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| This photograph of Muffin the dog, our store mascot, found out just how cold February has been when this oak leaf froze to her upper lip. Don't you just hate when that happens! Rob Currie photo |
SPOTTING FRAUDS, REPRODUCTIONS AND REPRINTS IS ALWAYS A PRECARIOUS ENTERPRISE OF SELF-PROTECTION
DEALERS CAN GETS SUCKED-IN JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE - THE BEST DEFENCE IS TO READ, READ, READ
There is no shortage, let me tell you, of instructional books, to help you avoid getting beaten-up, and spit-out, by the unscrupulous antique dealers out there. Yes, there are some who prey on the ignorant, and it goes well back into history, but that can be assessed of just about any profession, or business, on this old planet. In the case of antiques and collectables, and especially art, there are lots of resources to help buyers figure out, whether a piece is genuine or a reproduction; a painting an original, or a well executed fake. There's no short-cut to being good at this identification thing, but if you get into the profession and field, as deep as our family has become, you never gamble on authenticity. You only need to get burned a couple of times, before it becomes clear, the way to business failure, is to take something, anything for granted.
Generalist antique and collectable dealers, like us, trying to keep our shop doors open, have to include an unspecified number of reproduction pieces in our shops, not to fool customers, but as strange as this might read, to pacify their interests none the less. Let's call it giftware, or just really good chairs that are made to look old. While to antique purists, who will only attend, or participate as vendors in vetted shows, having only genuine "antiques" being of a certain vintage without doubt, most generalist dealers I have met in my forty years in the profession, have no choice but to give customers what they ask for. No, deception doesn't enter into it! Giftware and useable reproductions, identified as such, are often part of the mix. Included in this are contemporary decorating items, from wreaths, candles, reproduction advertising signs, and just about anything else that falls under the description of home, and cottage enhancements. The rule is, of course, that there must be no attempt to sell them as originals, and that should be reflected in the asking price alone.
The original signs, for Coca Cola, as an example, will be thunderously more expensive than a reproduction. It should be obvious to most folks, who would venture into an antique shop in the first place, that the asking price would be the dead give-away, if they were at all fooled by the wear marks and fading, that are also reproduced to look original.
I don't like having these items myself, but some of our customers are okay with reproductions of the original, because they don't believe they will ever be able to afford the real McCoy. But they certainly don't leave our shop believing they have purchased the original. There are vendors in the antique and second hand trade, who aren't too concerned about this potential, of selling customers reproductions as originals, and although it sucks, it's been like this for centuries, and there's a lot of corroborating evidence. I've read a number of antique biographies, dating back to the early 1900's, and selling frauds and copies is ingrained in the heritage of antique dealing all over the world. Many buyers, and even astute collectors, have been burned by the high quality of some frauds, including the work of internationally revered artists and artisans. Knowing about the prevalence of these frauds and reproductions is absolutely necessary, for anyone starting out with ambitions to become "a collector," or an "antique dealer." Even if you are a home decorator, and wish to employ antiques for effect, you should still make wise investments in pieces that will at the very least, hold their value. Reproductions don't hold their value as much as the originals. Although, one day, well down the road, reproductions will probably become nostalgia first, before becoming antiques in a hundred years or so. Most of us living the good life right now, won't likely see the advantages of investment increases, in terms of reproduction items turning a big profit. Who can speak for what trends will unfurl a century from today. Antiques and legitimate collectables with established and tracked values, that can be referenced via price-guides and through online sites, are still better investments overall.
An example, of frauds getting the upper hand on the collector, can be overview by looking at Depression Glass, Carnival Glass, and Pressed Glass. I am, first-off, not an expert in glass by a million miles. Suzanne is far better to detect frauds in this regard, and honestly, unless we are sure where the items came from, such as buying from an estate, where we can ascertain by association, the age of the collection, (and with many other tests and research first), it's just easier to avoid making costly errors; and putting them in our shop as originals. We seldom if ever have reproduction heritage glass, because of the confusion it can cause customers, when comparing them to originals. We get a huge number of these reproduction glass pieces, coming into the store with thrift and charity shop customers, thinking they have just acquired a hugely valuable glass relic; only to find out it is a well executed copy of the original. Pink Depression Glass is the most frequent, in terms of what we see, from those wishing to sell their latest finds. I'm not sure about this, but I think Depression Glass must be one of the most re-produced of all the other heritage glassware, and I've found numerous examples of frauds in shops, being sold as originals. There are differences, and any serious glass collector, who specializes in this vintage, for example, would know the color differences, texture of finishing, and weight variations, from original Depression era pieces. It's a lot more difficult for the average antique lover, to find the reproduction glassware, than it is to guarantee the authenticity of vintage furniture and related accessories. If you know the basics of dating furniture, such as chairs and tables, having exercised fundamental due diligence in this field, you will recognize the wear and crafting evidence, such as saw marks, and rung-wear from many feet that have rested atop, to know if it is a reproduction or original. You always have to be concerned about restorations, and how much a subject piece has been altered, especially if you're buying it as an investment piece. If you like the way it looks, and it's affordable, then what the hell. It's only money.
