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Contemporary Native Artists Reign Supreme at Seahawk’s Auction in Burnaby, B.C.

April 19, 2012 by Jo-Anne Lauzer

Kwaguilth carved yellow cedar canoe

An unlikely room for an auction, the Engineer’s Auditorium in Burnaby was transformed into a vibrant showcase of Native history, tradition and art. With hundreds of items from across Canada and the U.S., many of the showstoppers at Seahawk Auction’s past Native Art & Artifacts Auction (#45, November 21, 2010) were from contemporary Native artists such as Ojibwa artist Norval Morrisseau and renowned local B.C. artists such as Bill Reid, Robert Davidson and Beau Dick.

Norval Morrisseau painting of a bird on paper

Considered by many to be the “grandfather” of Native art in Canada, Morrisseau is credited with bringing Native art into the mainstream art world and for inspiring three generations of Native artists. Interestingly, no other artist influenced his work and it is believed that he was the first to paint his people’s cultural heritage, “faithfully handed down by cultural tradition”. Through his art, he wanted to break down the barriers between the white world and his. Morrisseau’s greatest wish was to be recognized and respected as an artist and for his paintings to be seen by all people. In his words, “I want my work to be cornerstone for Indian art, to provide something that will last.”

And, indeed it has. With 409 Native art and artifacts on display, Seahawk’s auction has attracted buyers from across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. There was a full house in attendance with several buyers calling in by phone and bidding online. With Ted Deeken at the helm as the auctioneer, the auction brought in just over $380,000 (not including the buyer’s premium of 15%).

According to Bill Neville, one of Seahawk’s organizers, “this was a great auction all the way around.” Personally, he was quite surprised by how well some of the contemporary pieces did as they had a fairly large selection of older 19th and 20th century items that spoke more to Native history and cultural traditions. He also felt that this auction had one of the largest selections of ceremonial masks that he has seen in a very long time.

Of course two original items from Bill Reid were highlights for many auction goers (Silver Killer Whale Brooch and Original Charcoal Sketch), but this auction also showcased an impressive collection of work from Beau Dick.

Beau Dick articulated black raven mask

Born on Village Island, Kingcome Inlet in British Columbia, Dick is a respected Kwakwaka ‘wakw Chief and is considered to be one of the most accomplished and talented carvers on the West Coast and is widely acclaimed for the powerful quality of his masks. Although he has created his own distinctive style, he has studied under his father Francis and grandfather James Dick and has worked with Tony Hunt, Henry Hunt, Bill Reid, Doug Cranmer and Robert Davidson. Many of his important pieces can now also be found in the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Royal BC Museum and the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.

The work of Robert Davidson, a North West Coast Native of Haida descent, was also well represented at this auction. Having worked as an artist for over 30 years, and also coming from a long lineage of acclaimed carvers, he is considered the “consummate Haida artist”. Both his father and grandfather were respected carvers in Masset, B.C. and his great grandfather was famed carver, Charles Edenshaw. Davidson also completed an 18 month apprenticeship with Bill Reid that helped to launch his artistic career. His work can be found in several private and public collections such as the Vancouver Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull. Although known as a master carver of totem poles and masks, he is also recognized for his work in other mediums such as printmaking, painting, and jewellery.

Columbia River Stone Bowl

Aside from the huge selection of contemporary Native art and ceremonial masks, there many ethnological items up for auction that provided a very visual and tactile peak into every day living for First Nation families in the 19th and 20th century. In particular there were hand woven baskets from various locations, bent wood boxes, basketry rattles, snowshoes, woven blankets, fire-making equipment, large stone bowls, everyday clothing such as moccasins and beaded gloves, and hunting gear that included spear heads, stone clubs, forged spike tomahawks, and an iron head pipe axe. All of these items also sold well at the auction.

