Is there science behind the collector’s mind? There actually is. Dr. Shirley Mueller joins Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook for a conversation about her life. both as collector and neurologist, in uncovering just that. Dr. Mueller shares her own experiences and how they directly correlate with the mechanics of the brain that has been more recently studied through MRI’s and practical analysis. It’s a message of positivity and a wonderful opportunity for collectors to understand themselves better - but more importantly, to understand the science that can guide you to even more fulfillment in your pursuit. Lastly, it’s a wonderful opportunity for the non-collectors, The Others, to better respect the passion of collectors. Her book, Inside the Head of A Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play, is a must-read and easily the most important work ever published on the subject.

You can purchase a copy of Dr. Mueller's book and learn more about her career and research here: https://www.collectorbrain.com/

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

Stuart Holbrook has spent decades as President of Theriault’s working with collectors around the world. In that time,  he has learned valuable lessons from them in their collecting evolution. One of the most valuable is their willingness to share how they worked with just a modest income yet still managed over time to build world-class collections. With that, Stuart came to see that wealth is not always the pathway to a great collection. It can be built in other ways as well. In this episode, he shares his lessons from these collectors which, in the end, leads to not just a great collection but a greater experience in collecting. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

Over the past year, Theriault’s President Stuart Holbrook traveled across America and Canada on a whirlwind lecture tour to over 60 doll clubs, both big and small. In this episode of The Curious Collector, he shares his experiences with many of the wonderful collectors he met, the funny stories behind many of these appearances and the positiveness of people with shared passions coming together as a community. It became a discovery not only of the collector's heart, but a story of America as well. With that, Stuart takes us from February all the way to December to relate all he learned in this time -  a journey that was meant to validate collectors - but ended up as much becoming a hopeful experience for him. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

In this episode, Theriault's President Stuart Holbrook talks with Stephanie Blythe, who has been an integral part of the doll artist community for a generation. Her work, spanning over four decades, is testament to a time in which her experience offers us a glimpse into the early transformation of the doll being thought of as an art form. With this, she offers insight into an organization she holds dear, NIADA. Stephanie breaks down the past and the current mission of how NIADA preserves the legacy of artists before and encourages the artists of the future. Of course, no discussion of the growth of doll art in the latter 20th century is complete without a discussion of fitness guru and pop culture icon Richard Simmons. Stephanie shares her memories of the most public patron and muse to an entire generation of doll artists. 

You can see Stephanie's amazing work here and learn more about NIADA here.

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

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 another on everything from English Wooden Dolls to French and German Bisques to cloth, composition and hard plastic dolls. This episode helps you understand the nuances and steps to make your collecting work for you and to critically think through the process of assessing a doll's condition. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

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 Mattel’s principle Engineer of Toys - but his later flamboyant and eccentric lifestyle that was at times both remarkable and complex. Ann Ryan, his daughter, literally grew up with the origins of her father’s creation, his life, and the wealth he created seemingly overnight. From their castle in Bel Air where Hollywood A-listers would party and visit nearly every day, to the ultimate pain her father would endure later in life by seemingly being wiped away from Barbie’s history. Throughout it all, Ann was in the room. This is her father’s story...as well as her own.

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

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 it adds a layer of enjoyment for collectors in becoming a researcher and spokesperson for a particular niche. Collecting is more than gathering. Collecting is a pursuit and discovery of your identity within a category you feel connected to and are passionate about. 

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Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

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 Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

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 understand how collectibles are emotional markets and really, they should be. It’s an important opportunity for collectors who may be new to collecting, or steeped in the old school ways of price guides, to better understand how “pricing" works today amidst the intersection with the heart. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.

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 he still thinks about today and the gained stories he has from those experiences. Some may be obvious. Others might come as a complete surprise. Either way it is a fun small recap of a few of these events from the past 37 years. 

Keep up with Stuart at curiouscollect.com and check out Theriaults.com as well where you can learn more as to the exciting auctions held throughout the year at Theriault’s, the world’s leader in the auction of dolls and figurative art.