Here's one of our strange hunt and gather situations, where what was seen most likely as a reproduction, but otherwise nice piece of furniture, was actually an original. We were shopping regionally, that's all I'll admit, and I came upon a piece of Asian inspired furniture, that caught my attention. I knew it was worth a second look, even when the price tag of $300 gave reason for the fuzz of my chin to hit upon my chest. I hadn't found much that morning, so I took a little bit of time to examine the piece more closely, to see for myself what could possibly inspire them, to put such a hefty price on a rectory style table of undetermined age. Someone I know at the second hand store, commented, in passing, about how great this high, narrow table was, and what the price "new" would be from a furniture retailer. I suppose he was right to assume, that the new price for the piece would be five hundred plus, because it was a solid, well made piece, without any doubt.
I must have studied that dark finished wood side table for forty minutes, trying to figure out if the piece was a high quality reproduction of a late 1700's to early 1800's table from England, possibly from Hogworts, of Harry Potter fame. I had never seen a piece like it, and frankly, I was starting to believe the shop staff had under-researched what kind of table it was, its age, and place of origin. I was also very worried about asking my dear wife for an allowance extension so that I could make the purchase. Suzanne knows that when I fixate on some artifact, collectable, or antique, it will be hard to pry me loose, thereafter. She knows it doesn't happen often, but when it does, there seems to be a pay-off of making the purchase without too much debate. I've been doing this buy and sell thing for a lot of years, but we're not wealthy and can't afford to take big losses when it comes to gambling on higher priced antiques. We've made our modest fortune, if you can call it that, by scrounging, and spending a lot less than most dealers we know, yet still filling our shop with decent inventory. When I began this biography, I made it clear that I've been a scrounger since the beginning, and nothing has changed, except the wrinkles all over my body.
I made the purchase, and spent the rest of that day rummaging through my world antiques books, to see if I could find anything close, to what we had hauled home. Hours upon hours spent reading, and nothing turned up. Except one thing. I got the idea, that there seemed to be distinct Chinese influence, in the table's design and construction. There were no nails used in the large, narrow table. It was all joined neatly by the strength of mortise and tenon, and there were straight saw marks on the bottom side of the table-top. Get this! Two days later, I was in a used book shop in Orillia, and I couldn't believe my good fortune. There was a book on antique furniture created in the various regions of China, dating back centuries. Photographed in the section on side tables, (fairly tall and long ones), there was an image parallel to ours, except for a few missing details. The ones illustrated were from this same period of the late 1700's, and the early 1800's. Let me make this clear! I am not an expert on Chinese antique furniture, and the only way to authenticate the table, is to have a qualified apraisor take a closer look; and yes, that means in person not via photograph, or online digital imaging. The value if it's the genuine article. Many, many thousands of dollars. The store, in believing it was a high quality reproduction, was spot-on if that had been the case; because obviously, it was a rebound sale of a used piece of furniture. The reality is seems, was that it had been used alright, but by many generations through the centuries.
It is likely we will be advancing this research in the near future, and I will let you know all the details about the subject table, with photographs. If I am wrong with my belief it is an original table, from this period in history, I won't hesitate letting you fine folks, know how I screwed-up in my research and validation. If I am right about my appraisal, we will be moving from Gravenhurst to Key West, Florida, where I have long wanted to retire in earnest. Hey, crazier things have happened. At least in my life.
