Woman Finds 1962 Barbie in Thrift Store—Can't Believe The Price Tag

Newsweek

5 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A Virginia woman was left stunned when she wandered into a thrift store, only to find a 1962 collector's item listed for just $10.99.
For Grace Caroline, 29, thrifting has long been an exhilarating hobby, and she's found countless second-hand treasures in the past. But when she and a friend recently traveled further afield to some of the larger thrift stores in northern Virginia, she couldn't believe what she found in the Christmas decorations aisle.
To her surprise, Caroline saw a vintage Barbie doll from 1962, still in her original box.
It seemed too good to be true, as Caroline told Newsweek that she thought "it had to be a reproduction" at first. But as she looked closer, she realized what an amazing find this was.
An original 1962 Barbie that was found in a Virginia thrift store.
An original 1962 Barbie that was found in a Virginia thrift store.
u/mewisme700 / Reddit
"I just thought, there's no way this collector's item was just sitting out," Caroline said.
She continued: "She is still in her original box from 1962 and looks mostly untouched. She does have a case of what Barbie collectors call green ear, where the original metal earrings she once wore oxidized into the vinyl of the face. She is missing her hand tag, but still luckily has the original booklet with her, still sealed."
Caroline didn't hesitate to buy the Barbie, especially as it cost just $10.99.
Indeed, the packaging even has the original sticker with the price on, showing that the doll was once sold for $2. When adjusted for inflation, this equates to around $21 in 2025.
Although Caroline isn't a Barbie collector, she is a Pokémon collector and certainly knows the value of an original item.
"Once the doll was confirmed not to be a reproduction, I immediately recognized the significance of this Barbie as one of the first releases. I wanted to ensure that it was saved from the thrift to be in the hands of a Barbie collector where it can be cherished and appreciated after 63 years in storage," Caroline told Newsweek.
She shared her discovery in a Reddit post (posting as user u/mewisme700), and it's gone viral with over 12,000 votes and 270 comments in a matter of days.
Amy McKune, a curator at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, believes that it's an amazing find, made even better by the near pristine condition it's been kept in.
McKune told Newsweek: "She does appear to be in her original box, wearing her original swimsuit and red sandals. Often the thin strap on the tops of those sandals has split as the plastic has aged. I can't see her ears to know if she still has her original earrings. The pearl earrings often have left an area of green discoloration around the ears."
It appears to be a #6 Barbie, introduced in 1962, McKune says. She noted that the #6 model was the first doll to wear the famous red swimsuit, with earlier versions sporting a black and white striped one instead.
"Isn't it amazing that after only three years, Mattel had introduced six models? The model number on one end of the box (Model 850) was used for all of the Ponytail Barbie dolls," McKune continued.
The box that the 1962 Barbie came in, showing the original $2 price tag.
The box that the 1962 Barbie came in, showing the original $2 price tag.
u/mewisme700 / Reddit
The online reaction has been astonishing to see, as many social media users were just as bewildered as Caroline by her thrifting find. In fact, many didn't even believe that it could be real.
Caroline said: "I have a lot of people calling it staged because thrift stores have become very adamant in making sure the good stuff goes behind the counter. But with the sheer amount of daily donations thrift stores get because of our hyper-consumeristic lifestyle, it doesn't surprise me that gems like this do slip past thrift employees."
Among the hundreds of comments on the post, many Reddit users were amazed by the iconic vintage Barbie.
One comment reads: "That's an impossible find! I'm so jealous!"
Another Reddit user wrote: "Amazing find. Never even seen one in the original box!"
While another person replied: "This is awesome! Think of all the hands it went through at the thrift store and nobody there thought enough to grab it. Congratulations!"
Do you have any amazing thrifting finds that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to [e-mail] and they could appear on our site.