My David Bowie Barbie doll may have soared in value but I wouldn't sell him for the world – Susan Dalgety

Sitting on top of my kitchen dresser, in pride of place and out of harm’s way, is a Barbie doll, its box still unopened. It’s no ordinary Barbie, with impossibly long legs and plastic features, but a limited edition Bowie Barbie, dressed as Ziggy Stardust. “Can we play with it? Why have you got a doll, you’re far too old? Who is David Bowie?” they have asked over the years. And the latest question, “is it worth a lot of money?”

I hadn’t the heart to tell them “no”, that I only bought it four years ago for £50 and it was probably only worth what I paid for it. But then, out of curiosity, I clicked on Ebay, and there was my doll selling for £300. Or £245, depending on which seller you choose. Not a bad investment for a rash purchase. If I remember correctly, the shipping from the USA cost almost as much as the actual doll, and customs held it hostage for a few weeks until I stumped up duty on it.

But I won’t sell it, not even if my next energy bill bankrupts me, or I run out of cash for Malbec. As a child, I was desperate for a ‘real’ Barbie, but had to be content with a 25p dupe from our local newsagents. And as a teenager and beyond, David Bowie has been part of my life. A collaboration between Barbie and Bowie was too much for me to resist.

Another of my favourites is a tiny transistor radio, no bigger than a box of matches, which belonged to my husband’s uncle. It sits alongside a Royal Doulton toby jug commemorating Sir Stanley Matthews – a lad from Stoke, like my husband, and England’s greatest footballer.

And the newest addition to our collection is a painted wooden cat bearing the legend “Benidorm”. It’s probably worth a couple of euros, but to me it’s priceless as it was a gift from our youngest grandchild. That’s the real value of the precious family mementoes that clutter up our homes – not the cash they could realise, but the memories they contain.