The Curious Collector

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...