Seahawk offers two to three auctions per year and their next one is scheduled for May 5-6, 2012 . More information, and a complete price list from this auction, can be found online at www.seahawkauctions.com

Posted in Antiques, Auctions, Burnaby, Collectibles | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments »

Digging Up the Past… At the Fraser Valley Antiques and Collectible Show

February 14, 2012 by Jo-Anne Lauzer

With over 200 vendors from across British Columbia and Alberta, the Fraser Valley Antiques and Collectible Show, now in its 18th year, on the surface appears to be like most antique shows. But it isn’t. Digging a bit further into its history one quickly discovers that this show, nostalgically referred to as the “Bottle Club” show, is quite unique in that it is run entirely by members of the Fraser Valley Antiques and Collectible Club (FVACC).

According to Brian Lefler who has been a member of the club for 35 years, “The club was pretty hard core in the beginning.” First known as the “Old Time Bottle Club of BC” it was established in the early 70s in the Fraser Valley. “Back then there were only twelve members and the only way you could join was if someone died,” says Lefler who was lucky enough to become an official member in 1972 when he participated in his first “dig” at Arbutus and 25th in Vancouver.

“For this select group of collectors, digging for old bottles was the common bond that brought them together,” says Tim Mustart a club member since 1985. “They would often get tips word of mouth potential excavation sites and actually dig for old bottles or historical artifacts on vacant lots or even better at a brewery site or a bottle making company.”

At one point they were also known as the “Valley Diggers”, says Al Reilly one of the club’s current historians and a member since 1971. Now in his 80s, the only digs he gets to are the ones in his garden but he remembers some of the first digs quite well. “There was a dig at 12th and Slocan, where the Italian Cultural Centre is now.” “It had somehow managed to get into an American publication on digging and a lot of people showed up from all over Canada and the U.S.”  He says this was a particularly good dig as there had been a ravine and people used to throw their garbage into creeks back then. Not good for the environment, but great for diggers.

Reilly believes that they were instrumental in helping to preserve parts of our history that could have just as easily been lost. “Diggers were not good archaeologists though,” says Reilly. “Instead of planning out the sites in advance, they would dig a deep hole and expand from there.” However he does go on to mention that “a good digger would always take the time to fill in the holes afterwards.”

As interest grew in the club they eventually had to expand and start to do things differently. In 1984 they became a non-profit organization and the name was officially changed to the Fraser Valley Antiques and Collectibles Club. Now with over 150 members, they represent an eclectic group of collectors who are “devoted to the identification, preservation, appreciation and collection of local historical antiques and collectibles.”

Accordingly, there is a different kind of digging going on these days. The club started to host an annual antique and collectible show while also holding monthly meetings where members could buy, sell and trade their prize possessions. They also publish a bi-monthly newsletter called the Fraser Valley Holedown.

For most members like Lefler, the shows offer an opportunity to sell off parts of their collection but more importantly it gives them a chance to connect, catch up and share stories with other members. “I now come over only once a year to do this show and socialize,” says Lefler who has since retired and moved away to one of the coastal islands. According to Tim Mustart, these shows also “help to support club activity financially while also encouraging new members to get involved.”

Other types of treasures unearthed at the show include vintage pop bottles, many still with pop in them, as well as old ginger beer bottles, glass inkwells, liquor bottles, and fruit jars. But the show is now about so much more.  Dealers also sell, among other things, tins, advertising, pottery, ephemera, antiques, train memorabilia, and even comic books.

As a result, the FVACC show is a special event that runs deeper than most shows in that it brings together a group of collectors and dealers who all share a common passion for digging through our past while also staying connected in their mutual respect for preserving our history.

Next show set for Saturday, April 21st 9am to 4pm and Sunday April 22 10am to 3pm. Admission: $3. Early bird admission on Friday from 6:30 to 9:30pm for $20. Click here for more details.

Posted in Antique Shows, Collectibles, Events, Shows | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Tattered and Worn

September 26, 2011 by Jo-Anne Lauzer

“Be cheerful. Chest up, chin in, spirit high, brain alert, nerves tuned up for action, muscles full of snap and vim—this is efficient living—biologic, scientific living.” These words, still relevant today, are written by the now infamous John Harvey Kellogg of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes fame in a 1917 yearbook for the Normal School of Physical Education in Battle Creek Michigan. One would expect to find something like this among other historical documents in a library or a bookstore specializing in antique books, not in an old beat up cardboard box tucked away in a small wooden shed on the outskirts of Gibsons, B.C. So once found, what to do with it?

