Greensburg grandmother sells collection of more than 100 Barbie dolls

It was a Barbiepalooza day for a Greensburg grandmother, who on Sunday was selling her collection of more than 100 Barbie dolls for less than what she paid for them in her 30 years of collecting the colorfully-costumed character.

Why sell them now after holding onto them since the early 1990s?

“I thought I would take advantage of the (popularity of) ‘Barbie’ movies. This was the time to get rid of them,” said Gilberta McGill, 89, who had seven tables filled with Barbie dolls by the sidewalk of her home.

McGill’s Barbie dolls were in the original boxes, adorned with the pricetags of defunct department stores like Hills and Ames. The list of McGill’s Barbie doll collection in various colorful costumes showed just how many different lives the popular blonde doll has embodied over its lifetime. Barbie lovers could choose Barbie and boyfriend, Ken, in Star Trek costumes; Barbie as president; Barbie as a Disney princess; Barbie at the Grand Ole Opry; Barbie in a winter outfit, in a holiday wardrobe, as a member of the band Spice Girl, as Rapunzel, celebrating the New Year, a Toys ‘R Us Barbie — and the list goes on.

In addition to selling them, she also gave away some of her collection of Barbie dolls to family and friends.

McGill took up collecting Barbie dolls long after Mattel created the doll in 1959. There were no Barbie dolls in her house when her children were growing up in the 1960s and 1970s because “we raised five sons,” McGill said.

Her granddaughter, Holly McGill, 40, of Latrobe, did have Barbie dolls when she was a youngster. But, she took them out of the box, played with them and never gave a thought to keeping the boxes.

Holly McGill has a theory on why the Barbie craze is so strong this summer, with the release of the movie.

“I think it is the nostalgia,” Holly McGill said.

The McGill family said they may have another sale of the remaining inventory or sell it to a collectible story.

Another reason for selling the collection now is that she was running out of room to store all of the Barbie dolls in addition to the collection left by her late husband, M. Robert McGill, who collected sports figures and sports cards of players in baseball, football and hockey, she said.

“It was their retirement hobby,” said her son, Raymond McGill of South Greensburg.

Such was the love of sports cards by her husband, who died on July 27, that he was buried with a Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente card and Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. card, said Raymond McGill.

As for her husband’s extensive card collection, McGill said that will be the next collectibles up for sale.

“They’re in the basement, attic and garage. My sons will organize them and then get rid of them,” she said.