 |
| One of the rarest of Canadian Records, 1974 Pressing of 99 copies-see story |
 |
| World War II hints for home economy-see story in tomorrow's blog |
HOW SWEET IT IS!!! QUEBEC REFERENDUM ON SEPARATION GONE FOR NOW. ISN'T THAT GREAT?
I WAS A ROUTINELY EMBARRASSED LANGUAGE-OUTCAST, IN HIGH SCHOOL FRENCH CLASS. I WAS MADE TO FEEL THAT WAY. NOT SO MUCH BY THE TEACHER, BUT BY THE EDUCATION SYSTEM ITSELF. I FELL BEHIND IN HOMEWORK EVERY DAY, BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET PAST THE FIRST HURDLES OF LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE, LET ALONE GETTING THROUGH DAY TO DAY UPGRADES. EVEN WHEN I DECIDED TO SIT AT THE FRONT OF THE CLASS, SO MR. NEWLAND WOULD SEE THAT I WAS PAYING ATTENTION, AND WILLING TO PARTICIPATE, I JUST KEPT SWINGING AND MISSING. I WAS THE SAME IN HIGH SCHOOL MATH AND SCIENCE. I COULD SING FRENCH SONGS BUT I JUST NEVER UPGRADED MYSELF TO ANYTHING MORE THAN A PASSING GRADE, FOR MY ACTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE LANGUAGE. I WAS ONE WHO WOULD HAVE BENEFITTED FROM IMMERSION, AND THEN, ONLY IN QUEBEC. THE FRENCH TEACHER WOULD LOSE ME, AS A GOING CONCERN, AFTER THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES. IF I HAD LIVED WITH A FRENCH FAMILY, AND BEEN REQUIRED TO COMMUNICATE FOR DAY TO DAY FUNCTIONING, I WOULD HAVE BEEN FORCED TO RECKON WITH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER SOONER. ALL I DID WAS HIDE MY REPORT CARD YEAR AFTER YEAR, AND SETTLED FOR A PASSING GRADE THAT WAS WITHIN A SLIVER OF A MARK FROM A FAILING GRADE. IN THE CLASSROOM, I WAS MEASURED AGAINST THE TOP PERFORMERS, AND BELIEVE ME, MR. NEWLAND WOULD HAVE LOVED TO SEE THAT GAP LESSENED. I LOVED THE FRENCH CULTURE AND WHEN I VISITED QUEBEC, I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE. I WAS A TERRIBLE STUDENT BUT IT WAS NOTHING DISRESPECTFUL TO THE FRENCH LANGUAGE, WHEN I COULDN'T MUSTER MORE THAN THE WORDS FOR ITS HERITAGE MUSIC.
THE REALITY THAT YESTERDAY'S PROVINCIAL ELECTION, IN QUEBEC, GAVE THE LIBERALS A MAJORITY GOVERNMENT, SHOULD BE PLEASING FOR NOT ONLY THE RESIDENTS OF THE PROVINCE, BUT FOR ALL CANADIANS WHO SINCERELY WANT OUR COUNTRY TO REMAIN UNITED. CANADIANS FROM SEA TO SEA, FEAR ANOTHER REFERENDUM ON SEPARATION. IT'S WONDERFUL TO LOOK AT THE NEXT HALF DECADE NOW, THIS SPRING MORNING IN CANADA, NOT FEELING THE ASSOCIATED TREPIDATION, OF FACING A NATIONALLY DIVISIVE MOVE TOWARD SEPARATION; THAT FACING FACTS, WAS A BIG CHUNK OF THE ELECTION DEBATE DURING THE PAST MONTH. IF THE ELECTION RESULTS HAD BEEN DIFFERENT, AND THE GOVERNING PARTY GIVEN A MAJORITY INSTEAD, WELL, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE DAY FOR THE WHOLE NATION, BECAUSE A REFERENDUM WOULD HAVE HUNG OVER EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR OR SO, LEADING UP TO IT! SO WE SHOULD BE HAPPY IN THIS COUNTRY, VERY PLEASED INDEED; AND IN QUEBEC, A SENSE OF CALM. VOTERS HAVE SHOWN THEIR OVERWHELMING SUPPORT, AND TRUST, FOR THE INHERENT RESOURCES AND PRIVILEGES, OF REMAINING, AND BEING, AN INTEGRAL PART O F THIS DOMINION. THIS IS A GOOD DAY FOR ALL OF CANADA.