The book, simply titled Blue & White, once belonged to Sylva Huntley who was the only Canadian, let alone British Columbian, to attend the school as part of the class of 1918. Tattered and worn with the stitched binding falling apart, the pages are filled with black and white photographs of school clubs, faculty members and students in their school uniforms. Like any yearbook, there are also signatures and cute comments like “To the cheerful little girl from Canada” and “Hoping some of your soldier boys come back to you alive”.

In amongst all the photographs, the one of Kellogg stands out. With a distinguished looking beard and mustache, he appears in full academic regalia and signs the book simply “Your friend J.H. Kellogg”. He is perhaps best known for his family affiliation and for the School of Normal Education that was part of The Battle Creek Sanitarium, which was fictionalized in the novel The Road to Wellville by T. Coraghessan Boyle in 1993, and later turned into a movie by the same name. However, he was also an accomplished surgeon and a gifted inventor with over 30 patents (including the electric blanket) and is believed to have developed some popular breakfast foods such as Granola, peanut butter, and corn flakes.

The yearbook appears to be rich in history and sentiment-but is it worth anything? And if so, who might be interested in buying? According to Gale Pirie, an accredited and independent personal property appraiser, there seems to be quite a difference between “perceived value” and “actual value” and stresses the importance of doing background research.

Pirie, who offers professional appraisals, is able to provide a historical perspective as well as a more thorough sense of its worth and where it could be sold. At local antique shows she offers appraisal clinics where she provides verbal appraisals for $7 per item—much like a mini Antiques Roadshow.

Holding the book carefully, she spends time leafing through the pages, then pulls out the commencement program which has been left loosely in the book. “This is interesting,” she says. “We don’t often see the programs intact with a full class list of the graduates. These programs were only given to students, so they are quite rare.” As she continues to study the book, she focuses on Kellogg’s signature. She notes that it looks authentic and was probably signed in pencil, as was common practice because ink was often messy. In the end, Pirie suggests that this book might be of interest to collectors, especially those who have interest in items pre-World War I. With all of the signatures and with the program intact, she suggests that it might be worth $350 dollars.

In terms of selling it, Pirie makes several recommendations including online auctions, classified listings, collectors, and antiquarian booksellers with stores or who buy and sell online.

John King, a local antiquarian book dealer, is not so optimistic about selling the yearbook here in B.C. “I think it might be easier to find someone back east who specializes in ephemera,” he says from his home office on the Sunshine Coast. In his opinion, Kellogg’s signature is what makes this book valuable. However, he does admit that yearbooks are not his area of specialty. He is better known for military and British history books as well as books that focus on North West Coast and Aboriginal studies.

As a longtime member of the Antiquarian Booksellers of Canada, he does however offer some insight into the value of selling through online marketplaces for books such as AbeBooks (which was started in Victoria B.C. but recently sold to Amazon.com), as well as Alibris and Bilbio (both out of California).

“I wouldn’t suggest trying to sell through these services with only one book but rather see if a dealer might be interested in buying it. Each of these sites has a monthly fee and it can take time to sell a book.” King mentions that he currently has just over 6000 books listed on AbeBooks and only ends up selling one to two books a day. “Something as specific as this yearbook could take several months to sell,” he says. In the end, the cost to sell it would outweigh any financial gains.

In Vancouver, one of the best known antiquarian bookstores is MacLeod’s Books. This iconic store, with massive piles of books everywhere, has been in operation since 1964 and the current owner, Don Stewart has been running it since 1975. Much like King, he does not feel that there is a local market for this type of publication. “This is so specific and is a better example of what the Internet is good for,” he says. “This is just so specialized and would only appeal to a very specific customer base.” He suggests trying eBay.

Although Stewart agrees that there is a market for books written by Kellogg, he doesn’t think that there would be as much interest in the yearbook. With over 100,000 titles in stock, covering many different history-related subject areas, Stewart should know.