ANTIQUE SHOP FOR SOME - JUST NOT ME
I WAS RUNNING THE CANADIAN VERSION OF PAUL RIMSTEAD'S MEXICAN LIAR'S CLUB
IN 1972 TORONTO SUN COLUMNIST PAUL RIMSTEAD TRAVELLED WITH HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER TO MEXICO. HE HAD BIG PLANS TO WRITE A BOOK, POSSIBLY, BUT MOST DEFINITELY A TRAVEL-TYPE, ADVENTURE STORY FOR THE READERS HE'D ALREADY WON-OVER AT THE NEWLY OPENED TORONTO SUN, FOLLOWING THE SUDDEN DEMISE OF THE TELEGRAM, WHERE HE'D WORKED PREVIOUSLY.
RIMSTEAD GREW UP IN BRACEBRIDGE ALONGSIDE FORMER NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE GOALTENDER, ROGER CROZIER…….AND I KNOW FOR FACT THEY USED TO SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME DOWN AT JOE'S BILLIARDS ON THE QUEEN STREET HILL, JUST UP FROM THE PATTERSON HOTEL. FROM WHEN THE PAPER WAS OPENED, IN 1971, RIMSTEAD BECAME A HUGE CELEBRITY…..WHICH IN THE NEWSPAPER BUSINESS DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THAT OFTEN. FOLKS IN TORONTO AND EVEN UP IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS, COULD RELATE TO RIMMER, AS HE WAS KNOWN FROM HIS REGULAR COLUMN. HE WAS JUST AN AVERAGE GUY, LIVING PAY CHEQUE TO PAY CHEQUE, SHARING ALL THE FOIBLES OF LIFE, PARENTING, BEING MARRIED, BEING IN DEBT, AND ALL THE ADVENTURES YOU COULD SIGN ON FOR, BEING A GAD-ABOUT, SEE EVERYTHING, DO EVERYTHING COLUMNIST……WHO ALSO PLAYED THE DRUMS IN A SMALL BAND, AND BY HIS OWN ADMISSION, DRANK A LITTLE TOO MUCH. AFTER COMING BACK FROM MEXICO, HE WAS GOADED INTO RUNNING FOR THE MAYOR OF TORONTO, AND HIS ENORMOUS POPULARITY FORCED HIM TO WITHDRAW. HE HAD DONE IT LARGELY AS A PUBLICITY STUNT, THAT COULD HAVE AFFORDED HIM THE KEY TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. WELL FOLKS, HE WOULDN'T HAVE MADE A VERY GOOD MAYOR. THIS WAS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE POPULAR VOTE. AND WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE YOU CAN GET INTO ON A DARE.
AS REPORTERS, WE LOVED THE GUY. WE SHARED A LOT IN COMMON. WE WERE BROKE, DRANK TOO MUCH, GOT INTO FREQUENT DISPUTES WITH OUR PUBLISHER, AND DESIRED THE BIG BREAK-AWAY RIMSTEAD USED TO WRITE ABOUT……SUCH AS HIS STORIES ABOUT THE "LIARS CLUB" IN MEXICO, WHICH STOOD FOR THE "LITERARY, INTELLECTUAL, ARTISTIC, READING SOCIETY," WHICH MET DAILY AT A LITTLE BAR-AWAY-FROM-HOME, KNOWN AS "LA CUCARACHA," WHICH MEANT, IN RIMSTEAD'S TRANSLATION, "COCKROACH." IN A SMALL WAY, AND EXCUSE MY PRESUMPTION OF THE MAN, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS A GENUINE ESCAPE FOR HIM, WITH ENORMOUS FREEDOM TO WRITE WITHOUT A PUBLISHER'S ENCUMBRANCES. BUT THERE WERE OTHER FAMILY ENCUMBRANCES HE SHOULD HAVE PAID ATTENTION TO, AND THIS WAS BY HIS OWN ADMISSION, POOR JUDGEMENT. IT COST HIM HIS WIFE WHO RETURNED TO CANADA WITH THEIR DAUGHTER. SO WHAT DOES A WRITER DO THEN? WRITE ABOUT IT OF COURSE. WE WERE ALL HANGING OFF HIS WORDS, AND DEEPLY SADDENED TO READ ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THEIR MARRIAGE. HE DIDN'T INTEND IT TO BE A BOOST TO HIS READERSHIP. HE WAS HURTING, AND THOSE CLOSE TO HIM KNOW HOW HARD HE TOOK IT ALL. BUT IT WAS THE KIND OF PERSONAL STUFF THAT OTHER COLUMNISTS DIDN'T WRITE ABOUT, AND THAT IS WHAT ENDEARED HIM TO OUR HEARTS. HIS LIFE WASN'T SO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN OUR OWN, AND HE WAS WILLING TO SHARE THE FAILURES ALONGSIDE THE MILESTONE SUCCESSES. HE WAS HUMAN. HE NEVER PUT HIMSELF ON A PEDESTAL THAT'S FOR SURE. THERE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANY PLACE TO SET DOWN HIS BEVERAGE, OR HIS RACING FORM ANYWAY, SITTING UP THERE ON A PEDESTAL.
