The largest private collection of Barbie dolls totaling 4,000 and covering the entire history of Barbie and her friends as far back as 1959 will be up for sale next month. The comprehensive collection belongs to a Dutch mother.

Daniel Agnew, toy expert at auction house Christie's, tells Reuters, "This is a collection of virtually everything -- and most of it is in mint condition as it has never been taken out of its boxes, making it particularly highly prized."

The collection is estimated to be worth at least $190,000 and will go on auction in London on September 26.

Dutch mother, Ietje Raebel, started the collection in the early 1960s when she purchased a Barbie for daughter Marina.

The daughter did not like the doll and left it untouched in its box. But Raebel was hooked by the collecting bug and was taken by Barbie's changing wardrobe.

Ietje stopped collecting in 2002 when she contracted severe Alzheimer's disease.

Prominent designers from Calvin Klein to Christian Dior have done clothes for Barbie in her different professional outfits including model, astronaut, doctor, firefighter and politician.

Agnew continues, "Pretty much all of those are represented in the collection, as well as houses, horses, hotrods and a host of other items."