Rare Barbie Beach Barbie Sells for $17,520 at Turin Auction
TURIN, GA — A vintage Barbie Beach Barbie sold for $17,520 Saturday at a public auction in Turin, drawing significant interest from collectors and becoming the highest-selling item of the afternoon.
The doll, which was sold without clothing or accessories, was purchased by Marietta collector Darren Whitlock, who reportedly submitted the winning bid after a 14-minute bidding battle with another collector from Alabama.
Auction officials described the Barbie as being in “remarkably preserved condition,” despite having no clothing, one missing shoe and what appeared to be several decades of sun damage from being by the road.
Other items sold during the auction included a 1998 Ford Taurus with a cracked windshield, a box of assorted silverware that didn’t belong to the same set, three unopened Walmart extension cords, a working George Foreman Grill, a VCR containing an unlabeled VHS tape that ended up as Fern Gully, a coffee can full of loose screws, and a framed photograph of a Golden Corral that auctioneers said was “of significant sentimental interest to the consignor”—all considered the best things in Turin.
Despite the unusual collection of items, auction organizers said the $17,520 price for Barbie Beach Barbie was not unexpected given its rarity.