"CLUB MEMBERS WERE PEOPLE LIKE THE JUDGE, TONY THE PAINTER, DEATHMARCH HAL, THE MIDNIGHT COWBOY, TORPEDO SAM, NURSEY, RACETRACK SANDY - CHARACTERS WHO WERE KNOWN BY THE UPPITY AMERICANS AND CANADIANS ON THE HILL AS 'THOSE HORRID PEOPLE AT THE CUCARACHA.' BUT, THEY WERE THE BEST CONVERSATIONALISTS AND MOST INTRIGUING CIRCLE OF FRIENDS I EVER HAD. THE BAR WAS A TINY PLACE WITH JUST A FEW WOODEN TABLES AND CHAIRS IN THE FRONT ROOM, AND A STANDUP BAR IN THE BACK WHERE THE MEXICANS DRANK. DRINKS WERE CHEAP AND CHUCHO, THE PROPRIETOR, WAS THE GUARDIAN ANGEL OF THE GRINGOS, RUNNING BAR TABS UNTIL THE MONEY CAME FROM HOME.
"SAN MIGUEL WAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN ARTISTS' COLONY BUT, RATHER, IT WAS A HOME FOR LOST SOULS, WIDOWS, DIVORCEES, AND PEOPLE WHO WERE TRYING TO SURVIVE ON SMALL PENSIONS. THEY PRETENDED THEY WERE WRITING, PRETENDED THEY WERE PAINTING. THEY WERE DRINKING AND LAUGHING. DRINKING AND TALKING.THE BAR WAS FAMOUS ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT IN FEATURE STORIES IN MAJOR MAGAZINES, INCLUDING A LONG PIECE IN ESQUIRE. NORMAN MAILER DRANK THERE, SO DID THE GUY WHO WROTE 'THE HUSTLER.' NOBODY GOT TO KNOW IT BETTER THAN ME. I WAS A REGULAR, ARRIVING AT NOON EACH DAY, DRINKING UNTIL TWO OR THREE IN THE AFTERNOON, OR UNTIL THE MISSUS CAME IN, LEADING MISS WIGGLEBUM (DOG) ON A LEASH, AND FIRING ME ONE OF HER PATENTED LOOKS."
THIS ISN'T ABOUT PAUL RIMSTEAD. HE DIDN'T RUN MY ANTIQUE SHOP. I MADE THAT MISTAKE MYSELF. THERE WAS NO BOOZE INVOLVED, BUT IN JUST ABOUT EVERY OTHER WAY, MY ANTIQUE BUSINESS WAS PRETTY MUCH THE CANADIAN PARALLEL OF "LA CUCARACHA," AND I HAD MY OWN LIAR'S CLUB THAT HELPED ME GET THROUGH THE DAYS. NOW I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO INSULT ANY ONE ELSE WHO HAS AN ANTIQUE SHOP. I WILL BE DELIGHTED TO VISIT AND SHOP THERE, AND I'LL PROBABLY FIND SOMETHING I LIKE. IT'S JUST THAT PERSONALLY, I HAVE THE KIND OF DISPOSITION YOU SEE, THAT SHOULD HAVE PREVENTED ME FROM GETTING INTO LEASES, PARTNERSHIPS, AND THE KIND OF EXIT-LESS BOX I'D CREATED FOR MYSELF AND FAMILY…….ON A LARK. AS RIMSTEAD HAD HIS LIFE AND FAMILY AFFECTED, IN MANY WAYS, BY HIS PATRONAGE OF LA CUCARACHA, MY UNDOING CAME WHILE RUNNING A SMALL ANTIQUE BUSINESS, I CALLED BIRCH HOLLOW, THAT WHILE BUILT ON A PASSION FOR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, WAS FAULTILY HINGED ON A MAN WHO IS A WELL KNOWN CLAUSTROPHOBIC, AND ONE WHO IS VERY EASILY BORED. ASK MY WIFE. THIS IS NO LIE. AND AFTER A DECADE IN THE LOCAL NEWS BUSINESS, LEADING A LARGELY SLEEPLESS DECADE, WITH WAY TOO MUCH TO DRINK, AND WITH WAY TO MANY ADVENTURES WITH MY CRONIES, BEING THE PROPRIETOR OF AN ANTIQUE SHOP WAS A BIG AND UNHEALTHY STRETCH FROM THE CREDITS OF MY IMMEDIATE PAST.
