Archives of Captain Montague Tuke; An Original Crested Windermere House Wash Basin But Not For Sale

Documents from the archives collection of Captain Montague Tuke

Crested Windermere House Hotel Ware Wash Basin and White Rose pattern dishes used in the dining room of the historic Lake Rosseau hotel

CAPTAIN SHIRLEY MONTAGUE TUKE, DESPATCHES FROM THE WAR OFFICE, AND ON ANOTHER MATTER, A WINDERMERE HOUSE WASH BASIN

EVEN FOR A CAREER ANTIQUE DEALER, THERE ARE ARTIFACTS AND ARCHIVE MATERIALS THAT AREN'T FOR SALE - BUT WE WANT YOU TO SEE THEM!



     IN THE WEEK SINCE A NEW ANTIQUE SHOP OPENED BESIDE US, HERE, IN UPTOWN GRAVENHURST, WE HAVE HAD ALL KINDS OF CUSTOMERS COMING IN TO OFFER US INSIGHTS, ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FOR MARKET SHARE, WE MAY OR MAY NOT FACE, IN THE COMING MONTHS (MAYBE YEARS, IF WE ALL STAY IN THE SAME PLACE). WE LISTEN TO THE OVERVIEWS, AND A FEW WARNINGS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD CHANGE OUR BUSINESS TO MEET THE COMING CHALLENGES, AND WE THANK THEM FOR THE UNSOLICITED REVIEWS AND ADVISORIES, AND THEN SETTLE BACK TO THE SAME WORK WE WERE DOING BEFORE THEY ARRIVED AT OUR COUNTER. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME AN ANTIQUE SHOP, OR BUSINESS, SELLING VINTAGE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, OPENS ANYWHERE IN THE REGION; AND I THINK WE SURPRISE THESE SPIES, ON OUR BEHALF, WHEN WE DON'T TURN WHITE, AND START SWEATING, BECAUSE OF THE REVELATIONS. THEY THINK, I SUPPOSE, THAT WE SHALL SUCCUMB TO COMPETITION, AND THEY SEE THEMSELVES AS THE HARBINGERS OF THE CAUSE OF "INEVITABLE CHANGE," COMING ALONG ANY DAY. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY ARE TRYING TO WARN US, WE'RE NOW IN TOUGH COMPANY. THEY ARE ALL WELL INTENTIONED, AND WE TRY TO REMAIN ATTENTIVE, BUT HONESTLY, SEEING AS WE'VE HEARD SO MUCH, IN SO FEW DAYS, WE'RE JUST OVERLOADED WITH CRITIQUES AND REVIEWS. NOTHING WHATSOEVER THAT WILL INFLUENCE US, TO CHANGE WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS, (FOR ME, 35 YEARS IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION). AND WE'RE CERTAINLY NOT BURDENED BY THEIR HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS, ABOUT CHANGING THE KIND OF INVENTORY WE CARRY, OR WHAT WE MIGHT CHOOSE TO ACQUIRE IN THE COMING MONTHS. WE HAVE, YOU SEE, AN ENORMOUS FAITH IN EXPERIENCE GARNERED, IN AND OUT OF THE SHOP, ESPECIALLY ON THE ONTARIO HUSTINGS, WHERE WE FIND MOST OF OUR INVENTORY. WE LEARNED A LONG TIME AGO, BASED ON ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT, AND A GENERAL SHORTAGE OF COMPARISON EXPERIENCES, TO TRUST OUR INSTINCTS, AND THE SAGE WORDS OF MANY WELL TRAVELLED TUTORS, WE'VE BEEN ASSOCIATED, FROM OUR BEGINNINGS IN THIS STORIED PROFESSION. ALTHOUGH WE APPRECIATE THAT SO MANY CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN CHECKING IN ON US, TO SEE IF COMPETITION HAS CRUSHED OUR SPIRITS YET, WE REMIND THEM WITH A SMILE, THAT THE ONLY REASON WE WILL LEAVE THIS LOCATION, IS WHEN WE FINALLY, EXHAUSTED IN OUR TRACKS, RETIRE BACK TO BIRCH HOLLOW TO WATCH THE FINAL SUNSET. NOT BECAUSE WE COULDN'T MEASURE UP TO THE LOCAL COMPETITION. WE REPRESENT THE TORTOISE IN BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY, SO JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE A FERRIS WHEEL, OR MERRY-GO-ROUND AT THE FRONT OF THE SHOP, DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE FALLING BY THE WAYSIDE, OR LACKING IN ANY WAY, FROM A CURRENT OF ENTHUSIASM. WE KNOW WHERE WE WANT TO TRAVEL, AND SHALL GET THERE IN GOOD TIME.
