Everyone, I really REALLY appreciate all of the encouragement. It might take me a lifetime and I may not succeed, but imagine the joy I can have whilst searching and the great learnings I'll acquire along the way.
I really wish you'd all have declared these items as worthless copies (smile). That would have given me relief and hope that if I were to find them, I'd be able to get them back. At minimum, I hope to learn what happened to them and perhaps follow their journey, even if in the care of another family.
My grandmother also had a collection of Handwerk dolls in a box in her basement. After I took posession of the house, I found them in a box in the basement. My great-great grandpop on that side had been from Germany and he traveled back and forth twice during the 1800s. He must have brought these over on one of those trips. Anyway, I pulled them out and sat them on my grandmother's chair by the fireplace. They had the original clothes, hair and all. I bought a book on Handwerk and became familiar. About a week later, I told my aunt what I'd found. Two days later I came home from work and the dolls were gone. She'd come in while I was at work, took the dolls and sold them for $500. As a collection, they were worth at least $5k. To me, they were priceless and I would never have sold them. I don't understand my aunt doing this as she was a relatively wealthy lady herself. Nobody in my family has ever struggled for money, so I just don't understand the selling of the family treasures. If you want to sell something, sell your own things, not what has been handed down through prior generations. After that, anything I found, I kept quiet about.
Anyway, thanks again! Will let you all know how its going and will definitely stick around and learn more from the forum.