IN THE SIX ODD YEARS…..AND THEY WERE INDEED ODD, I WROTE FOUR MANUSCRIPTS, TWO OF WHICH WERE LATER PUBLISHED. I HAD LOTS OF TIME BETWEEN CUSTOMERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE LONG HAUL FROM THANKSGIVING UNTIL EASTER. ADD TO THIS THE FACT WE MOVED TEN MILES SOUTH TO LIVE, AND I HAD TO BABYSIT TWO YOUNGSTERS, FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME, WHILE RUNNING THE SHOP. AS I WAS A MR. MOM ANYWAY, THIS BEING THE MOST DIFFICULT JOB I'D EVER KNOWN, AND AN ANTIQUE DEALER, IT SEEMED, IN A ETHEREAL MOMENT, NAVIGABLE TO DO BOTH…..MAKE MONEY AND LOOK AFTER THE WEE LADS. IT WAS INSANITY. I NEEDED PEOPLE TO TALK TO, IN ORDER TO GET THROUGH THE DAY. HENCE THE BIRCH HOLLOW "LIAR'S CLUB." I ALWAYS KEPT RIMMER'S 1980 AUTOGRAPHED BOOK, "COCKTAILS AND JOCKSTRAPS," IN A COUNTER DRAWER, THAT I COULD CALL ON FOR A QUICK DOSE OF INSPIRATION, AND BY GOLLY, HE GOT ME THROUGH SOME AWFULLY TOUGH TIMES BACK THEN…….AND HE NEVER KNEW HOW DEPENDENT I HAD BECOME. I HAVE THE SAME BOOK IN FRONT OF ME TODAY, AND IT IS THE ALEXIR FOR WHAT AILS ME. FUNNY THING THOUGH, PEOPLE ARE VERY SURPRISED THAT IN MY PERSONAL LIST OF AUTHORS I REFER TO MOST OFTEN, AS A WRITER, PAUL RIMSTEAD IS THIRD ONLY TO CHARLES DICKENS AND WASHINGTON IRVING. AS FOR SPIRITUALITY UPGRADES, GEEZ, HE'S NUMBER ONE.
SO A NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATE SUGGESTED, ONE DAY OVER A FEW COCKTAILS, THAT WE FORM A PARTNERSHIP TO RENT SOME RETAIL SPACE, ON BRACEBRIDGE'S MANITOBA STREET, TO RUN OUR FAMILY BUSINESSES WITH HIGHER PROFILE. WE BOTH HAD IN-HOME BUSINESSES AT THIS POINT, AND THE IDEA OF GETTING INTO THE MAIN BUSINESS CORRIDOR SEEMED A GRAND ADVENTURE. IT WAS FOR ABOUT A WEEK. AFTER ABOUT SIX MONTHS, NOT SO MUCH. THE PARTNERSHIP ENDED AFTER ABOUT A YEAR, WHEN I LEFT THE NEWSPAPER, TO JOIN A COMPETITOR, AND THIS SITUATION PROVED INTOLERABLE FOR OUR ASSOCIATE. SO WE GOT DUMPED WITH A STORE WE ONLY MARGINALLY WANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE WAS A HONKING BIG VOID TO FILL, LET ME TELL YOU. IT WAS A SMALL SHOP BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE A HUGE COLLECTION OF INVENTORY, AND NOT A LOT OF MONEY TO INVEST……WITH A MORTGAGE AND A YOUNG FAMILY. DID I MENTION THE DAMN CAR, THAT SEEMED TO BREAK DOWN AT MY WEAKEST, MOST EXHAUSTED MOMENTS. IT WASN'T JUST BAD TIMING, AND A POORLY THOUGHT-OUT BUSINESS PLAN. IT WAS THE FACT I AM NOT A PERSON WHO LIKES TO BE CONFINED BY THIS KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY. I LIKE TO BE OUT HUSTLING ANTIQUES, TO SELL AT OTHER VENUES. I HAD MISTAKENLY JUDGED MYSELF SOMEONE WHO COULD BE A SHOP-KEEPER. I LOVED THE BUSINESS, JUST NOT THE COFFIN-LIKE QUALITIES IT SEEMED TO POSSESS…….UNTIL THAT IS, I WELCOMED MEMBERS OF THE LIARS CLUB TO JOIN ME FOR MY DAILY WALLOW IN SELF-PITY.
