Meet Malenna Bravo: Inside the collection
Mar. 22, 2020
Photographer Mell Bravo didn’t start her Barbie collection until she was an adult — but she’s more than made up for lost time, amassing a collection of more than 3,000 versions of the world’s most famous fashion doll, plus accessories, spinoffs and more. And the collection is still growing.
Mell estimates she spends $20,000 a year in new acquisitions. She shares with Lisa some of her prize finds, including an original Barbie from 1959 in nearly pristine condition; the entire line of Golden Dream Barbies from all around the globe; and a vintage coat made for Barbie from real mink, whose market value is now higher than a full-size mink for a real person.
Mell is joined by her friend Anne Laurie, who gets her first astonished look at the actual depth of Mell's collection.
Lisa brought along certified appraiser Kate Martin to value the collection — and to try to tempt Mell into a trade for an extremely rare item not from Mell's collection, a fully accessorized version of the German doll that inspired Barbie's creation
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