What you’ll learn in this episode: How Chinese export porcelain differs from other types of porcelain Why a true collector is different from a dealer Why deaccessioning is an important process for collectors, even if it’s painful How the endowment effect can make it difficult for collectors to sell their items What factors to consider when donating a collection to a museum About Shirley Mueller Shirley M. Mueller, MD is an internationally known collector and scholar of Chinese export porcelain, as well as a physician board-certified in Neurology and Psychiatry. This latter expertise led her to explore her own intentions while collecting art, which, she discovered, are applicable to all collectors. This new understanding is the motivation for this book. Mueller not only lectures and publishes about the neuropsychology of the collector; she also was guest curator for Elegance from the East: New Insights into Old Porcelain at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (now Newfields) in 2017. In this unique exhibit, she combined export porcelain with concepts from neuroscience to make historical objects personally relevant to visitors. Additional Resources: Letting go Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play On Amazon Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play--a short video review Photos available on TheJewelryJourney.com Transcript: When you’re a collector, determining what will happen to your collection in the future is a difficult but necessary process. Whether that means selling, donating or auctioning off your pieces, it’s hard to let go of beloved possessions. As a neuroscientist who studies how collecting impacts the brain (and as an avid collector of Chinese export porcelain herself), Dr. Shirley Mueller knows all too well how bittersweet it is to deaccession a collection. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about her experience auctioning off some of her pieces; why collectors are different from dealers; and what to consider when passing on your collection. Read the episode transcript here. Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven’t heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com.    Today, my guest is Dr. Shirley Mueller. She is an M.D., Ph.D., professor and neuroscientist. She’s also an internationally known collector and scholar of Chinese export porcelain. She’s the author of “Inside the Head of a Collector: Neurological Forces at Play.” She’s also been our guest on the podcast before. Welcome back.    Is there a difference between collecting or deaccessioning and curating? I have let go of a lot of the lower-end pieces I might have wanted when I was 20, but do I want it when I’m older?   Shirley: I would say good for you for curating your collection.    Sharon: Is there a difference between the two?   Shirley: Yes, curating a collection, for me, is just what you did. It’s selecting what is not as high-end as it could be and selling it. A lot of people use that money to buy something better. Or, as one ages, it’s just to get rid of pieces. It’s selecting out. I’d be curious to know where you sold these pieces. Was that a struggle to find an auction house?   Sharon: We’re talking about a different level. I don’t have pieces in the Met, so it doesn’t matter. First of all, I couldn’t, because even though I might not use it or wear it, what’s the difference if it’s in the bottom of my box or not? It doesn’t matter.    I have a friend who’s a collector and a dealer. When she gets a piece, she thinks about how she can make a profit selling it, even though she loves the piece too. I never think about that. I just think, “Do I love it or not?”   Shirley: Right, but she’s a dealer and you’re not. She’s a dealer/collector.   Sharon: Yes. I think it takes a certain chutzpah to be a dealer, and I just don’t have it. I’d rather know that somebody has something, or I have it, and not have to