SUZANNE THOUGHT IT WAS BAD BUSINESS TO ENCOURAGE SPEND-NOTHING MATES TO HANG-AROUND THE SHOP…..AS THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN IMPEDIMENT TO BUSINESS. BELIEVE ME, THESE FINE FOLKS WERE ANYTHING BUT AN IMPEDIMENT. IT WAS QUITE THE OPPOSITE. AS I PUT IN SOME VERY DIFFICULT HOURS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE WEE LADS, THEIR KINDNESSES WERE JOYFULLY RECEIVED. ONE OF MY LADY FRIENDS USED TO SIT DOWN AND COLOR WITH ROBERT, TO GIVE ME A LITTLE BREAK FROM PARENTING. WHEN THE BOYS GOT INTO FULL-TIME SCHOOL, AT BRACEBRIDGE PUBLIC, THE DAYS SLID OVER-TOP, LIKE THE ETCHING OF A GLACIER UPON MY SOUL. I WOULD'T HAVE LASTED IN THAT HOLE-IN-THE-WALL FOR AS LONG AS I DID, WITHOUT THE COMPANY OF THE DOZEN OR SO CUSTOMERS……WHO ALTHOUGH NEVER SPENT A LOT OF MONEY TO SUPPORT THE SHOP, ALWAYS GAVE IT THE APPEARANCE IT WAS A "HAPPENING" PLACE. I WAS RUNNING AN OLD TIME, SMALL TOWN BUSINESS, LIKE YOU'D EXPECT IN MAYBERRY OR HOOTERVILLE, AND SOME OF THOSE SAME CHARACTER-TYPES, PULLED UP STOOLS AND SAT BY MY COUNTER AND DEBATED WORLD ISSUES FOR MOST OF THE AFTERNOON. I HAD CUSTOMERS BRING ME COFFEE, AND SOUP, AND BUTTER TARTS, MUFFINS OF ALL KINDS, AND EVEN CANDY BARS, AS THEY KNEW I WAS TETHERED TO MY CASH REGISTER. PEOPLE I THOUGHT THE WORLD OF, FOR KEEPING ME FROM NODDING OFF INTO MY CASH DRAWER. IT WASN'T A MALE ONLY CLUB EITHER. I ENJOYED THE CONVERSATION WITH QUITE A FEW GALS OVER THE YEARS, AND OUR TOPIC RANGE WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE. POINT IS, WE ENJOYED THE ANTIQUE SURROUNDINGS, CHATTING ABOUT HISTORY, COLLECTIONS THEY HAD AND ENJOYED, AND WHERE THEY WERE PLANNING TO ANTIQUE HUNT THAT PARTICULAR WEEK. WE TALKED ABOUT AUCTIONS, AND WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE WEEKEND SALES. WE LAUGHED AT THE AUCTION ANECDOTES, AND ABOUT SOME OF THE KNOW-IT-ALLS, WHO OFTEN GOT STUCK WITH JUNK……THINKING THEY HAD WON THE HOLY GRAIL.
