands on this rare Barbie, you can resell her for as much as $2,421. Release year: 1996 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Large pink gown
Byron Lars Coco Barbie: $100+ The Byron Lars Coco Barbie features a stylish outfit with multicultural influences. On the low end, this doll sells for $100; on the high end, you can get as much as $1,101 for this Barbie. Release year: 2007 Hair color: Black Outfit: Leopard print bodice, puffer vest, stripped top, and tartan skirt
Midnight Tuxedo Barbie: $74+ In 2001, Barbie released 2 different Midnight Tuxedo Barbies: a black-haired doll with a darker skin tone and a blonde-haired doll with a lighter skin tone. The black-haired Midnight Tuxedo Barbie in particular can sell for up to $726, while the blonde-haired Barbie can sell for up to $203. Release year: 2001 Hair color: Black Outfit: Long black dress
Totally Hair Barbie: $30+ Don’t be fooled by the low starting price—if you have a high-quality version of this doll in your possession, you could resell her for as much as $391. Release year: 1991 Hair color: Blonde Outfit: Pink, purple, green, and blue-patterned shirt and shorts
How to Appraise Your Barbies
Visit BarbieDB for a rough estimate. If you have a little background info about your doll, BarbieDB can help you figure out what it’s worth. On the website, fill the form in with the following info: Condition: Mint, Good, Fair, or Poor Age (years: The estimated age of the doll Rarity: Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Very Rare Includes Accessories: Yes or No Not sure what type of Barbie you have? No worries—use BarbieDB’s “Find Your Barbie tool, which uses info like the Barbie’s name or description, product number, and release year date range to figure out what doll you have.
Check for a body marking to get a rough idea of when the Barbie was made. If you inspect your Barbie’s body, you should be able to find a year. While this year doesn’t represent when the Barbie hit the shelves, it does signal when the body itself was manufactured.
Look for foot holes. When the very first line of Barbies were released, they had small holes drilled into their feet, which allowed the dolls to be displayed on special stands. If your vintage Barbie has this feature, it could potentially be worth a lot of money.
Search for a “Made in Japan” label on the Barbie. In the early years of production, Mattel had their dolls produced in Japan (specifically, between 1959 and 1972). If your Barbie has a “Made in Japan” label, it could very well be vintage (and potentially worth money). Other countries to keep an eye out for are Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea.
See if the fingers are split apart on the Barbie’s hands. Nowadays, Barbies are made with their fingers fused together on their hands, but this wasn’t always the case. If your Barbie was extremely vintage (particularly if it was made before 1968), its fingers will likely be spread apart.
Signs Your Barbie is Worth Money
The doll is boxed. Sure, a well-loved and played-with doll can offer a lot of sentimental value to you personally, but it unfortunately won’t earn you a lot of money from potential buyers. Barbies that are still in their original box with the original accessories, however, are worth a whole lot more. That’s not to say you can’t make any money from an unboxed Barbie, though! Your money-making potential is just higher your Barbie is as untouched as possible.
The doll has stood the test of time. Whether you’re hanging onto a seriously vintage doll from the 1960s or a retro doll from the 2000s, condition is what matters. Potential buyers aren’t interested in Barbies with missing limbs, frizzy hair, and dirty clothes—even if the doll itself comes from a previous decade. Before putting your Barbie up for sale, make sure that it: Doesn’t have any obvious blemishes Has clear and eyes, lips, and makeup (that aren’t rubbed off) Has decent-looking clothes and accessories Doesn’t smell musty or otherwise bad
Research your doll and see how many were produced. Using established Barbie collector tools like BarbieDB and Barbiepedia are great ways to look up the dolls you have in storage and see when they were made—and, more importantly, how many of them were made. As is the case in any type of collecting, rarer and more limited edition products tend to be worth more money.
The doll hails from a past decade. The 2010s and beyond have certainly produced their fair share of valuable Barbies (we’re looking at you, Stefani Canturi Barbie!), but the average Barbie doll purchased in recent years probably won’t be resold for very much. Dolls from less recent decades, however, like the 1960s and 70s, have more resale potential. A vintage Barbie doll from the 1960s, for example, can easily sell for over $200 (assuming it’s in really good condition).
How to Sell Your Barbies
eBay eBay is one of the most well-known online marketplaces and auction sites out there, and for good reason—they’ve been in the game since the early days of the internet. Plenty of potential buyers take to eBay as they seek to expand their Barbie collection, which makes it the perfect spot to list your dolls. Try to be as detailed as possible in your listing, so buyers can be 100% certain that your doll is the real thing (and what they’re looking for).
Facebook Marketplace As one of the internet’s largest online flea markets, Facebook Marketplace can be a handy place to both scope out and sell your old Barbies for a quick buck.
Conventions The best way to find vintage Barbie dolls? To rub elbows with those who collect them, of course! Visiting conventions geared toward Barbie collectors can be a great way to sell some of your old dolls to potential customers in-person. For example, the National Barbie Doll Collector's Convention is held annually in the United States. Among the different events and festivities is a Sale Room, where participants can show off or even sell some of their dolls.
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