I Sold the First Haunted Doll on eBay!
When I first moved to NYC almost 8 years ago, I lived with my older brother on the Upper East Side. I didn’t have a full time job so I would help him sell his antiques on eBay. My brother collects everything and anything, so there was definitely a variety of items to sell. This included Art Deco nudes, antique ivory dice carved on a whale ship, old textiles, and lots of dolls.
eBay became a weird place. What I mean is that it became super oversaturated with “RARE” items. Some of these items were in fact rare before people started to clean out their closets, attics, garages, etc. and realized that they could sell these items on eBay. Also, a lot of Antique and Collectible stores closed their brick and mortars to exclusively sell on the web. Why pay rent for a store when you can pay a fraction of the cost for a storage space OR work out of your own house?! These factors contributed to eBay becoming saturated with these “rare” items.
Realizing this, I came to find out the best way to sell items, which consisted of simply using keywords, nice photos, clever descriptions, and sometimes a good story. I created the story of Haunted Harold to sell a vintage composition doll on eBay. In an antique store, this doll might have fetched anywhere from $40-60 in its condition. On eBay, I would be lucky to get one bid of $9.99. So begat the story of Haunted Harold.
The doll became a mini-phenomenon. According to Ghoststudy.com, Haunted Harold was the FIRST Haunted Doll sold on eBay. This same claim is made on HauntedAmericaTours.com, reminding me that this was talked about on the Art Bell Coast to Coast radio show and that “paranormal websites were discussing this doll around the world.” As I am now sitting and looking for saved descriptions, I found a great index of my Haunted Harold doll auction on a New Zealand Ghost Hunters Website. Here is my original description from the first time I listed the doll:
I’m sure it’s happened to us all at least once or twice. You are walking around the flea market or antique mall looking for a treasure or two, and you come upon a beat up looking doll. You think to yourself, “oh that’s charming”, or “the child who owned that doll must have really loved this thing”… but what I thought after seeing the doll that is offered today, should never, ever, be repeated…
This doll was purchased in a small dirt lot flea market in the quaint town of Webster, Florida. Webster is a very charming, industrious town about 60 miles south west of Gainesville. They have a weekly flea market offering treasures, bargains, and aisles of kernel corn…anyways I digress…
I had arrived at the flea market fairly late in the day, when most people were packing up to go home. That is when I saw an elderly man placing the doll in a box. It looked interesting, so I asked the man if I could see it… the conversation went something like this..
Man: you don’t want to see this doll
Me: sure I do, what do you want for it?
Man: well, that’s a good question, because it’s very old… (the man looked like he was going to begin to cry) … it was my son’s, I bought it for him when he was born, and he passed away a few years after…this doll has sat in my work shed for over 60 years. I wasn’t going to bring it out today, but I figured I just needed to get it out of there…anyways, I want 20 bucks for it.
I gave the guy 20 bucks, put it in a bag, and walked away. When I was half way down the aisle, the man came running over, visibly out of breath…
Man: I have to warn you about something, I can’t just let you take him like this…the reason it has been in my shed, is that the doll brought an eerie presence into our house after our son died…we would hear crying and singing from his bedroom…when we went to check it out, there was nothing, just the doll.. other things started to happen, and the priest told me I should burn the doll, I tried and tried, but it would barely burn, that’s why his arms and head and legs are so worn.. anyways I just wanted to let you know…
I told him ok, and chuckled to myself as I walked away… that was until I got home, and my life has never been the same…
Two days later my cat died, my gf left me for the pool guy, I began to have chronic migraines, and this is only 2 days after purchasing the doll! A week later I began to hear a children laughing and crying in my basement…Every time I would go to check it out, of course, nothing…
This doll has been in an armadillo coffin in my basement for the last year and half, and I need to get rid of it… I really do believe it’s cursed, sometimes I touch it, and it seems like it has a pulse, maybe im just paranoid, maybe not… The cursed doll measures 21″ tall. His/her/its head, arms, and legs are all composition. The eyes are closed when it’s lying down.
Please ask any and all questions before you bid on this doll. I have not had it out of the coffin for years, so if anything else happens this week I will be sure to let you know. This auction is sold as is! WITH NO RETURNS! PLEASE!
Winner pays exact shipping and optional insurance. Check out my other auctions for more vintage collectibles and other fine antiques. Ask all questions before you bid. Even if you think you are sure about condition, pictures, etc, please ask all SPECIFIC questions, BEFORE BIDDING. Thanks for looking and Good Luck!
To make a bit of a long story short, the doll at one point I think had over 100,000 views. It was bid up to around $700 and the person didn’t pay. I then put it up again, and it sold to a family friend for around $300. I think in the second posting, I created a video with the doll “moving” and “talking” I can’t for the life of me, find the videos, but if I do I will be sure to update this post.
I don’t know what made me think of the doll. I think someone brought it up recently, or I just randomly decided to Google Haunted Harold. I was pretty satisfied, that I sort of made eBay history by selling the first Haunted doll, and I figured it was fitting to post about it this Halloween.
I have no clue where the doll is now. I know Kathy (our family friend who bought it) brought it with her to Ireland. She actually listed the doll, hoping to cash in on Harold’s celebrity status. At this point no one was buying it. Last I heard though, she experienced two odd occurrences after having the doll in her possession for about a year. A friend of hers had come over to see the doll after seeing her auction posting. About a month later this friend developed a brain tumor and died about a month later. Her friend had been completely healthy with no prior medical condition. A week later another friend had inquired about the doll during a dinner party at Kathy’s house. A month later he fell from a flight of stairs to his death.