JACK KIERNAN, FROM UPTOWN BAYSVILLE, WAS THE MOST FAITHFUL OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF OUR VERY OWN LIAR'S CLUB. WE HAD ONLY JUST OPENED THE BUSINESS, WHEN WEE JACK AMBLED THROUGH THAT DOORWAY. A RETIREE FROM KODAK, IN TORONTO, I BELIEVE, JACK HAD COME TO LIVE IN BAYSVILLE, IN THE TOWNSHIP OF LAKE OF BAYS, A PLACE HE ABSOLUTELY ADORED. JACK WAS BIG INTO MILITARIA AND BOTH CORGI AND DINKEY TOYS, AND HE SPENT HOURS TUTORING ME FROM HIS EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE IN THOSE AREAS. HE WAS A SMALL GUY IN STATURE, BUT HE WAS A GIANT OF A FRIEND. IF I HAD TO RUN OVER TO THE SCHOOL TO PICK UP THE BOYS, JACK WOULD SHOP-SIT FOR ME. IF I HAD SOMETHING TO MOVE, HE WAS ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP OUT. I GOT TO KNOW JACK AND HIS WIFE VERY WELL OVER THE TIME AT THE SHOP, AND WE SOLD MANY ITEMS ON CONSIGNMENT HE KINDLY OFFERED US FROM HIS PRIZED COLLECTION. NOT SO LONG AFTER WE CLOSED THE SHOP, WHEN I BECAME PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR OF THE CROZIER FOUNDATION OF MUSKOKA, AND CURATOR OF THE BRACEBRIDGE SPORTS HALL OF FAME, I WAS ABSOLUTELY STUNNED TO FIND OUT MY LITTLE BUDDY HAD PASSED AWAY. I NEVER REALLY THANKED HIM FOR GETTING ME THROUGH THE STORE YEARS. I WAS ABLE TO GET HIM INTO A LIMITED SEATING CELEBRITY HOCKEY DINNER, COURTESY OF THE CROZIER FOUNDATION, AND IT WAS GREAT TO SEE JACK, WITH HOCKEY CARDS IN HAND, STANDING WITH HOCKEY LEGENDS LIKE BILL WHITE, OF CHICAGO AND THE ORIGINAL TEAM CANADA OF THE EARLY 70'S. HE GOT AUTOGRAPHS FROM ALL THE CELEBRITIES IN ATTENDANCE, INCLUDING MY BOSS AT THE TIME, ROGER CROZIER AND L.A. KINGS GOALTENDER, WAYNE RUTLEDGE…..WHO HAD BEEN THE NUMBER ONE GOALIE FOR THE EXPANSION TEAM. JACK AND I, AND OUR BOYS, HAD BEGUN COLLECTING HOCKEY CARDS AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, IN THE EARLY 1990'S, AND WE HAD GREAT CARD-TRADING SESSIONS ON MY SALES DESK TO COUNTER THE WINTER BLUES.
JACK ALWAYS CAME AROUND THE CORNER AT PRECISELY THE TIME I NEEDED TO TALK TO SOMEONE…..OTHER THAN MYSELF. GEEZ, WE USED THAT BASEMENT ANTIQUE SHOP AS A FORUM FOR GREAT POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEBATES, AND BEFORE THE END OF OUR CONVERSATION, WE MAY HAVE BEEN JOINED BY ANOTHER TWO OR THREE OF MY SHOP REGULARS. I REMEMBER ONE CONVERSATION WITH ANOTHER MILITARY COLLECTOR, FROM ORILLIA, WITH JACK AS THE COUNTERPOINT MAN, WHEN THE DISCUSSION CAME UP ABOUT DENMARK AND THEIR ROLE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. I HAD THIS SUSPICION, ANOTHER FRIEND OF MINE, WHO SUFFERED THROUGH THE WAR IN DENMARK, AS A YOUNGSTER, WORKING AS A BAKER'S ASSISTANT, COULD WALK THROUGH THAT DOOR ANY MOMENT, AS HE USUALLY DID ABOUT MID-DAY. SO I TRIED TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT BECAUSE I KNEW HOW SENSITIVE HE WAS ABOUT LIFE WITH THE NAZIS. WELL SIR, HE HAD BEEN STANDING IN ANOTHER ROOM IN THE SHOP, AND HAD HEARD MOST OF WHAT WAS BEING SAID ABOUT THE MOTHERLAND. TRUE, HE WAS RED IN THE FACE LIKE A PICKLED BEET, AND HIS HAIR SEEMED TO BE BLOWING IN THE BREEZE OF NEGATIVE ENERGY, BUT YOU KNOW, HE SADDLED UP TO THAT COUNTER, WITHOUT ANY ANGER IN HIS VOICE, AND GAVE ALL OF US A HISTORY OF WHAT IT WAS ALL LIKE TO HAVE A GERMAN GUN POINTED IN YOUR FACE……..AND BE TOLD, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS…..EVEN WITH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER, TO "EXTINGUISH THE LAMP ON THE BIKE, OR DIE." HE EXPLAINED HOW HE ONLY HAD TO HEAR THIS ONCE, TO KNOW THE RUMORS WERE TRUE. NAZIS DID KILL PEOPLE FOR LITTLE OR NO REASON. WHAT WAS AMAZING TO ME, WAS THE WAY IN WHICH HE TOOK BOTH THESE MILITARY COLLECTORS, AND GAVE THEM A BLOW BY BLOW ACCOUNT OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE LIVING IN THIS OPPRESSED CONDITION, WONDERING IF YOU WOULD STARVE TO DEATH, OR BE SHOT THAT DAY…..FOR ALL THE DAYS OF THE OCCUPATION. THESE GUYS WERE SPELLBOUND. AS AN HISTORIAN MYSELF, THIS WAS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF INFORMATION SHARING WE HAD, ACROSS THAT COUNTER, NOT FOUND IN THIS DETAIL IN ANY BOOK I OWNED….AND THAT REPRESENTED A LOT OF BOOKS. IT WAS RAW, UNCENSORED, IMPORTANT HISTORICAL DETAIL, THAT WAS BEING OPENLY SHARED, THAT WAS IMMENSELY PERSONAL AND AS INTIMATE AS THE DECISION TO EXTINGUISH THE BIKE LAMP, BECAUSE LIFE SEEMED SO MUCH MORE RELEVANT.