     WHEN THEY ASK "HAVE YOU BEEN OVER TO SEE THEIR SHOP," WE ANSWER WITH GENTLE DIPLOMACY, "NOT YET, BUT WE WILL SOONER OR LATER." IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE'RE BEING RUDE, OR UNCARING NEIGHBORS. IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE, WHEN EVEN ANTIQUE MALLS A HUNDRED MILES AWAY, ARE OUR COMPETITION; AS FOLKS TRAVEL A LOT FURTHER AFIELD THESE DAYS, TO GET WHAT THEY WANT, FROM THE SHOP THEY FIND BEST SUITS THEIR NEEDS. SO AS FAR AS BEING USED TO COMPETITION, IT'S ALWAYS ON THE AGENDA, AND EVERY TIME WE PRICE A PIECE OF INVENTORY, LARGE OR SMALL, WE APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE TO BEAT ALL THE AREA COMPETITORS; AND EVEN BEYOND THAT, TRUTH BE KNOWN. WE ALSO ARE ARDENT BELIEVERS, THAT COMPETITION IS RIGOROUS, CHASING AFTER A FEW DOLLARS, AND SOMETIMES FEWER, DEPENDING ON THE MOOD OF THE PUBLIC; SO JUST LIKE BOXERS, WE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE OUR ANTIQUE COMPETITORS, BUT MAINTAIN THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OUT ON THE OLD HUNT AND GATHER, AND WHERE IT CAN GET REAL UGLY, WHEN DEALERS, COLLECTORS, AND ANTIQUE ENTHUSIASTS, COMPETE FOR A FEW GOOD PIECES. I AM AN "OLD SCHOOL" ANTIQUE DEALER, WHO UNDERSTANDS AND APPRECIATES THE LEGACY OF THE ANTIQUE ASSOCIATION, DATING BACK TO BEFORE THE TIME OF DICKENS, AND HIS OLD CURIOSITY SHOP. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE AND HISTORIC PROFESSIONS, AND IT IS FULL OF TRADITION AND ANECDOTE, THAT HAS TRICKLED DOWN TO THIS NEW CENTURY. WE WILL STICK TO OUR LANE, BUT IN A KINDLY FASHION.
     EVERYONE WHO REFERS TO THEMSELVES AS A DEALER OF ANTIQUES, NO MATTER HOW HALE, HARDY AND WELCOMING THE REFRAIN, IS OUR COMPETITOR. EVEN AFTER WE SHAKE HANDS, AND RETURN TO OUR RESPECTIVE CORNERS, WE MINDFULLY, AS WE WERE TAUGHT IN BUSINESS CLASS, GET READY TO RUMBLE. AND THE CONTRADICTION, IN TERMS, IS THAT WE DO BUY AND SELL WITH COMPETITORS ALL THE TIME. BUT AS TRADITION RULES, AND PRECEDENT REFLECTS, WE NEVER SURRENDER OUR INDEPENDENCE, ALTHOUGH A GOOD MANY IN OUR TIME, HAVE WISHED WE WOULD JOIN FORCES TO RULE THE WORLD. WE ARE, IF NOTHING ELSE, REALISTS, TO JUST HOW COMPETITIVE THE ANTIQUE TRADE CAN BE, AND HOW EXPERIENCE DICTATES, THAT OUR CUNNING NATURES, WILL CONFLICT SOONER OR LATER, DURING A STRUGGLE FOR THE BEST PIECES ON THE MARKET.