Maybe Haunted Harold really is…
October 31st, 2009 at 9:36 am
Damn that’s some real stuff, very fitting for Halloween though
October 31st, 2009 at 11:53 am
Great story man, I remember running into these kind of dolls on flea markets all the time, in fact I still do. I still can’t figure why someone wants to own a fucked up doll like this man, let alone pay for it! These dolls belong in the trash, or is it the curse that won’t let you get rid of them by any other way then selling.
October 31st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
300 dollars to a family friend?! Why in the hell would she pay that much for that piece of shit – did she not know the REAL story behind “Haunted” Harold or did she just think she could turn it around for much more?
October 31st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I think this is the first time I read an entire story on the blog-Dope as hell. Shouts to you G
February 20th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Hi Greg,
A friend of mine found this and forwarded it to me. You may remember me. I acquired “Harold” from Kathy, winning him on eBay. This was at least 5 years ago, and I, in fact, still have him to this day.
As a matter of fact, I just had a psychic do a reading on him just this afternoon. This wasn’t the first reading I’ve done on him. In fact I’ve had a few done. But more on that in a bit.
When I first saw Harold up for auction, I wanted him because of the stories Kathy told me about her experiences with him. There were a few other factors, but I’m not going to reveal them here. I may sometime in the future though.
Since I’ve had him though, there have been a number of events that have happened that I’ve personally experienced, and witnessed. For the record, I’m not saying this because I intend to sell him. But I will tell you about one set of incidents involving this doll.
I live in the Denver area and brought him with me to the Stanley Hotel. A number of people (about 14) heard I was there and that I investigate paranormal claims, and were in my room. Almost all of them were TOTAL strangers. Only one of them was aware of Harold and the stories about him.
I brought him out and put him on my bed. I said nothing about the doll. Someone asked if he was “haunted.” I only said, “You tell me what you think.” One man proclaimed he was a skeptic and didn’t believe in anything “paranormal.”
About ten minutes later they were all standing out in the hallway talking about Harold. The self-proclaimed skeptic asked, “What the hell is up with that doll?”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I felt as though it wanted to kill me!” I didn’t respond, only smiled. That wasn’t the first time I had heard comments like that before.
Word about Harold spread throughout the hotel. The night auditor working that night was told by another employee, “Go up to Anthony’s room and check out his doll.”
“Why?” she wanted to know.
“Just go take a look at it.”
When she saw it she immediately had an upset stomach and felt nauseous. I talked to her that night and she said that it lasted for 2 1/2 hours.
I bought Harold because I was investigating “haunted objects.” There is something going with this doll. I’m not sure what it is yet. I work with him for a short period of time, then put him away for long periods of time (typically more than a year).
It was only a little over two weeks ago that I took him out of storage after he had been in there for me than two years. My goal now is to finally determine whether or not there is something to this doll and Kathy’s claims about it.
Not to mention the incidents that have happened to people since I’ve had him. And there have been several, that I can’t explain just now.
July 20th, 2010 at 7:38 am
DOLL IS EXHIBITED AT THE LAST TUESDAY SOCIETY MARE ST LONDON IF YOU WISH TO SEE IT IN REAL LIFE!
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Please look at this..it is featured in this book….truly unbeleivable to see in real life..the doll has been dated to 1740.
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1461875
THE HAUNTED DOLL
40 YEARS AGO MY FATHER INLAW CAME ACROSS THIS DOLL IN A DIME STORE IN AMERICA.
IT WAS DISPLAYED SURROUNDED BY OLD PICTURES OF ITSELF TAKEN YEARS BEFORE.
ON THE FLOOR INFRONT OF THE DISPLAY WAS A RED LINE.
THE DISPLAY HAD A SIGN SAYING THIS.
“In 1888 this doll was given to Cedric Argyle of London. The doll Had previously been used in no fewer than 68 excorcisms.
Reverend Thomas Blythe and his friend Mr.Argayus Brown used the doll in exorcisms when mischievous spirits
haunted the stately homes and staff quarters of the gentry all over England.
Thomas had often commented on the doll looking at him on numerous occasions and blinking or smiling.
After a time the doll was finally photographed by a friend.
When it was photographed again some 20 minutes later the photographer said he noticed the doll seemed to smile and it spooked him.
No one took much notice until the plates were developed and the photographs revealed the face had actually changed!
All the people that viewed the photographs were amazed at the difference and put it down to the lost souls unfortunately being trapped inside the doll.
During the exorcism the doll had been used to distract the spirit by being offered up as a plaything.
Mr. Brown made the assumption that whilst the banishing of the spirit from the house it was haunting, it somehow had entered the doll trapping itself!
Over the next few years the doll was photographed by thousands of people and now resides here after being sold to the dime store by Mr Brown’s Grandson.
Since being here, customers have stood on the red line and took 2 pictures of the doll one after the other and your advised to inspect these once developed.
Almost everytime the 2 photographs have different looking facial expressions.
Sometimes looking like a boy…sometimes a girl!
sometimes smiling….sometimes sad…
PLEASE BACK UP TO THE RED LINE AND TRY!”
The doll was passed to me and eventually ended up on display for 7 years in the MUSEUM OF CURIOS Cornwall until 2007.
Again it was photographed thousands of times by digital cameras with the same results.
It was a favourite amoungst customers beating the collection of shrunken heads in popularity!
The doll is incredible. I can honestly say I have never come across anything quite like it.
I’m not supersticious or a believer in ghosts or spirits persay but I have witnessed the changes when photograhed and filmed.
My conclusion was that subtle light changes or movement of the camera angle etc made the face appear different….maybe?.
The doll is made of cloth and what looks like real glass eyes. I have never seen eyes like this in a doll before.
Truely life like and I hesitate to say quite spooky!
It is around 9 inches long and delicate.
This is definately not for playing with and should be displayed in a temperature controlled enviroment