Taggerty Doll Clinic - If you've pondering whether to discard a doll that has deep sentimental value because it has become damaged, then you desperately need to know about doll hospitals.
Doll hospitals are special centers where antique dolls and other toys are sent for restoration and repair works. As surprising as it sounds, doll hospitals have been around since the 19th century. The oldest doll hospitals are believed to be in Portugal and Australia respectively.
In the US, the Taggerty Doll Clinic is one of the most popular doll restoration centers. Dr. Brian Taggerty runs the Taggerty Doll Clinic, which is located at Elmira, N.Y.
Taggerty, who doubles as a carpenter, runs the clinic out of his home. He is the current president of the Doll Doctor's Association (DDA). The DDA, which was founded in 1996, keeps members abreast with the best doll repair and restoration techniques through its newsletter and articles. The DDA boasts of up to 150 members in the US and across the world.
Reports indicate that most of the dolls sent to the clinic for repairs are antique designs, some which can cost up to $30,000. Most of the toys sent to doll hospitals for repair are reportedly owned by adults, who may have usually had them since childhood. Others are reportedly owned by doll collectors.
Taggerty, who says he started repairing dolls at the age of 6 after learning the skill from his mother and grandmother, told CBS Sunday Morning that he cherishes working on dolls that have sentimental value to their owners.
"I can see them fighting back tears," he said. "Those are the ones that have sentimental value. Sentimental value is, to me, worth more than monetary value."
Although modern mass-produced dolls - usually owned by children - may have equal sentimental value, they are reportedly rarely sent to doll hospitals for restoration. When they are sent, they are rejected sometimes, due to the difficulty of repairing the inbuilt mechanized system.
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