In the end, there is no clear idea of where one could sell this Blue & White 1917 yearbook. We know that it has value; it is just a matter of trying to connect with the people who might be interested. At least for now it will not be relegated to another beat up cardboard box but perhaps end up on a bookshelf waiting to tell its story again.

Posted in Antiques, Appraisals | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments »

Stepping Out… At the Kerrisdale Antiques Fair

August 31, 2011 by Jo-Anne Lauzer

With a large wide brimmed hat decorated with a purple ribbon and bright blue feathers, she stands out. But it doesn’t stop there. She is also wearing a long turquoise sweater, bright purple gloves, rhinestone earrings and a long vintage beaded necklace. Adrian who is a regular at the Kerrisdale Antiques Fair in Vancouver, always arrives exquisitely dressed with vintage flair and the most wonderful hats. Her style and elegance seems to be quite fitting for an antique show; taking us back to a time when going out in public was an anticipated event and men and women would always wear their finest.

In Vancouver, this penchant for “dressing up to the nines” appears to be coming back into fashion, especially at the shows. Not only are shoppers more formally dressed, but they are often fully clad in vintage and retro clothing. There is a local couple who consistently show up in 40s gear. Her hair is usually pinned up with large rolled bangs and she wears “popover” wrap dresses and platform shoes while he sports a smart blue fedora and wears cap toe dress shoes. And then there are the pin-ups. Women who have found a way to modernize the vintage pin-up look, making it work with both style and function.

Others like Adrian are a bit more classic in their approach. They attend the Kerrisdale Show looking for very specific items. “I come to the shows to find vintage jewellery, accessories and clothing,” says Adrian, who is a show regular. “As a designer and a pianist, I enjoy being able to wear vintage, and vintage inspired, clothing and jewellery.”

The Kerrisdale show is a perfect venue for these shoppers who are drawn to using the past to inspire their current sense of style. Whether it is about a fashion aesthetic or creating a vintage/retro feel to their home, vendors at this show carry a wide selection of items to satiate their stylish needs.

Catherine Cafferata from Highend Resale, a consignment shop in Vancouver, has been selling at the Kerrisdale show for the past two years and has found it to be a great market for her vintage designer handbags and antique jewellery. In terms of the jewellery, she specializes in designer brands such as Chanel, Tiffany and Gucci (sold an 18 carat gold Gucci ring at the last show). She also carries vintage and discontinued modern designer handbags such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and Hermès. Her bags range in price from $95 to $295 dollars and are always in mint condition.

Cafferata has recently noticed that “the most popular items right now are vintage alligator, lizard, and ostrich handbags.” She sold a few of these bags at the show and mentions that they are in incredibly high demand in Europe and Asia.  “Charlie Watts, the drummer from the Rolling Stones, recently came into my shop at the Pan Pacific and bought every single alligator, lizard and ostrich bag that I had in stock,” says Cafferata. “These bags are considered quite collectible and desirable because of their unique designs but they were also incredibly well made.”  She goes on to say that, “Because these types of bags are so expensive to reproduce, to buy them new would cost from $4000 dollars and up.”

Susan  from Suzie’s Collectibles in Burnaby carries a terrific selection of retro housewares and vintage collectibles from the 50s and 60s. She also took the time to dress up with some 50s flair at the recent Kerrisdale show. “Why not” she said “and isn’t it great that Adrian looks so amazing.” Together they stand out, especially since Susan is also wearing dark gloves and a fuchsia coloured hat with the mesh covering her face and a matching fushia sweater. Even her booth feels like stepping back in time, with cute salt and pepper shakers, several matching sets of swanky glassware, and vintage linen.

Perhaps we can all learn from Susan and Adrian and take some time out to explore local shows like the Kerrisdale Antiques Fair for vintage and retro finds. Like them we can create our own time machine, taking ourselves back to different moments in time – even if only briefly. The next Kerrisdale Show is set for September 3 – 4, 2011.

Posted in Antique Shows, Antiques, Events, Vintage | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Canes: An elegant expression of style and function.