QUEBEC'S CULTURAL FOLKART AND ANTIQUES, MY CHOICE TO COLLECT
I HAVE ALWAYS APPRECIATED THE FOLK ART OF QUEBEC. FROM MY EARLIEST DAYS, HUSTLING ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR PRIMITIVE PINE, AND EXAMPLES OF CANADIANA, IN THE FORM OF FOLK ART, I HAVE BEEN LURED TO SHOPS AND SALES OFFERING ANYTHING FROM QUEBEC. ESPECIALLY, PIECES OF SUGAR BUSH / MAPLE SYRUP HERITAGE, FROM CARVED WOODEN SPILES TO COLORED TIN PAILS. ALL THE AUCTIONEER HAS TO DO, AT A SALE, IS TO MAKE NOTE THAT A CUPBOARD HAS A QUEBEC PROVENANCE, AND EVERYONE PULLS BACK FROM THE COFFEE WAGON, WHIPPING OUT THEIR BIDDING NUMBERS. IT'S ALWAYS A BIG DEAL. AS FOR THE ANTIQUES THAT COME FROM THIS PROVINCE, I WOULD GLADLY FILL MY SHOP AND MY HOUSE WITH THEM, IF I COULD AFFORD TO MAKE THE ACQUISITIONS. MOST DEALERS OF CANADIANA, ADORE QUEBEC PINE, ART AND FOLK ART, INCLUDING QUILTS AND FABRIC CREATIONS. I HAVE A NUMBER OF QUEBEC ART PIECES, AND I CONFESS TO HAVING SOLD HUNDREDS OF FINE EXAMPLES OF WORK BY RESIDENT ARTISANS. TO ME, HAVING HEIRLOOM PIECES, MADE IN QUEBEC, IS A QUALIFIER IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE. I HAVE TO POSSESS THESE PROVINCIAL ANTIQUES AND FOLK ART, OR I FEEL I'M DOING A DISSERVICE TO THE PROFESSION. EVEN THOUGH I DON'T LIVE IN QUEBEC, I WOULD LIKE TO SURROUND MYSELF WITH ITS RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE. A QUEBEC MADE DIAMOND-POINT ARMORE, IS THE HOLY GRAIL FOR VINTAGE FURNITURE COLLECTORS, AND FOR A GOOD EXAMPLE, I EXPECT THE VALUE WOULD BE WELL UP, IN THE FIVE FIGURES CATEGORY IF NOT MORE. NOT ONLY WAS THE WORKMANSHIP EXCEPTIONAL, BUT THERE'S SOMETHING MORE WITH THESE PIECES, THAT BRINGS OUT THE CULTURAL PROVENANCE, EVEN IF THERE ARE NO CARVINGS, ETCHINGS, SIGNATURES, OR OTHER CLUES OUTRIGHTLY IDENTIFYING THE SUBJECT PIECE AS HAVING BEEN MADE IN QUEBEC. DEALERS OF CANADIANA KNOW A PIECE OF QUEBEC FURNITURE ON SIGHT, AS THEY DO A REGIONALLY MADE QUILT, OR STAINED GLASS WINDOW. AND SOMETIMES, WHEN PRESSED, MOST OF US WON'T BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THIS SENSIBLY. IT'S JUST AN INSTINCT WE HAVE, AS JOURNEYMEN ANTIQUE HUNTERS, THAT ENABLES US TO DO OUR JOBS WITHOUT HAVING TO CARRY AROUND GUIDEBOOKS AND IDENTIFICATION TEXTS. IF I WAS FACED WITH THE TOUGH CHOICE, OF WANTING TO PURCHASE A QUEBEC MADE FLAT-TO-THE-WALL PINE CUPBOARD, OR ONE MADE ON THE EAST COAST, OR IN ONTARIO, IT WOULDN'T BE A DIFFICULT DECISION. I'M PRETTY SURE, MOST OF MY DEALER CONTEMPORARIES WOULD AGREE, THAT THERE IS A MAGIC ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIQUE FURNITURE MADE IN QUEBEC, THAT COMMANDS ATTENTION; AND FOR ME, THAT HAS MEANT CUSTOMER APPRECIATION.