     AS A CASE IN POINT, A LARGE NUMBER OF LOCAL DEALERS AND COLLECTORS, USED TO ATTEND THE AUCTIONS OF BOTH ART CAMPBELL, AND THEN WAYNE RUTLEDGE, HERE IN MUSKOKA. WE WOULD MEET UP WITH ASSOCIATE DEALERS, SHARE SOME INTERESTING STORIES OF ANTIQUES BOUGHT AND SOLD, A CUP OF COFFEE, AND SMALL TALK ABOUT THE AUDIENCE IN ATTENDANCE. OFTEN THERE WOULD BE VERBAL ARRANGEMENTS MADE, BETWEEN DEALERS, TO TRADE OFF BIDDING ON CERTAIN ITEMS, THE OTHER DEALER MAY HAVE WISHED TO PURCHASE. THIS IS AN AGE-OLD TRADITION, AND IT CAN GET VERY COMPLICATED, AND IN SOME CASES, ISN'T LOOKED UPON KINDLY BY THE AUCTIONEER. THIS IS PART OF AUCTION HISTORY, NOT SIMPLY SOMETHING THAT CAME UP AT MUSKOKA AUCTIONS, DURING THEIR TENURE. SUZANNE AND I REFUSED TO MAKE THESE COMMITMENTS, GENERALLY, AND YET, I KNOW MANY TIMES, WE WOULD BACK OFF BIDDING, IF WE SAW ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES GOING AFTER THE SAME PIECE. WE DIDN'T WANT TO START A WAR WITH OUR CONTEMPORARIES IN THE PROFESSION. THE EXACT OPPOSITE WOULD HOLD TRUE, IF SUZANNE AND I WERE BIDDING ON SOMETHING WE WANTED FOR THE SHOP. THE SAME LADY WHO WOULD BEG US NOT TO BID UP THE ITEM(S) SHE WANTED, WOULD THEN GOON US WITH SUCCESSIVE BIDS. SO ONE DAY, I CONFRONTED HER, AND IT WAS VERY MUCH THE SITUATION, THAT HER RULES WERE A LITTLE ONE SIDED. ALL IN HER FAVOR OF COURSE. A LOT OF BAD FEELINGS WERE INITIATED BY THOSE EXPECTED CONFLUENCES, WHERE DEALERS WERE DOING WHAT THEY DO! TRYING TO GET THE BEST INVENTORY FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MONEY. SO WHEN IT IS SUGGESTED "WE SHOULD ALLL BE FRIENDS IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION," I AM REMINDED OF THESE SITUATIONS I'VE LIVED THROUGH, WHERE DEALERS BOUNCED OFF ONE ANOTHER, TO GET THE BIG PRIZES OF EVERY SALE. IT COULD GET UGLY. IT'S THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS, AND IT'S AS OLD AS THE PROFESSION ITSELF.
     SO THANKS FOR KEEPING US TO SPEED ON OUR COMPETITION. BUT IT ISN'T NECESSARY. WHEN WE ENTERED THIS INDUSTRY, THE OLDTIMERS OF THE BUSINESS, LET US KNOW, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, THAT WE WOULD BE FIGHTING FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END; AND SO FAR, THEIR ADVICE HAS BEEN SPOT-ON.

"WHITE ROSE" AND "MAYFLOWER" PATTERN HOTELWARE, USED AT MUSKOKA AND ALGONQUIN RESORTS

     SUZANNE AND I TALK ABOUT LOCAL AND REGIONAL HISTORY A LOT. MOSTLY WITH OUR CUSTOMERS, SOME WHO ARE VISITING THEIR FORMER HOME REGIONS, AFTER YEARS OF ABSENCE, WHO ARE EAGER TO LOOK-UP THEIR OLD NEIGHBORHOODS, HOPING TO FIND A FEW FRIENDS STILL RESIDING IN THE COMMUNITY. SO, THEY FIGURE, THAT BY DROPPING IN TO THE LOCAL ANTIQUE SHOP, THEY WOULD FIND KINDRED SPIRITS IN THIS REGARD. IN MOST ANTIQUE SHOPS TODAY, EXCEPT A VERY FEW, YOU WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO MUSTER A CONVERSATION, MORE THAN A GENERAL, WHAT'S-UP DISCUSSION OF CURRENT EVENTS. THEY (SHOP OWNERS) MIGHT HAVE LIVED IN THE REGION FOR QUITE AWHILE, BUT THEY'RE STILL NOT PARTICULARLY WELL VERSED ON MUSKOKA HERITAGE. WHICH IS OKAY, BECAUSE IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT OF RUNNING A LOCAL ANTIQUE SHOP. OUR FAMILY EXTENDS BACK TO THE PIONEER ERA, AND SUZANNE AND I, ARE BOTH WORKING REGIONAL HISTORIANS, WHEN NOT SELLING ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES. PART OF OUR ANTIQUE THING, AT LEAST AS WE CHOSE TO OPERATE OUR SHOP, IS TO HAVE, SO CALLED "CONVERSATION PIECES" HANGING AROUND, TO SHOW OUR ENJOYMENT AND PRIDE OF STEWARDSHIP, OF HISTORIC ARTICLES, WITH INTERESTING LOCAL PROVENANCE. AS I'VE POINTED OUT PREVIOUSLY, EVERY ANTIQUE DEALER, WILL HAVE A FEW PIECES SET ASIDE, THAT ARE FOR "DISPLAY ONLY." BRAGGING RIGHTS, YOU MIGHT SAY. SOME CUSTOMERS DESPISE THIS, AND WANT EVERYTHING IN THE SHOP TO HAVE A PRICE TAG, INCLUDING THE SALES COUNTER. WELL, WE LEARNED A LONG TIME AGO, TO LET THE CRITICS DO, AND SAY, WHAT THEY WANT; SATISFYING OURSELVES, AS A LAST RESORT, THAT WE CAN TURN DOWN THE SOUND, WHEN THE CRITIQUE BECOMES OVERLY INTRUSIVE. WE'VE PROVEN A THOUSAND TIMES OVER, THAT "YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE, ALL OF THE TIME!"  