July 6, 2011 by Jo-Anne Lauzer

In a different place and in a different time, men of a certain society could easily be distinguished by how they looked and what they wore. In his fur felt homburg or shiny top hat along with his tailored waistcoat or smoking jacket, a gentleman’s sense of style and elegance could not be missed. And, regardless of the event, he was never without a cane to match his outfit (e.g., basic for strolling, silver-topped for calling in on friends or gold-headed ebony for the opera). In the 19th century (and early 20th century), canes were not carried, they were “worn” by men of means. The right cane could clearly announce their status and place within society.

As a result, canes like any other fashion accessory, came in many shapes and sizes but were crafted with great care and always with a sense of style. And, much like a woman’s purse they also became quite utilitarian. It was not uncommon to have canes with secret compartments to stash a flask, hold a snuffbox, or even conceal a weapon. These canes, most commonly known as “gadget canes” became quite popular. And, during the mid nineteenth century with the dawn of the “mechanical industries”, canes began to include the most remarkable selection of items within their now hollow shafts.

According to Catherine Dike in her book dedicated solely to canes, Cane Curiosa, gadget canes can be broken down into four main categories of use: serious outdoor walking, city use, professional, and as a weapon. The outdoor walking stick would be simple yet sturdy, often quite rustic looking and might have a picnic set, fishing pole, a backgammon game, or even small chair tucked away in the shaft. The “city” cane would be more elegant and ornate and might have a cigar case, spittoon, a watch, or perhaps a violin neatly concealed inside. Professional canes would tend to be more practical and carry items such as a conductor’s baton, a hammer or saw, a complete paint set with brushes, or even pharmaceutical tools and doctor’s implements such as a stethoscope, syringe and pillbox.

The weapon canes were even more intricate, as it would take some serious design ingenuity to craft a cane that housed guns and swords. Some weapon canes were a bit more subtle, built with solid knobs at the top that could be quite unassuming to the untrained eye. But, these “knobkerries” or “knob sticks” could easily bludgeon someone to death with enough force. Sword canes came in many shapes and sizes, some even having both a stiletto blade and a firearm enclosed within the shaft. Gun canes were also all quite different and included flintlock guns, percussion firearms and breech loading guns.

In their day, gadget canes were cherished and worn with great pride and style. Somewhere along the way, however, multi-purpose canes slowly disappeared and reverted back to being practical walking sticks for people of all ages and class. Some suggest that this would have been around the time of the First World War.

Fortunately, their appeal as a collectable has not dwindled. In fact, if anything they are now in extremely high demand and sought after by a very select group of international collectors and antique dealers. This is a rather large set of individuals, with cane conventions popping up all over the world on a yearly basis. As a result, finding original gadget canes from the 19th century is becoming increasingly difficult.

Not long ago, a rather large unprecedented collection of original and mint condition canes came up for sale by a European collector who was in his late nineties. This sale drew the attention of many collectors and dealers, as he had collected close to 300 19th century canes, many of which were gadget canes, during his world travels and throughout his lifetime. There was much interest and many offers, but in the end it was a Vancouver dealer who managed to secure the deal. The dealer, who wishes to remain anonymous, has kept part of the collection but has been selling off the rest privately and through Bakers Dozen Antiques in Vancouver.

According to Heather Baker, the owner of Bakers Dozen (3520 Main St. Vancouver) and respected antiques dealer, “it is quite exceptional to see this kind of quality and quantity in 19th century canes. Each cane is so special and you know that the collector took great care in selecting the pieces for his collection.” Some of the collection was recently sold at the Kerrisdale Antiques Fair in Vancouver and about 27 are now on display at the store on Main Street. Prices vary from $300 all the way up to close to $5,000 for the more hard to find canes such as the gun canes. There are even some “naughty” canes in this collection, appealing to the more daring collector.

The piece that has caught Heather’s eye is a rare ivory phrenology cane. Considered as pop psychology in its day, phrenology studied personality traits and intelligence by literally measuring the bumps on someone’s head. It was all quite scientific but never quite proven as a reliable field of study. However, phrenology paraphernalia still intrigues many today. In her store, Heather has quite a few other references to phrenology, so having an actual phrenology cane was quite exciting for her.