THIS ISN'T AN EDITORIAL ATTEMPT, TO PATRONIZE QUEBEC, FOR HAVING DESIRABLE ANTIQUITIES. BUT AS A LONG TIME ANTIQUE DEALER, IT IS A REALITY, NONE THE LESS, OF OUR INDUSTRY IN CANADA. I'M ALWAYS EXCITED TO HAVE QUEBEC PIECES IN THE SHOP, OLD OR NEW, AND AS FOR CARVINGS, FROM REGIONAL ARTISTS, I CAN'T KEEP THEM ON THE SHELVES. AS FOR THE POPULARITY OF QUEBEC, AND ITS HISTORY, IT'S UNDENIABLE; WE ARE SO ENORMOUSLY ENTICED AND ENRICHED BY THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE, SO IMPORTANT TO THE HERITAGE OF CANADA. IN THE ANTIQUE, ART AND FOLK ART SPECTRUM, IT'S WHAT I SEE AS BIG AND BEAUTIFUL IN OUR GRAND DOMAIN OF "THE VINTAG - AND THE MAGNIFICENT." I AM A COLLECTOR, AND QUEBEC IS WHERE I WANT TO BE! THE COUNTRY ROADS ARE BECKONING.
THE YOUNGEST SON - THE RECORD I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO ALL MORNING
SON ROBERT, WITH SPINNING "WILD" EYES, HELD HIS NEWLY ACQUIRED, "1 OF 99" (POSSIBLY EVEN I OF 50) COPY, OF A PRIVATELY PRESSED RECORD, FROM 1974, TITLED "THE YOUNGEST SON," BY ONTARIO MUSICIANS JEFF MOORE, AND CHRISTINA BECKER. IT WAS A PSYCH-FOLK RECORD, BY TODAY'S RECKONING, DEDICATED TO "SANDY, CHRISTMAS '74," FROM JEFF. THE RECORD IMPRINT, DIRECTS THANKS TO BAYVIEW SECONDARY SCHOOL, (RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO) AND INDIVIDUALS, DOUG LIPPAY, WAYNE WHITAKER, AND A.GRANDINETT. "JEFF MOORE - LEAD VOCALS, ACOUSTIC GUITAR; CHRISTINA BECKER - LEAD VOCALS, ACOUSTIC GUITAR; JIM LINDERMAN - BACKGROUND VOCALS, ACOUSTIC GUITAR; JUDY IMESON - ALTO SAXOPHONE, BARITONE SAXOPHONE; WENDY JONES - FLUTE; PAUL MCDONALD - PERCUSSION; A.J. SMITHERAM - ELECTRIC GUITAR; DAVE BERARD - BASS. COVER DESIGN DONE BY WAYNE HILLABY." JEFF MOORE AND CHRISTINA BECKER (BOTH SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE, IN 1974), WERE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AT THE TIME OF THIS PRESSING. IT IS BELIEVED THAT ONLY NINETY-NINE RECORDS WERE PRESSED ORIGINALLY. A LATER PRESSING CAME A FEW YEARS AGO, WITH THREE HUNDRED BEING RELEASED. TODAY, AN ORIGINAL COPY IS WORTH UPWARDS OF TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. EVEN POOR CONDITION COPIES CAN SELL FOR AS MUCH AS ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. IT IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE TOP FIVE RECORDS IN CANADA.
WHEN MUSIC SENDS SHIVERS THROUGH AN OLD GNARLED BODY, LIKE MINE, THESE DAYS, IT'S EITHER BEEN CAUSED BY ACCIDENTAL ELECTROCUTION, A BEAUTIFUL FOOD DISH, PLACED IN FRONT OF ME, MY GUARDIAN ANGEL COMING FOR A VISIT, OR SONGS LIKE THESE TWO TALENTED MUSICIANS PRODUCED BACK IN THE SCHOOL DAZE OF 1974. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THEY WERE ONLY SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE. THESE ARE LIGHT, SMOOTH, BUT RICH VOICES, REMINISCENT OF SOME OF THE GREAT FOLK TALENTS OF THE PERIOD, EVEN DATING BACK TO THE EARLY 1960'S. IT'S SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE, THAT THIS RECORD COULD HAVE FALLEN THROUGH THE CRACKS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY; BECAUSE LET'S FACE IT, THOUSANDS OF LESSER ALBUMS MADE IT TO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, WHEN IN REALITY, THEY SHOULD HAVE FALLEN DEEPER INTO THE CRACKS. SOMEONE WAS ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH, BECAUSE THIS IS A JEWEL OF CANADIAN MUSIC HISTORY; AND THE PRICE YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET ONE, SAYS IT ALL!