     YESTERDAY, OUT ON OUR WEEKLY HUNT AND GATHER EXPEDITION, WE FOUND THE HOLY GRAIL OF MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES. (ACTUALLY THERE ARE NUMEROUS IN THE SAME CATEGORY, SUCH AS MUSKOKA NAVIGATION COMPANY MEMORABILIA) THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD HAVE MADE IN MORE VALUABLE, WAS IF THE ORIGINAL JUG HAD BEEN WITH THE WASH BASIN. THERE WILL BE A SIGH AMONGST COLLECTORS AND DEALERS OF MUSKOKA MEMORABILIA, THAT THE CURRIES, NOW HAVE AN ORIGINAL AND BEAUTIFUL "WINDERMERE HOUSE (MUSKOKA)" CRESTED HOTELWARE BASIN, WHICH IS JUST ONE PART, OF WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH LARGER SET OF BEDROOM CONVENIENCES, IN THE ERA BEFORE WATER WAS BEING PUMPED TO HOTEL WASHROOMS. TO MANY MUSKOKA COLLECTORS, THIS IS ONE OF THE PIECES YOU DIVE AND WRESTLE FOR, BECAUSE, FOR ONE THING, IT IS ONE OF THE MUSKOKA RESORTS STILL OPERATING, THAT DATES BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PIONEER ERA CABIN, ON THE SHORE OF LAKE ROSSEAU, BUILT BY THOMAS AITKEN, OF WINDERMERE, THE FOUNDER OF THE HISTORIC RESORT. CANADIAN DEPARTMENT STORE MAGNATE, TIMOTHY EATON, RESIDED AT THE AITKEN HOUSE, ON ONE HUNTING AND FISHING EXPEDITION, AND TOLD THOMAS, IN CASUAL CONVERSATION, THAT HE SHOULD CONSIDER OPENING UP A BOARDING HOUSE, FOR ALL THE FUTURE TRAVELLERS AND SPORTSMEN, THAT WOULD SOON BE VENTURING TO THE MUSKOKA LAKELAND FOR RECREATION. EATON WENT ON TO PURCHASE LAND, NEARBY, WHERE HE BUILT HIS "RAVENSCRAG" ESTATE. BUT IN SOME SMALL WAY, WINDERMERE HOUSE WAS ORIGINALLY INSPIRED BY EATON. THE ORIGINAL RESORT BUILDING WAS LEVELED BY FIRE IN THE 1990'S, THE RESULT OF A TECHNICAL MISHAP, DURING THE FILMING OF A MOVIE, AND REBUILT LATER IN THE DECADE, TRUE TO ITS ORIGINAL DESIGN, ON THAT SAME PROMONTORY, OVERLOOKING LAKE ROSSEAU.
    SO GETTING AN ORIGINAL CRESTED WASH BASIN, WHICH IS EXTREMELY FRAGILE, IS EXCEPTIONAL FOR TWO REASONS. ONE, THERE ARE VERY FEW SURVIVING EXAMPLES. AND TWO, COLLECTORS WILL NEVER UNCLENCH THEIR HANDS FROM THESE WINDERMERE HOUSE RELICS, ONCE IN THEIR POSSESSION. SO ACQUIRING THIS RARE ITEM OF HOTEL HISTORY, IN MUSKOKA, IS ONE OF THOSE HIGH FIVE MOMENTS, FOR SURE. IF, THAT IS, SUZANNE AND I WERE MUSKOKA COLLECTORS, LIKE SOME OF OUR FOAMING-AT-THE-MOUTH COLLECTOR ASSOCIATES.
