All anyone has to do is pick a collection, though it may be hard to find a doll, teapot, dish or spoon that she doesn’t already have.
Her house could be a museum.
Walking by the windows of her Trenton home, those passing by can get a tiny taste of what’s inside.
Cups, royal memorabilia and figurines rest on window ledges, revealing Smith’s fascination with collecting and the royal family.
An entire room is dedicated to her dolls alone, a collection of 2,000, give or take.
Though she’s not opening her home to the public (though an invite can sometimes be arranged), a selection of her dolls is on loan to the Carmichael Stewart House Museum.
Her reasons for collecting aren’t complicated.
“I just liked them.”
She’s not planning to cash in with them, either.
“I couldn’t care less. It doesn’t even enter my mind,” she says about their potential value.
She enjoys being able to look at them, and lending them to others.
The collection started with a Franklin Mint sailor boy doll 30 years ago, one of only 10 or so that she bought herself.
The rest have been given to her by her son in Saskatoon, her husband when he picks them up at auctions, or from one of the many people she knows.
If Smith had to relocate, it would be a challenge to pack up all of her collectibles, but she wouldn’t try.
“If I have to move… I’ll take just what I need.”
The one doll she might try to take is one of her most prized possessions – her Mother Teresa doll.
Smith, an admirer of the missionary, remarked how surprised she was that no one had tried to cash in on her death by making a doll in her likeness.
Though she suspects it’s not what the Catholic nun would’ve wanted, she still assumed that someone would.
This prompted her daughter-in-law to investigate, seeking a doll maker in Saskatoon, and finally, one in India.
Now, she has what she suspects to be the one and only of a very detailed Mother Teresa doll, one she’s too scared to lend out for fear of it breaking.
Though she appreciates that doll, she’s not picky when adding to her collection.
“A doll is a doll,” she said.
The New Glasgow museum is showing off 34 of her dolls until July 26, selected by the summer student employee.
“I like the ones that have some character,” Catherine Gray of Westville said about the ones she picked.
In August, Smith’s teapots will be on display, a collection of which she has hundreds.
On Twitter: @NGNewsAmanda
Sidebar:
House of Dolls
Number of dolls: 2,000 +/-
Collecting for: 30 years
On display in New Glasgow: 34
Oldest one on display: Army doll from 1920s
Celebrity dolls on display: Prince William and Kate Middleton, Elvis, Bobby Orr
All anyone has to do is pick a collection, though it may be hard to find a doll, teapot, dish or spoon that she doesn’t already have.
Her house could be a museum.
Walking by the windows of her Trenton home, those passing by can get a tiny taste of what’s inside.
Cups, royal memorabilia and figurines rest on window ledges, revealing Smith’s fascination with collecting and the royal family.
An entire room is dedicated to her dolls alone, a collection of 2,000, give or take.
Though she’s not opening her home to the public (though an invite can sometimes be arranged), a selection of her dolls is on loan to the Carmichael Stewart House Museum.
Her reasons for collecting aren’t complicated.
“I just liked them.”
She’s not planning to cash in with them, either.
“I couldn’t care less. It doesn’t even enter my mind,” she says about their potential value.
She enjoys being able to look at them, and lending them to others.
The collection started with a Franklin Mint sailor boy doll 30 years ago, one of only 10 or so that she bought herself.
The rest have been given to her by her son in Saskatoon, her husband when he picks them up at auctions, or from one of the many people she knows.
If Smith had to relocate, it would be a challenge to pack up all of her collectibles, but she wouldn’t try.
“If I have to move… I’ll take just what I need.”
The one doll she might try to take is one of her most prized possessions – her Mother Teresa doll.
Smith, an admirer of the missionary, remarked how surprised she was that no one had tried to cash in on her death by making a doll in her likeness.
Though she suspects it’s not what the Catholic nun would’ve wanted, she still assumed that someone would.
This prompted her daughter-in-law to investigate, seeking a doll maker in Saskatoon, and finally, one in India.
Now, she has what she suspects to be the one and only of a very detailed Mother Teresa doll, one she’s too scared to lend out for fear of it breaking.
Though she appreciates that doll, she’s not picky when adding to her collection.
“A doll is a doll,” she said.
The New Glasgow museum is showing off 34 of her dolls until July 26, selected by the summer student employee.
“I like the ones that have some character,” Catherine Gray of Westville said about the ones she picked.
In August, Smith’s teapots will be on display, a collection of which she has hundreds.
On Twitter: @NGNewsAmanda
Sidebar:
House of Dolls
Number of dolls: 2,000 +/-
Collecting for: 30 years
On display in New Glasgow: 34
Oldest one on display: Army doll from 1920s
Celebrity dolls on display: Prince William and Kate Middleton, Elvis, Bobby Orr
