Why NRFB for Current Barbies Just Don’t Have the Same Values as Vintage | Dolls

NFRB – this abbreviation is sure to make any Barbie doll collector’s heart pound faster.  It stands for “never removed from box” and is quite possibly the most coveted description any doll may have.  Whenever savvy online sellers include this description into their sales information, they will be sure that scores and scores of collectors will flock to their ads.  Yet is this really such an important distinction for those who are collection current Barbies? 

Vintage Barbie doll collectors know that owning a doll that is considered NRFB is a coup that only few will be able to realize.  First and foremost, the vintage dolls that will fall under this distinction are few and far between.  This rarity is the reason for the number two cause why it is so hard to collect them: it adds to their price.  Any vintage doll that can be sold as NRFB is automatically worth double its book value!  Last but not least, the vintage collector knows that she or he will never be able to remove the doll from the box.  As a matter of fact, the serious collector will make this particular doll the centerpiece of any collection, and probably keep it under lock and key in a closed off cabinet.  

The same does not hold true for the collectors of current Barbies. Several collectors are still willing to pay out large sums of money to obtain a doll for their collection that is advertised as NRFB, yet oftentimes fellow collectors will not offer as many sounds of utter amazement over these finds. Here are the top reasons why NRFB for current Barbies just do not have the same values as vintage.

Probably the number one reason why NRFB current Barbies will not have the same value as their vintage kin is the reality that everybody who is purchasing them from the shelves of the store will want to keep them in their pristine condition, if they have an eye on collecting.  Remember that in the beginning, Barbie was viewed as a plaything, not a collector’s item, and it is the rarity of the object that makes it so desirable.  The market is currently flooded with current Barbies that are being sold as NRFB. Under the economic laws of supply and demand, it is not surprising that they are neither fetching the prices their vintage counterparts can, nor do they garner the same hushed respect.

Ask yourself if you really want to have a large collection of dolls that is square, boxy, and boring.  After all, you will not be able to take the dolls out of their packages to properly clean them up, display them attractively, or even change their outfits periodically to add more interesting touches to your collection.  Instead, your shelves will look a little bit like a Wal-Mart store’s shelves – with just about the same appeal.  In thirty years this may be different, but for today, these packaged dolls are really not worth displaying.

Consider that today’s packaging may in fact harm the dolls.  Anyone who has ever helped a child to liberate a Barbie doll from its package knows the various wires, rubber bands, and tapes that are used to hold the doll in place and make it look pretty in the package.  Yet over time, these very fasteners will begin to permanently damage the doll.  Rubber bands will leave marks, wires may rust and leave stains, tape will discolor fabrics, and even the highly glossed paper covering of the inside of the boxes will add to the mix. 

Remember that since there is a lot more demand for Barbies today than there was yesteryear Mattel is producing a lot more dolls.  For this reason, what may have been a rare doll in the 1960s is just one of a million in the year 2006. In addition to the foregoing, the pricing on modern dolls – especially those that are geared for the collectors’ market – are fairly steep.  In the 1960s the prices were reasonable since the dolls were not considered to be collectible items. Thus, in order to make up the difference between what you can sell a doll that is being mass-produced and mass-marketed today for, even if it is kept NRFB, you may have to wait half a century, and even then the odds – statistically speaking – that you can count on a low supply and a high demand are fairly slim.