     AS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT IN THE PAST, SUZANNE COMES FROM PIONEER MUSKOKA STOCK, AND AS WINDERMERE IS HER HOME VILLAGE, AND HER FAMILY OPERATED THE WINDERMERE MARINA, AND "THE SKIPPER" SNACKBAR (ABOVE THE MARINA), AND OWNED BOTH A HOUSE AND COTTAGE IN THE COMMUNITY, WE HAVE INHERITED QUITE A VARIETY OF SO CALLED "MUSKOKA MEMORABILIA." SUZANNE'S GRANDFATHER, SAM STRIPP, AND HIS SON NORMAN (SUZANNE'S FATHER), WERE CONTRACTORS EMPLOYED TO LOOK AFTER COTTAGE PROPERTIES, AROUND THE LAKE, AND THE MAINTENANCE OF THOSE WONDERFUL OLD WOODEN BOATS, IN THE MYRIAD OF BOAT HOUSES IN THE WINDERMERE VICINITY. SO OVER THE YEARS, HER FAMILY WAS GIVEN A LARGE AMOUNT OF MUSKOKA RELATED PIECES, FROM BOAT PARTS, TO VICTORIAN SETEES, SOME OF WHICH WE STILL HAVE, WITH THE PROVENANCE, OF WHERE THEY ONCE WERE SITUATED; FROM HOME OR COTTAGE. DUE TO THE FACT WE COULD HARDLY MOVE IN OUR HOUSE, ESPECIALLY AFTER WE SETTLED THE FAMILY ESTATE, WE DID SELL OFF A SMALL PORTION, JUST TO GIVE US A LITTLE ROOM AT BIRCH HOLLOW. WE EVEN HAVE THE ORIGINAL CHURCH PEW FROM AN UFFORD CHURCH, THAT ONE OF HER KIN FOLK BUILT BACK IN THE LATE 1800'S, PLUS AN ORIGINAL PUMP ORGAN THAT HAD BEEN DONATED BY A PIONEER FAMILY THAT HAD BEEN IN THE FIRST UFFORD CHURCH. WE HAVE HAD TO MAKE A NUMBER OF TOUGH CHOICES IN THE PAST, AS TO WHETHER WE SHOULD OPEN A MUSEUM SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE, TO EXHIBIT THIS MEMORABILIA, OR SELL SOME PIECES TO COLLECTORS, WHO HAVE BEEN PESTERING US FOR DECADES ABOUT SPECIFIC PIECES. AFTER AWHILE, WE SUCCUMBED, AND MADE THESE FOLKS HAPPY FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. BUT AS THEIR APPETITE IS HUGE, IT HAS BOTHERED THEM THAT WE'RE APPARENTLY HOLDING BACK. IN REALITY, IT GOT SO BAD, ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO, WE JUST DECIDED TO PULL BACK THE MAJOR PIECES, WITH ANTICIPATION, OF ONE DAY HAVING WHAT WE POSSESS TODAY. A PLACE TO EXHIBIT SOME OF THESE NEAT MUSKOKA PIECES, FROM A LIFETIME'S CELEBRATION OF FAMILY TIMES, WORK AND RECREATION. SO WHAT ABOUT THE WINDERMERE HOUSE WASH BASIN?
     WITHIN HOURS OF ACQUIRING THE WASH BASIN, WITH ITS TINY CREST, WE HAD A COLLECTOR DEMANDING TO SEE IT. THAT'S RIGHT! WE KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED, AND WHERE THE INFORMATION CAME FROM, AND SUZANNE WAS PERTURBED ALL NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE COLLECTOR'S INTRUSION. THE INFORMATION WAS PASSED ON, INNOCENTLY ENOUGH, AS THE INDIVIDUAL ASSUMED, AS DEALERS, WE WOULD BE RE-SELLING THE WASH BASIN IN OUR GRAVENHURST SHOP. SO THE SELLER BELIEVED IT WAS POSSIBLE TO PURCHASE THE BASIN, WHEN IN FACT, WE MADE THE PURCHASE SO THAT WE COULD USE IT IN OUR SHOWCASE DISPLAY, OF INTERESTING AND RARE REGIONAL COLLECTABLES. IT IS NOSTALGIA FROM SUZANNE'S PAST, AND SHE ONCE WORKED IN THE WINDERMERE HOUSE GIFT SHOP, BACK IN THE 1970'S. EVEN BEFORE THE COLLECTOR ARRIVED HERE, SUZANNE HAD PLACED THE BOWL IN OUR BEAUTIFUL OLD DISPLAY CASE, WHICH WAS ONCE PART OF THE BUSH DRUG STORE, ON MUSKOKA ROAD, HERE IN GRAVENHURST; SITUATING IT BESIDE A SMALL STACK OF "WHITE ROSE" PATTERN, HOTEL-WARE DISHES, THAT WERE USED IN THE DINING ROOM, BACK IN THE DAYS OF FORMER WINDERMERE HOUSE OWNER, MARY ELIZABETH AITKEN. WE'VE HAD MUSKOKA COLLECTORS TURN THEIR NOSES UP AT THEM, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT "CRESTED," WHICH PRESUMABLY, AT LEAST FOR THEM, IS THE ONLY TRUE WAY TO IDENTIFY DINNERWARE AS ORIGINAL WINDERMERE HOUSE COLLECTABLES. THE FACT THAT SUZANNE DINED ON THEM, AT WINDERMERE HOUSE, APPARENTLY ISN'T ENOUGH EVIDENCE FOR THEM. SO NOW THEY ARE ON DISPLAY, WHERE THEY BELONG, BESIDE THE WINDERMERE HOUSE WASH BASIN. AND, THEY'RE NOT FOR SALE EITHER. BY THE WAY, THE MAYFLOWER PATTERN, WAS ANOTHER POPULAR RESORT STYLE HOTELWARE, AND WAS USED AT RESORTS LIKE WIGWASSAN LODGE, ON LAKE ROSSEAU'S TOBIN'S ISLAND.
