Antique doll collecting is actually the second largest collection hobby in the United States (after stamp collecting). It is a fun and rewarding experience, but it can also be confusing and expensive. Don't dive into the challenge without reading up on it first. Ebay is also a great source for learning about Antique doll collecting and selling. You can sit back and watch what dolls are bought and sold for as well as ask questions of buyers and sellers.

Believe it or not, antique doll collecting branches out to at least a few dozen different genres. Here are the most common

Artist Dolls. Typically, artist dolls are one of a kind finds, produced by the hand of a professional doll artist.

Baby Dolls. These dolls are made to look like real babies. They're often the same size as a two-month-old baby.

Cloth Dolls. Raggedy Ann and Andy are not as worthless as they look. Cloth dolls like the Raggedys and Madeleine are favorites of many doll enthusiasts.

Ethnic Dolls. As their category implies, ethnic dolls come in all shapes and sizes. There are African wooden dolls, Asian porcelain dolls, European all-bisque dolls. It's a small world after all.

Fashion Dolls. Fashion dolls are mass-produced and usually collected for their wide range of clothes and accessories. In other words: Barbie.

Fifties Dolls. Doll companies that were popular in the fifties, like Vogue and Madame Alexander produced dolls that are still widely collected today.

Miniature Dolls. To qualify to be a miniature doll, a doll has to be less than six inches tall. Some extend only a couple of centimeters (you can get a doll for your doll!).

Sixties and Seventies Dolls. This genre includes dolls that were big in the sixties and seventies, like Tammy, Dawn, and Chatty Cathy.

Wooden Dolls. Wooden dolls are generally foreign and very old. They are meticulously carved from wood and adorned with clothes and wigs.