THIS RECORD, BOTH SIDES, FROM BEGINNING TO END, IS ALLURING, COMPELLING, AND PRESENTLY WORM-HOLING MY BRAIN INTO SWISS CHEESE. IT IS HAUNTINGLY PRECIOUS, AND I'VE BEEN HEARTSICK ALL MORNING LONG, RECALLING THOSE MIST-SHROUDED DAYS OF YORE. MY YORE! WHERE WAS I IN 1974? WE HAD JUST ARRIVED BACK IN CANADA, AFTER A BAND TOUR OF ENGLAND, AS PART OF THE BRACEBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM, AND I HAD A NEW GAL-PAL ON MY ARM. AND OOPS, ONE WAITING FOR ME AT HOME. LINDA CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? "THE YOUNGEST SON?" SUCH TANTALIZINGLY SWEET MUSIC, WITH A SMOOTH, YOUTHFUL EDGE; AND BY GOLLY, WHEN SUZANNE SAT AND LISTENED TO IT, A FEW MOMENTS AGO, SHE FELT THE NOSTALGIA THING AS WELL. SHE WAS THE THIRD GIRL WHEN I GOT HOME FROM ENGLAND. I DIDN'T TELL THE OTHER TWO. CAN YOU FORGIVE ME GAIL? CAN YOU FORGIVE ME SUZANNE? WHEN ONE SONGS MAKES YOUR MIND SPIN LIKE THIS, IT'S MEMORABLE. WHEN ALL THE SONGS ON AN ALBUM RING THE BELLS, IT'S BLOODY FANTASTIC. BUT IT'S HARD NOT TO ASK THE QUESTION; SO WHAT HAPPENED? WHY WASN'T THIS RECORD PRODUCED IN THE MILLIONS, BECAUSE IT IS DESERVING. ROBERT GOT THE RECORD RECENTLY, WHEN HE ACQUIRED A FEW BOXES OF "THIS AND THAT." THE SECOND ONE OF THE SAME ALBUM (NOW HE HAS 2 OUT OF 99 PRESSED). IT'S POSSIBLE THERE WERE EVEN LESS THAN 99 PRESSED IN 1974. IT WASN'T INTENDED FOR WIDE DISTRIBUTION BUT HONESTLY, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PICKED UP BY A LABEL, AND GIVEN A CHANCE TO FLY. THE QUALITY OF THE MUSIC IS WHY IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FIVE BEST ALBUMS, EVER RELEASED IN CANADA; NOT JUST BECAUSE IT IS A RECORD OF RARE AVAILABILITY. I'VE LISTENED TO THOSE AS WELL, WITH NARY A SHIVER. THIS ALBUM IS DIFFERENT. I WISH I COULD PLAY IT FOR YOU NOW, SO WE COULD ALL FEEL HAUNTINGLY NOSTALGIC, WISHING WE COULD HAVE A LITTLE CHAT WITH LOVERS OF ONCE, LONG AGO. IS IT SAD MUSIC? NOT REALLY. MELANCHOLY? A LITTLE. BUT WHAT IT ACCOMPLISHES, IN SEVEN SONGS, IS A SUBTLE, SOFT RECKONING OF SORTS, FOR THOSE WHO NEED TO BE RECKONED WITH.
I HEAR ALL TYPES OF MUSIC ALL DAY LONG. WHEN YOU WORK IN A CORNER OF A MUSIC STUDIO, THIS IS TO BE EXPECTED. ON FREQUENT OCCASIONS, ROBERT SCARES THE CRAP OUT OF ME, WITH SOME SHARPLY POINTED, BARB ENCRUSTED, INTRUSIVE, AGGRESSIVE, SOUL SMASHING, PEACE UNSETTLING, DEATH METAL; I CAN SMELL THE SULPHUR, THAT'S HOW CLOSE I FEEL TO THE ACTION. SO WHEN I BRACE MYSELF THESE DAYS, EXPECTING HE'S GOING TO THRUST ONE OF THOSE BEASTS AT ME, TODAY INSTEAD, (AND TELLING ME IN ADVANCE I WAS GOING TO LIKE IT) HE SO GENTLY INTRODUCED ME TO A REALLY NEAT COMPILATION OF SONGS, THAT REMINDED ME, AND SUZANNE RESPECTIVELY, OF THOSE HALCYON, ROMANTIC DAYS OF 1974. THE MUSIC? IT'S TIMELESS. THIS MUSIC NEEDS TO BE RE-RELEASED BY THIS TALENTED TWOSOME, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL THOSE WHO NEED TO BE REMINDED WHERE THEY CAME FROM, AND WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GO. I SEE A LONG DUSTY COUNTRY ROAD BECKONING. SUZANNE SEES AN OPEN LAKE AND A SAIL CATCHING THE WIND. I SUPPOSE IT MEANS THE MUSIC HAS LIBERATED US FROM OUR FETTERING OF RESPONSIBILITY. WELL, AT LEAST FOR A FEW MOMENTS OF RECREATION, WE ARE FREE TO DREAM AWAY. SOMEONE HAS JUST INVADED THE STUDIO, AND OH DEAR, HERE COMES THE DEATH METAL AGAIN.