     THERE IS A STORY, WHICH MAY BE AN ANTIQUE DEALER'S URBAN LEGEND, THAT A CRESTED CHAMBER POT, FROM WINDERMERE HOUSE, THAT WOULD HAVE BELONGED TO A SIMILAR SET, AS THE BASIN, WAS SOLD IN THE PAST TWO YEARS FOR UPWARDS OF $800. ALL BECAUSE OF A TINY CREST. A CHAMBER POT, WITH LID, IF YOU CAN SELL IT ALONE, IN A SHOP LIKE OURS, WOULDN'T FETCH MORE THAN TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. SO THE BULK OF THE VALUE, APPARENTLY, IS THE EMBLEM. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY FOR A CREST. BUT HONESTLY, WE DIDN'T BUY THE BASIN SO WE COULD FLIP IT FOR AN ENORMOUS PROFIT. IT WAS ACQUIRED TO AUGMENT OUR COLLECTION OF WINDERMERE AND MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES, WHICH WE HAVE ON PERMANENT DISPLAY AT OUR ANTIQUE SHOP. ANY ONE WHO HAS VISITED US IN THE PAST, WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS IS WHAT WE DO AS TRADITION. NOT THE EXCEPTION. WE COULD HAVE SOLD IT YESTERDAY FOR QUITE A NICE PROFIT, BUT THE WAY WE RUN OUR BUSINESS, YOU SEE, WE CAN PROFIT IN A THOUSAND OTHER WAYS, VERSUS THE CONTINUING SPECULATION OF LOCAL HEIRLOOMS. WE HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST, MOSTLY WITH FOUND PIECES, THAT HAVE HAD NO FAMILY CONNECTION. UNFORTUNATELY, THE AGGRESSIVE COMPETITION BETWEEN THOSE HUSTLING MUSKOKA PIECES, BOTH FOR PERSONAL REASONS AND FINANCIAL GAIN, HAS MADE IT UNCOMFORTABLE FOR US, STUCK PRECARIOUSLY IN THE MIDDLE.
     FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE HAD SOME UNIQUE MEMORABILIA TO OFFER OUR CUSTOMERS, IT WAS ALWAYS HANDLED IN THE SAME WAY WE HANDLED ALL OUR INVENTORY ARRIVALS. NO ONE RECEIVED PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT. PARTICULARLY BACK IN THE EARLY 1990'S, WHEN AUDREY JUDD, FROM THE FOUNDING FAMILY OF THE WELL KNOWN, JUDDHAVEN RESORT, IN THE VILLAGE OF MINETT (LAKE ROSSEAU), CONSIGNED MANY SHIPPING DOCUMENTS FROM THE MUSKOKA NAVIGATION COMPANY HEYDAY; BOY OH BOY DID WE MAKE SOME ENEMIES WITH THE DISPERSAL. WE PUT THEM IN OUR SHOWCASE, IN THE BRACEBRIDGE SHOP, AND IT WAS LITERALLY FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. WE DIDN'T START PHONING PEOPLE, TO TELL THEM OF OUR NEWLY ARRIVED ARCHIVE MATERIAL. WE JUST PRICED THEM ACCORDINGLY, (I HAVE DONE MUSEUM APPRAISALS OF MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES), AND AWAITED CUSTOMERS INTERESTED IN SUCH PIECES. WE DIDN'T WANT TO BE ACCUSED OF FAVORITISM, FOR PHONING ONE OR TWO, OVER THE DOZENS WHO WANTED MUSKOKA HERITAGE ITEMS. THE FIRST COLLECTOR THROUGH THE DOOR, BOUGHT THE WHOLE LOT, AND THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF THE STORY. WE PAID MISS JUDD, AND MADE A COLLECTOR VERY HAPPY. EXCEPT FOR THE FACT, WE START HEARING FROM OTHERS, ABOUT THE SALE OF THE COLLECTION, AND OF COURSE, JEALOUSY IS NEVER A PRETTY SIGHT. THE PROBLEM IS, THAT DEALERS AND COLLECTORS TALK ABOUT THESE TRANSACTIONS, AND BUYING COUPS, AS IF THEY ARE MILESTONE EVENTS, IN THE LOCAL ANTIQUE COLLECTING CHRONICLE. SOMETIMES YOU HEAR STORIES SPUN, ABOUT HOW THE SUBJECT ANTIQUE DEALER, WAS OUT-MUSTERED BY THE CLEVER MANIPULATIONS OF A SAVVY COLLECTOR. IT'S ALWAYS A SELF-SERVING OVERVIEW, OF A BUYER'S CLEVERNESS. SOME DEALERS WILL DO THE SAME. BRAGGING HOW THEY BEAT A CUSTOMER, MAKING A HUGE PROFIT. I HAVE BIOGRAPHIES OF ANTIQUE DEALERS GOING BACK TO THE 1800'S, AND THIS IS ONE COMMONPLACE THAT HAS SPANNED THE CHASM OF THE DECADES.
     APPARENTLY, ESPECIALLY FROM OUR ROLE IN THE EXPANDING MUSKOKA COLLECTING ENTERPRISE, WE WERE KNOWN ONCE AS THE "GO TO" DEALERS WHEN IT CAME TO REPRESENTING THE REGION. I WAS TOLD THIS, TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN WE RAN INTO SEVERAL LOCAL COLLECTOR / DEALERS, WHO, WHEN INTRODUCED TO ME, LOOKED AS IF THEY'D SEEN A GHOST. "WE KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU MR. CURRIE. YOU'RE A LEGEND WHEN IT COMES TO MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES." WELL, IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE THIS. MY CHIN WAS ON MY CHEST TOO, BECAUSE NO ONE OTHER THAN MY WIFE HAS EVER CALLED ME A LEGEND. AND THAT WAS A BAD REFERENCE. APPARENTLY, THE LEGENDARY PART, WAS THAT AS A MUSKOKA HISTORIAN, AS WELL, WE WERE WELL KNOWN IN THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE COMMUNITY, AS A FAMILY THAT LIVES AND BREATHES, ALL AVENUES OF MUSKOKA'S HERITAGE. WELL THAT'S TRUE. BUT NO ONE HAD EVER CALLED ME THIS BEFORE, AND THEN SHOOK MY HAND OUT OF RESPECT. AS I'VE NOTED EARLIER, THE MOST I USED TO GET, WAS AN ANGRY RETORT FROM A COLLECTOR, PISSED-OFF ABOUT THE FACT I HAD SOLD-OFF A VINTAGE MUSKOKA PHOTO ALBUM, WITHOUT CALLING THEM FIRST. WITH RABID FOLKS LIKE THIS, HONESTLY, THERE'S NO WAY OF SATISFYING ALL OF THEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS ONLY A TRICKLE OF UNIQUE AND RARE PIECES COMING ON TO THE MARKET.
