Doll News Winter 2019 - 146

their message of "We Buy Anything Old!" His after-school
activities included going across the street to retrieve dolls
to bring to the office. His method was to grab the dolls,
look outside and, seeing no one he knew, sprint across the
street before he could be seen. He feared that he would be
caught by his friends and be called a "doll guy!"
Although he "worked" in the company, he decided at
graduation to 'fly the coop' and attend college in sunny Los
Angeles. After graduation, he worked for an airline, sitting
in a cubical, but after six months, he realized that he was
"miserable." After begging his parents to come back, he
jumped on a plane and flew back home - to his real love.
In 1987, he started at the bottom of the company again, but
his enthusiasm soon overcame his position.

Stuart's First Collection

man named Fred called the office and said that his
school teacher sister had passed away and she left
thousands of dolls and wanted them out of there. Stuart's
dad figured they wouldn't be worth his time to go over
four hours away to see a collection that was junk... so he
called Stuart. Grumbling as he drove, Stuart arrived at
their home and quickly figured his dad was right. Fred
showed him the first part of the collection, which were
not so great, but Stuart was determined to get to know
Fred. After forty minutes, they went upstairs and when
the door opened, Stuart was in shock to see the amazing
dolls - Jumeaus and Brus - which made his heart race and
it was hard to take it all in. The second bedroom revealed
German characters. With his head spinning, Stuart asked
how, on a school teacher's salary, and never having
married, Fred's sister, Doris had accumulated all these
dolls completely alone without clubs or reference books.
It seems that on weekends, Doris would travel to different
neighborhoods and knock on doors and ask if they had
any dolls they wanted to get rid of. She never paid a
dime for them! Continuing their inspection, they came
upon a group of even more glorious automatons and
Stuart realized that this house was a hidden gem. Stuart
was now hooked as well - and even now - he still gets
hooked! Stuart has lived by the advice of 'Cadillac Jack',
"You can find anything anywhere!" You just never know
what you are going to walk into.

Biggest Mistake & Greatest Regret

oming across an amazing collection of "Blondinettes"
and "Davranches" that included a beautiful petite
poupée with exquisite painting and body, was an
endorphin high. Named Suzanne Amaryllis and marked
Mlle Rohme Brevete SGDG (ca. 1855-1858) proved to be a
premier grouping discovered in a family estate in Rouen,
France. The family had owned the collection for over 150
146

WINTER 2019

(Left) Dawn Klein, President of San Antonio Doll Collectors
Club, (center) Stuart Holbrook of Theriault's, and (right)
Janell Howell of the Austin Doll Collectors Society.

years and included a fashion wardrobe, jewelry, furniture
and a trunk with two lift out trays and additional dolls.
Realizing that there would be few who could afford
the whole group, it was decided to break up the group,
selling items in smaller lots. Yes, it did bring in more
money separating them, but sadly destroyed the stories
and history. The group was never to be reunited again.
Finding parts of her trousseau have been elusive, but the
hunt continues to the delight of those who discover pieces
here and there. Stuart went for the 'big kill,' which was
a huge success, but he will regret it for the rest of his life.
Theriault's is not here to sell things for the biggest money
because they have a responsibility to save history.

Other Collections

reaking into the world of European collections proved
slow, frustrating and outrageous for Stuart. It was
an adventure to end all adventures. He met with the
toughest person he had ever met - a chain smoker who
started drinking at 11 a.m. and could swear like a sailor.
Her home in the Netherlands was above the bar that she
owned and ran. After a week of negotiations, Stuart felt
they weren't getting anywhere, so he decided to buy the
whole collection for 1,000,000 Guilders, to which she would
agree if it could be paid in cash. Where would Stuart get
all that cash? Additionally, she wanted a document of nondisclosure, not to reveal her name, the location or the price.
After further negotiations, everything was secured and so
it was agreed - Stuart had the collection. The next morning,
as he departed, he noticed her picture on the front page of
the National Dutch newspaper and he asked a man on the

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Doll News Winter 2019