"THE YOUNGEST SON," IS AN EXCEPTIONAL RECORD THAT POSSESSES ALL IT TAKES TO BE MEMORABLE AND TIMELESS. SEEING AS I HAVE NEVER CONSIDERING I HAVE NEVER FOUND ONE WHOLE ALBUM EVER THAT PLEASED ME, SONG AFTER SONG, THIS IS CERTAINLY A LATENT TREAT. I'M JUST GLAD ROBERT, MY OWN YOUNGEST SON, BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION; AND I'VE JUST NOW ASKED HIM, IF HE COULD PLEASE PLAY IT ONE MORE TIME FOR OLD POP. NOW THAT DOES TAKE ME BACK, BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME REQUEST I HAD TO MAKE, OF MY MOTHER, WHO IN 1974, WAS THE UNCONTESTED GUARDIAN OF THE LIVINGROOM STEREO CABINET. WHEN SHE WAS HOME, I HAD TO HAVE PERMISSION TO PLAY MY RECORDS. SHE SAID I WAS CARELESS WITH HER STUFF. I OWNED TWO RECORDS, SO SELECTION WASN'T DIFFICULT. I WISH THAT ONE OF THEM HAD BEEN "THE YOUNGEST SON." ROBERT COMPLIES. THE DISC IS SPINNING. NOW I'M SPINNING TOO, WITH A LITTLE ANGST, BACK TO 1974; WHIPPING ROUND AND ROUND, THROUGH THE SUCCESSION OF SEPIA TONE IMAGES, LIKE ABSTRACTS, OF ALL THE LIVES I'VE TOUCHED, AND BEEN TOUCHED BY, IN SOME PLACE, AT SOME TIME, FOR SOME UNEXPLAINED REASON. I SEE ANGRY FACES, A FEW MODEST GRINS. APPARENTLY, I WAS A BIT OF A CAD IN MY YOUTH. I SURRENDERED TO THIS RECORD IN THE FIRST THIRTY SECONDS. A WILLING CAPTIVE FOR THE WHOLE MEMORABLE TOUR OF ACTION. I ADORE BEING HAUNTED.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE MUSIC VIDEO, ABOVE, TO VIEW THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY CLIP, PROFILING THE MODERNIST SPIN, ON THE AUGUST 1862 NAMING OF THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, AFTER THE TITLE OF A BOOK WRITTEN BY BRITISH AUTHOR, WILLIAM HENRY SMITH.
MUSKOKA IS STILL TOPS ON THE LOCAL COLLECTING MARKET
THE PRICES? A LITTLE CRAZY BUT THINGS ARE SELLING
IN THE LATE 1990'S, WE BEGAN SELLING MUSKOKA RELATED COLLECTIBLES, ANTIQUES AND HISTORIC PAPER / DOCUMENTS, AND FOLK ART WITH A REGIONAL THEME. ONE OF OUR BIGGEST SELLERS, IN THOSE DAYS, WAS NAVIGATION COMPANY CRESTED HOTEL-WARE. WE HAD LOTS OF DISHES FROM THE MAJOR RESORTS INCLUDING BIGWIN INN. WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE HELD ONTO THE STUFF.....BUT WHAT ANTIQUE DEALER DOESN'T LAMENT SELLING THINGS TOO CHEAPLY FROM TIME TO TIME? TODAY HOWEVER, I FIND MYSELF INCREASINGLY AT ODDS, WITH THE WILD PRICE SWINGS FOR CERTAIN MEMORABILIA, MORESO THAN ANTIQUES THAT MAY BE ATTACHED IN PROVENANCE, TO SOME MAJOR RESORT. THESE MORE IMPORTANT PIECES, INCLUDING ACTUAL FURNITURE, TEND TO BE OF LESSER INTEREST GENERALLY, THAN IF SOME SMALL DISH OF HOTELWARE HAPPENS TO HAVE A CREST FROM A FORMER RESORT.......MAKING IT, PRESUMABLY, QUITE VALUABLE.
