Rare collection of Barbie dolls sells for £2,320

A private collection of rare Barbie dolls has fetched £2,320 at an auction in Kent.

The four figures were offered at Canterbury Auction Galleries on Saturday alongside collectables such as Pokémon cards and a carry case of Happy Meal toys.

A Marie Antoinette doll fetched the highest price among the Barbie collection, at £640.

In total, the entire lot of rare toys and paintings sold for more than double its expected hammer price, at £12,280.

A Queen Elizabeth I doll made £600, while a figurine depicting Italy's Empress Josephine was sold for £540.

A "haunted beauty vampire" Barbie was also sold for £540.

The sale took place over three days and also included ink and watercolour illustrations by Bagpuss co-creator Peter Firmin.

Auctioneer David Parker previously said he would not have been able to sell the Barbie dolls if they "were not in boxes".

He added that the lot offered collectors a chance to "buy back the dreams of their youth".

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