Heather is not sure how long the canes will remain in the store, but hopes more people will come in to see them first hand and appreciate the intricate craftsmanship that went into making them. It may no longer be a sign of your place in society, but owning a gadget cane would certainly set you apart from other collectors.

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles | Tagged , , | 1 Comment »

Colour, Texture, Magic…and a little decadence too!

February 11, 2011 by Jo-Anne Lauzer

On East 16th Avenue just a block east off Main Street, Burcu’s Angels is one the city’s most iconic vintage clothing stores  in one of Vancouver’s most eclectic and vibrant shopping districts. And as much as the store is known for its impressive collection of vintage clothing and accessories, it is also equally known for its owner – Burcu Ozdemir.

With her short salt and pepper wavy hair, a deep rich voice, and clothes that are layered and vibrant, she definitely has a gypsy feel to her look. You can almost hear her jingle as she walks by. She is passionate and sometimes explosive, but make no mistake; she is a very successful business woman who loves her community deeply. Along with carrying an impressive selection of retro and turn of the century clothing, jewellery, hats and footwear, Burcu is also a zealous advocate for causes dear to her heart.

Inside the store, Burcu has two boxes that she is quite proud of. One is a box filled with all kinds of scarves; the other has clothing, food and everyday household items. The first box is one that she sets aside for children from the neighbourhood. Every time a child comes into the store she lets them rifle through the box and grab a scarf for free. This is just something she started for fun, but has quickly become a favourite with all the kids in the neighbourhood. The other box speaks to Burcu’s passion for helping people in need. She leaves this box outside overnight and encourages people to grab whatever they need. What doesn’t get taken gets delivered to local shelters in the neighbourhood.

These “free boxes” are important to Burcu. Fifteen years ago she was a single mother struggling to raise her two boys. She knows how tough it can be and was extremely grateful for all the support she received over the years. As her business grew, she was determined to never lose sight of being able to assist others along the way while also remaining open to help – in whatever form it came.

She has been at her current location for three years and loves being part of the Main Street community. Not only is she incredibly respected as a knowledgeable fashion historian and business woman in the vintage clothing industry, she is also an accomplished singer with her band called “Something About Reptiles.” At age fifty-one she has decided that she wants to encourage people to have more fun and decadence in their lives. Her new motto for the store has evolved to include “If you don’t need it, I have it!” As an example, she points to a pair of bright purple leotards with built in boots. “These were popular in the 60’s,” she says smiling.

With just over fifteen years in the industry selling retro and vintage clothing, what impresses her most are the people she meets and getting to know their stories. “I love being able to see kids from the neighbourhood grow up. And, I love it when they come in to show me what they have done with some of the vintage pieces they have found. They have embraced the historical and funky side of fashion. Some of the kids that I have gotten to know have even gone on to design school.”

Burcu’s Angels
221 East 16th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
(604) 290-1049

Posted in Local Stores, Vintage | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Inspired by the Connections – Gale Pirie: Antiques Appraiser

August 31, 2010 by Jo-Anne Lauzer

She lives in the country surrounded by wildlife, rides a Honda Gold Wing 1800 motorcycle, and has been an active member of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, B.C. D Chapter, for three years. Not the typical profile you would expect for an antiques appraiser. Yet Gale Pirie, an accredited and independent personal property appraiser (i.e., not affiliated with any auction house or store), is highly respected in her field and considered to be one of the best in British Columbia. She has also appeared as an appraiser on the Canadian Antiques Roadshow.

Although she is known for her expertise in porcelain and pottery, she is a generalist – “appraising everything (except real estate), from human skeletons to railway tracks and dinosaur teeth.” For Gale it is not just about determining an item’s value, it is also about creating and understanding the connections to our past.

