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The world of collecting and collectors is a curious one….and it’s where I’ve spent most of my life. I’m Stuart Holbrook and as President of Theriault’s - the world’s leader in the auction of antique dolls and figurative art – I’ve traveled the world managing this often personal and always wild experience of collecting and being a collector. Now, I’m bringing my expertise and knowledge of trends to life in my new podcast - The Curious Collector. In each episode, I’ll be sharing my experience - and experiences - of real-life stories alongside sage advice on how to build great collections within the happy life of a collector. No matter what you collect – whether you’re just beginning or have been at it for years – I guarantee this podcast will surprise you, enlighten you – and yes, even sometimes shock you at times– but always help keep the fire burning to find that next elusive item.
33 Episodes
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In this episode of The Curious Collector, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook provides his thoughts on how collectors assess condition and the grading of antiques which, in his belief, is and should always be subjective. He shares his approach in focusing on the positives first and the negatives as an adjunct. But, Stuart stresses that there is no uniform formula. Countless criteria affect a collector’s investigation of condition. It's always personal and varies from one genre to anot...
You think you know the story of Barbie. However, unless you are an insider to the real history you may not know the name, Jack Ryan. He is now being thought of as The Father of Barbie who ushered in her true coming to life as the most iconic doll in history. He was an engineer, designer and the genius behind every nuance and curve of a doll recognized around the world. His story is a fascinating one. Not just as an engineer of missile projects for the Pentagon who later found himself as Matte...
Every collector is unique in their focus. With that, every collector has the opportunity to build a unique brand as to their particular passion. Whether broad or narrow there are opportunities in doing so. Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook shows us in this episode how your identity is essentially a brand that can work for you in building your collection as well as help to protect and educate the world of doll collecting on the particular genre you love the most. Further, he explores how i...
In this episode, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook, takes us into the origins of a collector’s heart and discusses some of the many reasons that collectors start collecting. That is, what was the trigger to it all? Using the collecting of dolls as one example, he takes his experiences at Theriault’s, and meeting collectors around the world over several decades, to unpack these recollections of the emotional and nostalgic reasons behind why we collect and continue collecting. Keep up with ...
Sure, this title is a bit of fun click bait that is seemingly absurd. Or is it? In this episode Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook explores the value equation between the heart and mind. That is, how collectors personally connect to certain objects is far more powerful than perceived values. Why do some items at auctions soar above thought of values or estimates? What was behind the thinking of those collectors? Stuart takes us down the road of his 38 years of auctioning to better understa...
Stuart Holbrook has spent 38 years on the podium at Theriault’s guiding auctions of some of the world’s most unique collections. A few of these stand out in his memory and not always because they were the biggest. Sometimes because of a special moment - or even surprising events leading up to the auction that made the sale all that more memorable. In one case it’s due to a complete failure! This episode of The Curious Collector is a journey through Stuart’s memory bank of those auctions...
Tariffs have dominated much of the news for months now. But how does it affect collecting antiques? What do collectors need to know about the costs and how it relates to them? In this episode Stuart Holbrook, the President of Theriault's, takes us down the rabbit hole of explaining not just tariffs, but VAT, Import taxes, and sales taxes - how they work across the world depending on where you collect from. It’s a complex discussion which culminates with the reality that cultural items of age ...
Every great collector brings their own experiences to their passion in how they build, connect, and engage a hobby. Each is unique. Few collectors have had more influence or inspired more collectors of dolls than Gail Cook. Her 45 years in the hobby has seen generational shifts in the way people buy, determine value, display and engage in the joy of collecting. With that, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook takes us on a journey through some of the unique ways that Gail’s vision broug...
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 Holbrook, President of Theriault’s, helps us understand the whys of m...
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 Covid period of 2020-2022 created one of the greatest surges in enga...
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 Barry, driven by the vision of Carolyn Barry’s passion for the subjec...
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 Holbrook talks about why collector’s stop collecting early, why the...
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 over three decades with Theriault’s from which he offers a bi...
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 as at shows and conventions. In Part Two of this conversation w...
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 shows and conventions. In this first of two episodes chatting ...
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 protected well into the future. Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com...
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 beloved figure in the world of dolls, we see a human side of Flore...
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 beloved figure in the world of dolls, we see a human side of Flore...
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 beloved figure in the world of dolls, we see a human side of Flore...
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 City in July of 2015. It was here that the world would se...
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