About Us

Founded in 1970 by Florence and George Theriault, the firm has specialized exclusively in the appraisal and auction of antique dolls and childhood playthings throughout its 50-year history. The firm's offices and cataloging center are headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, although its live auctions are conducted in major cities throughout the United States. Also, because of Theriault's stellar reputation, collectors and museums worldwide participate in bidding on dolls through a well-developed system of phone, absentee, and Internet bidding. In addition, collectors and estate specialists worldwide - from Asia to Europe to every small town in America - have commissioned their dolls to Theriault's for auction.
 
 
Expertise
 
Theriault's was an early leader in the movement toward specialization within the auction industry. "Traditionally, collectors have been confounded by the contradiction of desiring an object, yet fearing its flaws," notes founder Florence Theriault. We wanted to create an auction firm with a profound knowledge of the subject of the dolls, as well as the mere ability to present an auction. The principle has been well-served, not only offering assurance to the collector of dolls, but also ensuring sellers that their dolls will be marketed intelligently.
 
Theriault's has been a world-leader in programs to assure collectors that acquisitions have been wisely made. They are regarded as the most consumer-oriented firm in the auction industry offering the unique Gold Horse Guarantee on many of their finest dolls. Such programs have earned Theriault's the distinctive international Jumeau Award as the finest doll auction firm in the world.
 
Today, Theriault’s singularly accounts for nearly 70% of the global auction market for dolls.  With over 40,000 unique transactions each year that reach our client base of 100,000 users worldwide, Theriault’s stands as the clear leader in the subject in both knowledge and marketing.
 
 
Education
 
Theriault's is founded on the belief that a business must return value to the community that supports it. To that end, Theriault's has been a leader in education of doll collectors. "It's our abiding belief that the best collectors are educated collectors," says President, Stuart Holbrook.
 
Theriault's appraisers have freely contributed their time and knowledge at collector gatherings ranging from small-town club meetings to international conferences. Informative articles concerning doll collecting and the history of dolls have been contributed to various journals, and an extensive research library is maintained by Theriault's and its sister company, Gold Horse Publishing, that has published more than 60 books on specialized subjects of doll collecting, with a network of knowledgeable and respected authors.
 
Theriault's has sponsored a number of public appraisal clinics to the benefit of museums and public libraries as well as other non-profit organizations and, additionally, hosted many one or two day educational seminars conducted for collectors in major cities around the United States that are traditionally free and open to all. Additionally, Theriault’s has sponsored a scholarship program in conjunction with the UFDC to support ongoing research in the world of dolls.

 

In the early 1970s, Florence and George Theriault cast off their lucrative and stable careers to open a small country auction house in rural Pennsylvania. Within ten years that small auction company became an internationally renowned antique auction firm. Today, Florence Theriault has authored more than 50 books on the subject of dolls and is the chief doll auction cataloger. She is considered one of the world's leading experts on the subject and has become an international figure in the world of dolls for her expertise and commitment to collectors, while also speaking in educational seminars around the US.

Stuart Holbrook is President and chief auctioneer of the firm with nearly three decades of doll background. He has lectured at over 200 doll club meetings and gatherings world-wide for groups as small as 5 and as many as 500 so as to promote the idea of “Great Collecting.” Considered to be the world’s most knowledgeable expert in the market of dolls and their current pricing trends, Stuart’s expertise is a perfect complement to the knowledge base of researcher Florence Theriault.

Luke Theriault is one of the lead auctioneers at the firm, known for his witty persona with nearly three decades of doll background. Additionally, Luke manages Theriault's sister company, Florence & George, a mail order catalog business presenting collectors with a mix of hand-crafted art pieces and old store stock discovered as Theriault's tours the world gathering antiques. Like his brother, Luke is continuing the family tradition of personal attention and professional service to all doll collectors into the 21st century.