Gale grew up in an affluent neighbourhood in Vancouver called Shaughnessy, but wasn’t surrounded by antiques in her home. For her, the connection came from a few special items that her grandmother had brought over on a ship from Europe in the late 1920s. Although a privileged Catholic family in Poland, they were forced to leave the country with very little. Her grandparents managed to bring their young family and a few possessions that included a sewing machine and some feather quilts. Gale’s mother took great care of the quilts over the years and as Gale and her twin sister got older, their mother had the quilts redone for their respective hope chests. This is a piece of Gale’s family history that she treasures and that helped her to see early on the importance of preserving and appreciating where we come from.

Gale went on to become an educator in both the public school system and in colleges. She eventually became the Director at a public college, from which she has since retired. Throughout her career she has always maintained a passion for literature, history and antiques. She has been especially fascinated by our local history, whether from our aboriginal ancestors or from those who came later to settle the land. She believes that all of these stories and artifacts make up our country, and it is important to maintain these connections.

While still working she fueled her passion for history and antiques through ongoing research and study, eventually becoming an accredited appraiser in 2000. She began doing appraisals part-time, initially working with lawyers and insurance companies appraising items for legal purposes. Most of her work came from word of mouth referrals, but in 2007, just around the time she retired, she received a call from the producers at CBC to appear as an appraiser on the Canadian Antiques Roadshow. This led to increased exposure for Gale’s appraisal work, and today she has a busy practice offering direct appraisals for individuals one-on-one or at appraisal clinics, as part of fundraising events, evaluating in-kind donations, offering her services for pre and post loss insurance, and for legal purposes.

Her work is quite diverse as are her clients, some of which are scattered all over the world. As much as she can offer appraisals over the Internet, she prefers to do them in person as she can create a better context for the item and its historical relevance. This then allows her to develop a deeper connection to the story behind the item and this may have an impact on the value.

Some of Gale’s favourite moments are when she can help kids get excited about the past and connect with their own family’s history. While offering an appraisal clinic at the Kerrisdale Antiques Fair in Vancouver, Gale was asked to appraise some items for a father and his three young sons. They had brought in three albums of postcards and the boys were not all that interested initially. Through a series of questions, and with a purpose in mind, Gale was able to engage them. The albums contained 1000s of postcards and letters written back and forth between their great grandparents while the great grandfather was working overseas. She explained to the boys that they were all written in pencil as they didn’t have ballpoint pens then and that for the time, these postcards would have been considered quite “steamy”. The albums offered an amazing overview of what was going on during that era but also a detailed account of their great grandparent’s courtship.

Although British Columbia is still considered quite young by historical standards, Gale believes that the “wild west” is quite rich with history. She loves the notion that “many people who came out here were either looking for something or running away from something.” As a result, she is fascinated by the “characters who built our province”. From the missionaries to the prospectors looking to make it rich during the gold rush to the Japanese Internment camps…they have all collectively added to our province’s diverse history.

In Coquitlam, B.C. Gale was asked to appraise items from a gold rush hotel in Rossland B.C., the Hotel Allan. The hotel was designated a heritage hotel as a result of the work of Bill Barlee, a former B.C. politician raised in Rossland, who is also well know for his impressive collection of “old west artifacts” and a popular T.V. series called Gold Trails and Ghost Towns. He also wrote a book called Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns and much of his collection can now be found in the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. Unfortunately after the hotel was officially designated, it burned down. However, many of the historical items had luckily been removed when it was sold. Turns out the family that hired Gale had at one time owned the Hotel Allan.

Gale was also recently flown into the Crescent Valley to appraise some items in a heritage building that she discovered was once the Crescent Valley Jail. While there she was quite intrigued by the room where she was doing the appraisals and by asking questions and doing a bit more research, she realized that the room was once the cell where the Sons of Freedom (Doukhobor Extremists Group) were incarcerated.

Gale continues to research our history through these many connections and passionately shares these stories with her clients. Even though Gale lives in B.C., she travels extensively and offers personal property appraisals across Canada and Internationally. Gale has a Web site where she can be contacted and she also regularly appraises at local flea markets and antiques at the Croatian Cultural Centre and at the Kerrisdale Antiques Fair.

Posted in Antique Shows, Antiques, Appraisals, Collectibles | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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