Antique C&NW Buddy Lee Advertising Doll
$15
Current Bid
What this bid actually costs
- Current bid
- $15
- Buyer's premium (15%)
- $2
- Sales tax (est. 7.5%)
- $1
- Est. all-in
- $18
Estimates: premium from this source's typical rate, tax from the state's combined average. Pickup and title fees not included.
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Item: Antique C&NW Buddy Lee Advertising Doll Pickup: Batesburg, SC 29006 Loading help on site: please advise (assume none) Please quote pickup, any packing or crating, and transport.
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BidProwl Summary
This is a circa 1929 Buddy Lee advertising doll, approximately 13 inches tall, dressed in C&NW railroader denim with Lee branding and showing typical age-related subtle cracking on the ears, hands, and painted shoe areas. Collectors and Americana dealers buy these railroad-branded Buddy Lees for their historical significance and scarcity within the broader Buddy Lee lineup. Verify the maker's mark, confirm the C&NW branding is intact and legible, and inspect the cracking extent on the ears and hands to assess restoration needs or value impact.
AI summary of the seller's listing; it may occasionally contain inaccuracies. Check the full description and inspect before bidding.
Description from HiBid
Unique selection of an antique “Buddy Lee” advertising doll, perfect for any collector. This buddy Lee doll is dressed in a railroader jean shirt and overalls, specifically promoting the Chicago and Northwestern Line as well as its usual “Lee” branding stamp.
The Buddy Lee doll is one of the most iconic and enduring advertising icons in American history. Created as a “silent salesman” for the H.D. Lee Mercantile Company (currently Lee Jeans), these dolls transformed from simple storefront promotional display into highly prized pieces of Americana. In 1920, Chester Reynolds, a sales manager for the Lee company in Salina, Kansas, needed a creative way to showcase Lee’s rugged workwear in shop windows. Rather than using full-sized mannequins, he used a 12.5” doll in which he dubbed “Buddy Lee”. Originally intended strictly for display, window shoppers constantly asked to buy the dolls for their children. In 1922, Lee began selling the dolls commercially as a result.
While Buddy Lee is most famous for his classic stripe denim overalls, the character was aggressively cross promoted with other major American brands. One such group was the “Railroaders” from which this direct character is a part of with its branding of the Chicago and North Western Line.
The doll itself stands the average height of approx. 13” high and is wearing the denim shirt, overalls and hat. The front of the hat and back of the overalls showcase the typical “Lee” branding patch. The torso of the overalls showcase “Chicago and Northwestern Line” branding. The item is in great shape for its age, only with subtle cracking that is typical for its age. This is most noted by its ears on both sides, the characters hands, and the “shoes” which are actually not clothing pieces but painted elements that are part of the body. It is assumed that this direct figure might be produced somewhere around 1929 based upon an included note that is pinned to the doll.
View our full catalog of quality items up for auction at: POGAuctions.com.
Tag Words: Chicago & North Western Line, Railroad, Buddy Lee, Lee Jeans, H.D. Lee Mercantile, Advertising Antiques, Americana, American Advertising
ZC631 BWB
Pickup information
Batesburg, SC 29006
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