The Curious Collector

Collecting is full of opportunities. Many of these opportunities arise as “pockets of moments” in which you can jump in on certain categories that were once hot but are suddenly not. These are the ebbs and flows that every market displays. And by learning to track these movements, collectors have chances to add exceptional examples before that category inevitably rises again. In this episode of The Curious Collector, Stuart Holbroo...

Everyone has a Covid story - at least one and probably many of them. In this new episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook shares his experiences at Theriault’s as to how the worldwide pandemic not only affected his own journey through managing an auction house, but how collectors adapted to these changes and were ultimately affected long term in the way they collect. He also talks about how the C...

The Barry Art Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, founded by Carolyn and Richard Barry, serves as a beacon across the world in showcasing dolls in an extraordinary setting. That is, an art museum. Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook says this is a rare and unique opportunity for the narrative of dolls as an art form to be received by the general public. For too long dolls have been cast into the hinterlands of the art world. The Ba...

Every collector reaches a moment of inflection within their collecting life. Keep collecting? Stop Collecting? The goal, of course, is to never waver. The happy life of a collector is one that should be structured and built with the future in mind to last a lifetime. That is going all the way to the end with the petal to the metal and a joyful smile.  In this episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbr...

Collectors walk many paths in life. Some are single, some in partnerships, and, of course, many are married. In this episode Stuart Holbrook, President of Theriaults, takes us on a journey through stories and experiences gained through his years of working with couples who collect together (and often apart) and the unique conversations he has witnessed from both sides of the spectrum. It’s a sometimes funny but poignant look at his...

For over 25 years, Bill Greening’s unique designs and fashions brought Barbie into the new millennium. From Play to Collector lines, his passionate work helped shape the world’s most famous doll for new generations. Known by every Barbie collector, not just because of his designs, but also his passion as a collector himself, he has embraced every facet of the Barbie world and been supportive of collectors around the world as well a...

For over 25 years Bill Greening’s unique designs and fashion brought Barbie into the new millennium. From Play to Collector lines, his passionate work has helped shape the world’s most famous doll for new generations. Known by every Barbie collector, not just because of his designs, but also his passion as a collector himself, he has embraced every facet of the Barbie world and been supportive of collectors around the world and at ...

In this new episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook delves into the future of collecting to identify potential upcoming trends and what the emerging generations will think about the protection of objects past. There are some surprising predictions that will hopefully be reassuring to today's collectors  that the items they passionately gather today will continue to be appreciated and protec...

Theriaut's President Stuart Holbrook chats with Florence Theriault in this deeply personal and candid look at her 55 year career in auctions, dolls and collecting. Spanning the early 1970’s until today this three-part Podcast allows Florence to recount with humor and sentiment the rise of Theriault’s from its humble beginnings along with the stories, characters and adventures that she's experienced along the way.  While a...

Theriaut's President Stuart Holbrook chats with Florence Theriault in this deeply personal and candid look at her 55 year career in auctions, dolls and collecting. Spanning the early 1970’s until today this three-part Podcast allows Florence to recount with humor and sentiment the rise of Theriault’s from its humble beginnings along with the stories, characters and adventures that she's experienced along the way.  While a...

Theriaut's President Stuart Holbrook chats with Florence Theriault in this deeply personal and candid look at her 55 year career in auctions, dolls and collecting. Spanning the early 1970’s until today this three-part Podcast allows Florence to recount with humor and sentiment the rise of Theriault’s from its humble beginnings along with the stories, characters and adventures that she's experienced along the way.  While a...

The Love Shirley Temple auction was an event that became one of the defining moments of Theriault President Stuart Holbrook’s career in showcasing the entire childhood of one of America’s great icons of the 20th century. All through the treasures that Shirley Temple personally preserved for decades.  In Part Two of this journey with Shirley, Stuart takes us from the conclusion of months of exhibits towards that final day in Kansas ...

The Love, Shirley Temple auction was an event that became one of the defining moments of Theriaults' President Stuart Holbrook’s career in showcasing the entire childhood of one of America’s greatest icons of the 20th century. All through the treasures that Shirley Temple personally preserved for decades.  In this episode of The Curious Collector, Stuart takes you on a journey from the first time meeting the family of Shirley ...

In this episode, Theriault's President, Stuart Holbrook takes us on a journey through doll history to share some of the oddest creations doll makers ever designed. As well, discussing the world of patents and how the scramble for the “next big thing” led to some very curious results. From the Bebe Bru Gourmand to the Ondine Swimming Doll, history has certainly provided some fun examples to reflect on. But not all were commerci...

A full life of collecting should involve numerous twists and turns. You start in one place with a few steps forward. Yet as you journey through this grand adventure you will find many back roads and detours to explore. Take them. Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook offers collectors not a map this time, but an encouragement to throw the map away and discover new aspects within collecting that you may randomly stumble on alon...

Stuart Holbrook has spent a majority of his life on the podium watching and conducting auctions as President of Theriault’s. With that, he has developed insider thoughts on the different type of bidders, how they fare in relation to their style, and interesting takeaways as to the success of each. As well, to showcase how online bidding is creating an entirely new strategy and approach as collectors more and more bid from home. He ...

In this episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook shares his decades of experience traveling the world and how his passion for collecting and collectors creates meaningful experiences that transcend the guide book mentality of visiting destinations anywhere. He talks about how collecting and travel go hand in hand to form some of life’s richest experiences. From the collector of Lufthansa Rubber D...

Anyone who collects dolls has likely heard the comment, "Those Dolls are Creepy".  But why do so many non-collectors think that?  In this episode of The Curious Collector, Stuart Holbrook, the president of Theriault's Doll Auctions, dives into an exploration of how dolls got that label and what about them really creeps some people out.  He takes a look at one particular doll whose 'creepiness' means big bus...

Over the last year - in two landmark auctions - Theriault's had the honor of auctioning items from famed Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art.  In this episode of The Curious Collector Stuart Holbrook reflects on those auctions and what he learned from the vast array of items of different genres that encompassed this world class museum.  In his ten takeaways, Stuart spotlights interesting trends that collectors can utilize, with R...