     WE DON'T EXHIBIT ALL OF THE MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES WE ACQUIRE, AND IT'S NECESSARY, AS DEALERS, TO SELL SOME OF THESE ITEMS FOR PROFIT. A CASE IN POINT, IS A GOOD CONDITION COPY OF "MUSKOKA MEMORIES," WE HAVE IN THE SHOWCASE, AT THE PRESENT. IT'S FOR SALE. AND IT'S A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF "CAPTURED-IN-INK" MUSKOKA HISTORY. BUT SOME PIECES, THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US, AND OUR FAMILY, ARE JUST NOT UP FOR GRABS AT THE MOMENT. BUT WE DO, MOST AFFECTIONATELY, WANT THEM TO SHARE WITH OTHERS; OUR CUSTOMERS, WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THESE RELICS, OF A BYGONE ERA IN MUSKOKA. AND WE, AFTERALL, HAVE A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL BACKGROUND IN MUSEUM EXHIBITS, DATING BACK TO OUR YEARS WITH WOODCHESTER VILLA AND MUSEUM IN BRACEBRIDGE, THE MUSKOKA LAKES MUSEUM IN PORT CARLING, AND THE BRACEBRIDGE SPORTS HALL OF FAME EXHIBIT SHOWCASES, AT THE BRACEBRIDGE ARENA. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE JUST STARTED THINKING OF OURSELVES AS CURATORS, AND DECIDED TO OPEN UP OUR OWN MUSEUM. IN FACT, IT IS ONLY A SMALL DEDICATION OF SHOWCASE SPACE, BECAUSE AFTERALL, WE ARE A RETAIL ENTERPRISE, FIRST AND FOREMOST. WE COULDN'T HAVE A PERMANENT DISPLAY ALLOCATION, IF WE DIDN'T OCCASIONALLY SELL SOMETHING TO JUSTIFY BEING HERE, IN THE FIRST PLACE, AT OUR MAIN STREET GRAVENHURST STOREFRONT. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE CASE, THAT WE ISOLATE SOME SIGNIFICANT MUSKOKA PIECES FOR OUR DISPLAYS. IN THE CASE OF THE MATERIAL WE ACQUIRED, MOST RECENTLY, HIGHLIGHTING THE MILITARY CAREER OF CAPTAIN SHIRLEY MONTAGUE TUKE, WE FEEL, IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO SHARE THIS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS, THAN SPLITTING IT UP FOR SALE, AS MANY IN OUR PROFESSION, UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES, WOULD DO TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I SUPPOSE, IN THIS REGARD, WE ARE NOT AMONGST THE TOP ANTIQUE DEALERS IN OUR PROFESSION, AND I FEAR, WE MAY BE CLOSER TO THE BOTTOM WHEN IT COMES RIGHT DOWN TO SUCH APPRAISAL. YET WE ARE MOST CONCERNED, AS A FAMILY BUSINESS, THAT OUR PERSONAL VALUES PLAY A ROLE, HOWEVER MINOR, IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ENTERPRISE; AND IF WE WERE RADICALS IN THIS REGARD, I SUPPOSE THAT MIGHT PROVE SERIOUSLY DETRIMENTAL. WE ARE PRETTY CONSERVATIVE FOLKS, AND AS FAR AS HERITAGE PRESERVATION GOES, WE PAINT BETWEEN THE LINES. WE'RE NOT VERY EXCITING IN THIS WAY, BUT WE CAN LIVE WITH OUR DECISIONS, AND AT TIMES, IT HAS COST US A MARGIN OF PROFIT. SEEING AS WE DON'T HAVE A SUMMER COTTAGE, OR FOUR CARS IN THE DRIVEWAY, OR ANY RECREATIONAL VEHICLES TOWED BEHIND OUR VAN, AND HAVE ONLY HAD TWO VACATIONS IN TEN YEARS, FORGIVE US IF WE OPT TO HANG ONTO A FEW RELICS OF OUR DISTRICT PAST, THAT FOR THE MOMENT, WE JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH OUR PATRONS. DULL STUFF. RIGHT? IF WE COULD ONLY CONVINCE OUR MOST DEDICATED MUSKOKA COLLECTORS TO LIGHTEN-UP A TAD, AND ACCEPT FOR ONCE, "IT'S NOT FOR SALE, ANY ANY PRICE!" "ANY PRICE," YOU ASK. YOU'D BE SHOCKED AT THE AMOUNTS WE HAVE TURNED DOWN IN THE PAST.
     IN THE WORDS OF OLD FEZZIWIG, A CHARACTER IN "A CHRISTMAS CAROL," WRITTEN BY CHARLES DICKENS, "THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN MONEY;" AND THAT "WORK" AND "BUSINESS" CAN NEVER BE JUST ABOUT PROFIT; INSTEAD, IT'S ABOUT A WAY OF LIFE, TO BE ENJOYED AND CELEBRATED. WELL, THAT'S A PRETTY PROFOUND WAY TO END THIS COLUMN, AS RELATES TO LITTLE FOLKS LIKE US, RUNNING A TINY ANTIQUE SHOP IN A SMALL TOWN, HERE IN THE HINTERLAND OF ONTARIO; BUT I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER, ALL ENCOMPASSING OVERVIEW, THAN THIS. I AM AT ONE WITH OLD FEZZIWIG, I MUST CONFESS. SO, (AND THIS IS THE BOTTOM LINE), IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUR TRIBUTE TO MUSKOKA, YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO VISIT OUR GRAVENHURST SHOP.