WHEN I LAUGH OUT LOUD ABOUT SOME ANTIQUE DEALER, TRYING TO GET FOUR TIMES THE ACTUAL MARKET VALUE FOR A PIECE OF MUSKOKA NOSTALGIA, I KNOW IT'S TIME TO LEAVE THE SALE, THE MALL OR THE SHOP. I DON'T WANT TO OFFEND THE SELLERS, BUT SOMETIMES I DO FORCE THE ISSUE, AND ASK THEM TO DEFEND THE PRICE ON A PARTICULAR ITEM.....AND WHY IT IS ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH. "IT'S OUR PRICE, SO BUZZ OFF," IS A TYPICAL RESPONSE, IF THEY SENSE I'M BEING A SMART ASS. IN THE CASE OF MANY MUSKOKA COLLECTIBLES, HISTORIC PAPER, FOLK ART AND ANTIQUES (HAVING PROVENANCE LOCALLY), I AM MORE THAN QUALIFIED TO MAKE COMMENT. THEY JUST DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT, UNTIL THEY ASK WHO I THINK I AM.......AND THEN MORE THAN JUST A FEW GO....."OH DAMN........NICE TO MEET YOU MR. CURRIE." NO, I'M NOT SOMETHING SPECIAL. BUT I KNOW MY MUSKOKA HISTORY, WRITTEN AND OTHERWISE. AT THE VERY LEAST, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO QUALIFY WHY A PIECE IS PRICED AS IF CRUSTED WITH DIAMOND DUST. I ASK WHAT I WOULD BE VALUED AT, AS A MUSKOKA COLLECTIBLE. IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT, I COULD STAND IN YOUR COTTAGE OR BOATHOUSE, MEET YOUR GUESTS, AND MAKE HISTORICAL COMMENTS ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY. UNTIL I DIE OF BOREDOM, OF COURSE. THEN YOU WOULD HAVE A DECEASED HISTORIAN TO STUFF AND MOUNT, SITTING AT A DESK, OR AT THE PATIO TABLE OUT ON THE DECK.....LOOKING HISTORIC.
WE SOLD HUNDREDS OF MUSKOKA HISTORIES, BOOKLETS AND DOCUMENTS BACK THEN, AND IN THE YEARS SINCE WE CLOSED OUR BRACEBRIDGE SHOP, WE CONTINUED TO MARKET LOCAL HISTORICAL ITEMS ONLINE. GADS, WE HAVE SOLD EVERYTHING FROM HISTORIC GLASS SLIDES FROM A LAKE ROSSEAU RESORT, (WITH IMAGES OF A DITCHBURN PULLING A WATER SKIER), TO ONE OF THE BENCHES FROM THE SAGAMO, CLEARLY THE MOST POPULAR OF OUR FORMER STEAMSHIP FLEET, PLYING THE MUSKOKA LAKES. WE HAVE SOLD A WAREHOUSE VOLUME OF MUSKOKA KEEPSAKES SINCE THE 1980'S, AND THOSE WHO KNOW OF OUR HANDIWORK, UNDERSTAND THIS TO BE THE TRUTH. AND WE'RE STILL SELLING MUSKOKA NOSTALGIA AND COLLECTIBLES, BUT NOT FOR A KING'S RANSOM. THE EXCEPTIONS, LIKE ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES THE WORLD OVER, DEPENDS ON RARITY AND UNIQUENESS. IF I HAVE A HANDWRITTEN PIONEER JOURNAL FOLKS, AND IT'S INSCRIBED FROM MUSKOKA, IT WILL BE THREE TIMES THE VALUE, AT LEAST, OF A SIMILAR JOURNAL / DIARY FROM ANYWHERE ELSE IN CANADA.......EXCEPT IF IT WAS WRITTEN BY A JESUIT IN THE 1600'S, AND HAPPENS TO BE IN MY POSSESSION.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THERE HAS BEEN A RESURGENCE IN INTEREST, BUT THE PRICES FOR ITEMS HAVE CERTAINLY ESCALATED INTO THE NOSEBLEED SECTION OF THE LOCAL ANTIQUE AND COLLECTIBLE INDUSTRY. I GET A KICK OUT OF SEEING THE PLETHORA OF MUSKOKA-RELATED ITEMS, AT PRICES THAT FRANKLY MAKE ME CRINGE, LAUGH, AND CRINGE AGAIN. I HAVE APPRAISED MUSKOKA ANTIQUES AND BOOKS FOR YEARS, BUT APPARENTLY, THERE ARE SOME NEW VALUATIONS I HAVE TO MAKE MYSELF AWARE OF......AND SOME OF MY OWN PRIVATE STASH, TO RE-ASSESS, TO SEE IF WE'RE MILLIONAIRES YET. I'M JUST KIDDING. WE DON'T ADHERE TO THE PRICES SET BY ANYONE ELSE, UNLESS IT IS A SIGNIFICANT AUCTION, AND IN THE CASE OF A PARTICULAR LOCAL ARTIST, HIS OR HER WORK HAS FETCHED A MUCH HIGHER "TRADED" VALUE THAN PREVIOUS. JUST BECAUSE SOME DEALER INFLATES A PIECE OF LOCAL MEMORABILIA, DOESN'T MEAN IT IS SETTING A TREND IN THE DISTRICT. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS KIND OF WILD SPECULATION, CAUSES PROBLEMS DOWN THE LINE, BECAUSE WE START GETTING SELLERS COMING TO US, WANTING THE BIG-BIG PRICES, THEY SAW FOR SIMILAR PIECES AT ANTIQUE SHOWS, AND IN CERTAIN SHOPS. WE TELL THEM TO GO BACK TO THE VENDOR THEY ARE REFERRING, AND SELL THEM THE ITEMS. I DON'T CARE HOW VALUABLE SOMEONE TELLS ME SOMETHING IS........BECAUSE UNTIL I HAVE PROOF AND VALIDATION, I DON'T GET INVOLVED IN RECKLESS SPECULATION. EVER. I LEARNED MY LESSON ABOUT SUPPLY AND DEMAND A LONG TIME AGO, AND THERE IS A PEAK COMING, SO BEWARE.
