Sears-exclusive Walking Jamie Doll, ca. 1971
GUEST: Just this last Christmas, my cousin was helping my grandparents go through, um, one of their storage rooms, and they pulled this doll out. It looks like it never had been opened or touched. And my grandma was, like, "Oh, it's a new Barbie doll." And she actually was going to give it to one of my cousin's daughters, who's eight. And I was, like, "Oh, can I come look at it?" Just from what my knowledge is, I think this could be valuable. So I was, like, "Maybe hold off on giving it as a birthday present." (both chuckle) My grandma doesn't even remember buying it. Probably bought in the early '70s, maybe for my mom or for one of her sisters, so...
APPRAISER: What you have is a Walking Jamie doll, and it's called Strollin' in Style. She's in the Barbie family. And Walking Jamie was made by Mattel exclusively for Sears. This was a doll that you would find in the Sears Wish Book.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: It only came out during the holiday season. And this box just really illustrates the time period. Um, even the graphics on it are very 1970s.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: And then what's even more fun is when we take the lid off the box, and surprise, look at this. I mean, it's just, like, Christmas Day 1972 all over again. Never been out of the packaging. Still has the original cellophane over her. And the colors...
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: …are so vibrant. This is a time capsule of the period.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: There was one edition before her, it was different colors. The clothing was oranges and yellows, and the dog was actually gray instead of white. And they were only made between 1970 and 1972.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And you can see Jamie. She's a beautiful doll. I mean, she's got a beautiful face.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And she's the first Barbie's friend that they actually used a Barbie mold to create her.
GUEST: Oh, interesting, okay.
APPRAISER: Everybody else had their own mold. She's got a button on her back, and if you...
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: …push the button, she actually moves her arms and legs and turns her head.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And all this brilliant engineering was done, created by a man named Jack Ryan that worked for Mattel, and he designed the Barbie dolls all through the '60s and '70s.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Value-wise, it's hard to find her because...
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: …there just weren't that many out there. And then, it's just in beautiful condition. They just rarely exist. Your Jamie, her retail value would be somewhere between $1,800 and $2,200.
GUEST: Wow. Wow, that's amazing. Thank you. (chuckles)
$1,800 - $2,200 Retail
Featured In
episode
Red Butte Garden & Arboretum, Hour 2
Premiered Mon, Jan 12, 2026 — Watch all-new stunning treasures discovered during ROADSHOW’s visit to Salt Lake City, Utah!
Doll
appraisal
appraisal
Henri d'Allemagne Dolls, ca. 1920
appraisal
Three German China Dolls, ca. 1855
appraisal
Reproduction French Fashion Doll
Understanding Our Appraisals
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
