Woman auctions off 2,800 dolls

ST. CHARLES, Ill., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A St. Charles, Ill., auctioneer said it took him five car trips to transport a massive doll collection being sold by a suburban Chicago woman.

Mary Voigt said she filled her three-bedroom Downers Grove home with more than 2,800 dolls, but she decided to auction off the bulk of her collection when she made plans to move to a smaller home in the town of LaGrange Park, the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald reported Monday.

"If I saw something I liked, I just bought it," Voigt said of her 35-year buying spree.

John Prigge, who is auctioning the dolls off at the Pheasant Run resort in St. Charles, said some of the dolls were fetching more than $100 in early bidding and some of the items are expected to gather bids of more than $1,000.

Voigt said she is only keeping a small number of dolls for display in her new home, but she is not too upset over parting with the vast majority of her collection.

"I'm starting a new life," Voigt said.