KEEPING PERSPECTIVE - AND KNOWING THE REGIONAL HISTORY FIRST
As a collector / dealer, I do not hold special affection, or interest at all, for crested hotelware, regardless which of the hotels it came from. I do like to pick up Navigation Company pieces at flea markets and yards sales, because they will sell and for a substantial price. The reason of course is the publicity generated by the modern day Navigation Company and when "worldwide" recognition enters into it, prices are very much influenced.
Generally, Suzanne and I buy and sell "made in Muskoka" pieces. Antiques, art and folk art that has local provenance......was inspired and made here, from quilts to sculptures....weather vanes, to hand crafted chairs, chests and tables. When I can find a local sampler, table-cloth made by one of the talented crafers of the past, or acquire everything from vintage home-made clothing to naive paintings, depicting rural life and times.....then I feel the effort of the long, long drives has been worth the miles travelled. Just meeting the families and owners of some of these amazing local pieces, is worth every moment and penny invested getting there.
Consider the Winderemere Dairy cans and milk bottles, that have sold for substantial amounts, and the pop crates imprinted and used by Brown's Beverages here in Gravenhurst. We will buy them when they come available for a fair price. This year we sold six of them, that we found at a local fundraising sale, and sold them for about twenty-five dollars each. I have seen the same type of wooden boxes, from Browns, with asking prices nearly double this......and I find that borderline insanity. It's not like they're rare. It's just not so. I saw three today in my Saturday morning sale-hopping, so they're not rare, no matter what sellers tell you. Even with crested china, so what? If the Brown's Beverage cases were created in Muskoka, or manufactured specifically by a local woodworker (who actually marked the piece as locally produced), I would think it far more worthy of being a true Muskoka collectible. Having a factory piece where they attached a logo, or crest, at a Toronto manufacturer, is just a neat collectible, but not worth the huge prices being asked around the region. If an individual walked into the shop, here in the former Muskoka Theatre building, on Gravenhurst's Muskoka Road, and asked if I would appraise a piece of crested china from Bigwin Inn (Lake of Bays), for example, I would range a valuation from $15.00 to $25.00. If they told me they paid upwards of $50.00 for a plate or cup and saucer, I'd have to say, in my professional opinion, they didn't get good value. Sorry. There is too much Bigwin hotelware around these parts, to justify the often ridiculously high prices being asked. There are the older Bigwin pieces, and many, many newer ones, from later years of the resort. Price has to reflect availability, just like real estate. Unfortunately, some buyers fall for the "they're rare" sales pitch, but there's no one, except me, to counter the claim. There's a good chance, I'm not going to be there, when you need me to offer a counter point.
I have seen Muskoka books, that aren't even considered rare, priced "out of the park," and no one selling them, can justify the price to me. I know my Muskoka books, and have, over thirty odd years, helped complete dozens of "Muskoka Archive Collections," for those hobby historians who want one of each book written about our region. The situation is, that few of these folks, buying to sell, have been in the print business for as long as I have, and fail to recognize that rarity does very much influence the price of books in particular. As well, many of the most valuable books, that were initially printed in modest supply, have been reproduced, which has certainly changed the market demand, for those of us who sell antiquarian and collectible books. Many of the prices I've seen for Muskoka books lately, have crossed the line between....high but acceptable, to the stratasphere of "beyond justification."