AS I CONTINUE THIS COLLECTION OF BLOGS, ABOUT ANTIQUE HUNTING, COLLECTING AND EVENTUALLY SELLING, I WILL MAKE MANY REFERENCES TO THE BIRCH HOLLOW "LIARS CLUB," WHICH, AS IT DID FOR RIMSTEAD, IN MEXICO, CAME TO MEAN THE "LITERARY, INTELLECTUAL, ARTISTIC, READING SOCIETY." TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE MY DAYS FULFILLING REGARDLESS WHETHER THE TILL RANG AT ALL, I EXTEND SINCERE THANKS, AND REGRET THIS TRIBUTE TO THEM, HADN'T COME SOONER OR MORE SINCERELY…..ESPECIALLY FOR MY BUDDY, JACK KIERNAN WHO WAS PRETTY MUCH FAMILY FOR THOSE YEARS OF STORE LIFE.
FUNNY THING ABOUT THIS. FIVE AND A HALF YEARS AGO, I WORKED WITH OUR BOYS, ANDREW AND ROBERT, TO OPEN THEIR OWN RETAIL SHOP IN UPTOWN GRAVENHURST, VERY MUCH IN THE MODEL OF BIRCH HOLLOW ANTIQUES, FROM THE LATE 1980'S, TO THE MID 1990'S. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT INTO ANTIQUES THE WAY SUZANNE AND I ARE, TO THIS DAY, THEY HAVE MADE ENORMOUS INROADS WITH VINTAGE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, PARTICULARLY GUITARS, MANDOLINS, ELECTRICS AND DRUMS. THEY ARE CURRENTLY APPROACHING THEIR SIXTH ANNIVERSARY. BUT TELL YOU WHAT. WE SCULPTED AN EVEN MORE DYNAMIC SHOP, FOR THEM, THAT STILL ENCOURAGES THE "LIAR'S CLUB" AMBIENCE, WHERE KINDLY FOLKS, MUSICIANS, COUNTRY PHILOSOPHERS, ADVENTURERS, PACIFISTS, POLITICAL ANIMALS, AND ARTISTS CAN HANG-OUT, AND ENJOY CASUAL CONVERSATION ABOUT ALL THINGS RELEVANT AT THE MOMENT. SOME DAY'S IT'S LIKE SAM DRUCKER'S STORE, FROM TELEVISION'S "GREEN ACRES," AND AT OTHER TIMES, IT HAS THE SAME CAST OF CHARACTERS AS FLOYD'S BARBER SHOP ON ANDY OF MAYBERRY, OR BETTER STILL, SOME JUG-BAND "HILLS" MUSIC LIKE THE DARLING'S USED TO PLAY, FOR SHERIFF TAYLOR, WHILE INCARCERATED AT THE JAILHOUSE. BUT THE BOYS LOVE IT. THEY WON'T GET RICH FROM THE RIGORS OF CASUAL CONVERSATION, BUT THEY'LL BE ENRICHED NONE THE LESS. SO HERE THEY'VE CARRIED ON WHAT I DECIDED NOT TO…….WITH MUSIC ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, NOSTALGIA, OLD VINYL……AND OH YES……LOTS OF FRIENDS TO HELP THEM PASS THE TIME.
THANKS FOR JOINING THIS BLOG.
SEE YOU AGAIN SOON.
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