About Nikel Antique Dolls
Hi there, I'm Nikki Kvitka. Welcome to my Web site! I have collected and sold dolls since my college days. I remember when I encountered my first antique doll in a charming little shop in Boston. I felt a kind of deja vu, like I was visiting with friends I had known for a very long time. And I have never lost the sense of wonder I get when looking at antique dolls - I love seeing their wonderful faces, some funny, some beautiful, but each one unique, each one special.
I love sharing information and research on antique dolls almost as much as any other aspect of this important and relevant collecting field. And so I have written several articles for various publications, including the "Antique Doll Collector," "Antique Doll World," "Doll News," and the "Doll Reader." Pictures of my private collection have been used in numerous other articles and books; some even appear en masse, as in the new book on googlies, "The History and Art of Googlies." I get excited when I find something unusual, or when I find the answer to a question that has been unanswerable up to that point. I think it's important, imperative, actually, for advanced collectors and dealers to share what they learn with less experienced collectors. I have always felt the more informed you are, the easier it is not only to communicate to others, but to nail down for yourself your particular tastes in dolls.
When the doll bug bit me, I was very fortunate to be befriended by a learned advanced collector who did not mind mentoring a very young and very inexperienced collector. My mentor guided me in the right directions. I read everything she suggested and everything else on the subject that I could get my hands on. She took me to many important auctions and estate sales, as well as to private shops owned by long time dealers who also generously shared with me their private collections and information. I saw many dolls in person ("hands on") I would never have been able to see otherwise. It was an exciting time for me! I also learned quite a bit from all the books I read, and I began to be able to decipher valid information from misinformation. (There were, and still are, books that contain incorrect information). But I can honestly say that I learned even more by actually seeing so many dolls in person than I did from the books. That is why I can attest to the fact that nothing can take the place of seeing, touching and experiencing antique dolls right in your own hands! This is why I also know that I am the best at what I do! I have been fortunate over the past 25 years to be able to see, literally, thousands of antique dolls. Through all those auctions, estate sales, private home sales, and by giving appraisals, visiting museums, and seeing dozens of grand personal collections, I have learned exactly what "the best" looks like!
From the beginning, I have specialized in what my motto states: "the rare and elusive." Mine is NOT the site to visit if you are looking for "average dolls" of mediocre quality. However, if you want THE best example of the doll you are seeking (regardless of how much you are willing to spend), the rarest and most original doll, an unusual doll, or a doll with the best quality bisque, etc., you have come to the right place. And if you do not see your "dream doll" on my site, please DO tell me what that is! I have an uncanny way of finding the exact doll you are seeking. It happens between me and my customers all the time! I consider it not only a challenge but a privilege to find the very doll you have wanted for SO long! Just try me!
I will never have the site with the "most" dolls! It is just not my goal! If I was looking to simply "fill in many empty spaces," I would not care which dolls I put in those spaces! Every doll you find on my site is a winner! Even if it's relatively inexpensive, it will be the best example of that mold that can possibly be acquired. This is my promise to you, and you can count on it!