What will people pay for this stuff? That's the million dollar question. What happens, to bring this up close and personal to me, is that some of these speculators, will come to me for a valuation, but they already have it in their minds, that this will be a holy grail. I've seen a fair number of holy grails in my time, believe it or not, and I'm not going to get misty eyed, by some crested platter from the 1930's, that once held slabs of beef, or some vegetables. If they have a navigational piece, or a chunk od Ditchburn (or other Muskoka boat heritage), the prices are substantially higher overall....and part of this has to do with the immense popularity in North America of antique wooden boats. A folk art painting, or wood sculpture, representative of Muskoka, would interest me, and my valuations for a well executed painting of a local scene, or townscape, by a known artist, would be a semi-holy-grail. But a crock with the name of a local merchant inked on the side, wouldn't stir the collector-within. The crock and its imprint were not made in Muskoka, but just like today, personalized with advertising identification by some company, and sent to the business that ordered them. In my opinion, that makes a crappy Muskoka keepsake, and although I'd buy one to flip for a few bucks profit, it wouldn't be something that I'd seek out as a status item for my collection.
I've had some truly bad experiences in the Muskoka-collectible trade, and the one hardest to forget, was the time I asked a local photographer to copy a very nice, late 1800's album, of about thirty images, mostly of the Bracebridge area. I had paid a significant amount for the album, and the idea, was to include the blow-up images, first in my newspaper column in The Muskoka Advance (Muskoka History Sketches), and then when I'd used the best of the best, sell the new images with the album, so the new owner wouldn't have to open the fragile album, to see the images. The new black and white copies could be put in their own "everyday" album. I was willing to sell a few images of the steamships in Bracebridge Bay, circa 1890, but mostly I just wanted to sell the album after I was finished my research.
One day, a steamship enthusiast, and regular customer, arrived at my sales desk, at Birch Hollow, to show me a nice black and white image, of an 1890's photograph he had just purchased from the local photographer who had done my work. My head hit the ceiling at the same time as my jaw hit the counter. All my key images had been sold by the gentleman who told me it was his right to do this, as he had made himself a set of negatives, in order to fill the order I had requested. So what he was saying, was that, "I had to make the negatives, and now I own them, so tough luck". The owner of the negatives is king presumably, and for his years in the industry, I guess he knew better than me. I watched a stream of historical types, heading up to the art supply shop, upstairs, to have their photos (from my album) framed, including one that actually was put on display in another Manitoba Street storefront, just to rub my nose in it. Well sir, now I own all my negatives of historic Muskoka scenes, and steamships. And I won't be making the same mistake that I did by having the album copied. I will sell the negatives when ready, and have no plans of marketing hundreds of similar images just to make a buck. I had no legal recourse. I had paid him to give me eight by ten glossy images. In order to do this, he had to re-photograph each image, and that gave him the negatives I didn't offer to pay for. Apparently I was supposed to stipulate that no negatives were to be kept by the photograher, of any images that had been copied.
There are also examples of local historic signs coming for sale, and all I can advise, is to get (insist on) validation from the seller, as to what they once adorned, and when possible, how it came into their possession. Whenever I see these vintage signs, I make copious notes, and head home to research the wear, coloration, size, as compared to my archives of old photographs, and documentation in a variety of resource books. For the amount of money they are charging for these signs, it is entirely necessary to varify they are what the claim states. Is it a copy of an original? How many train stations were there in our regional towns? On the wharf? At the entrance to towns and villages? So if you're suspicious, don't buy on impulse. Check it out first. The libraries in our communities have excellent Muskoka collections, and you can usually find a book that will show an example of the train station or freight shed in question, on the river or lake, that would have had a town or village sign posted. I have examined one such sign, and I can't find a parallel, in any of the photographs I possess. I might have been interested if there was provenance, but there isn't anything of substance attached. If it was noted that a particular sign, for example, came from someone's estate, of a name I could associate with having the sign, or having some connection, such as working previously for the railway, then it would certainly increase the potential the sign isn't a duplicate.
With the huge price increases I've seen out there for Muskoka collectibles, there is a necessity to check for authenticity, especially on items claimed to be one of a kind, rare, or having provenance that can not be varified.
I will offer a few more Muskoka "collectible" related columns, for collectors, this coming week. Please join me. Thanks for visiting today's blog. See you again soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment