Our Saturday April 7 2018 antique auction was a record sale for us…and I have to admit, it felt good!

There were a few factors came into play.  First and foremost, we had a nice selection of quality items. Most of the pine Canadiana furniture came from the estate of the late Tony Drew, and living estate of Stella Drew, longtime Newmarket Ont residents. (more…)

Pictured here is a 222k Singer featherlight sewing machine. We often sell the 221 for $175-$200.  A few years ago they were in the $300-$500 range, but they have dropped off in price.

So what’s the difference between the 222k and the 221?  In a nutshell, here it is. (more…)

This past week, we removed the antique contents from a Newmarket estate. Nice load of Canadiana pine furniture, and next week I go back to pick up the artwork and small pieces. Auction will be April 7 2018. (click for auction details)

This was a simple wood frame house, that dates back 200 years!  Hard to believe, but the family has the documentation on the house and property. (more…)

Short story about this sign.  Sold in our Jan antique auction.  I see 1000’s of pieces a year in people’s homes, but every so often, there is something that catches my eye, and I get very excited about getting it for the auction! (more…)

In the auction business, obviously a big part of my business, is dealing with estates, or someone moving or downsizing. (more…)

I heard a radio ad recently for an antique store in Barrie.  They seem to be vintage and “mantiques”, and their tagline was “not your grandmother’s antique store”. (more…)

I found this piece on an on-line buy/sell site.  Asking $1000 for it.  In my opinion, never going to happen.  Not worth $1000 now, and they were never worth $1000.  At the peak of the market, maybe $250 to $300 at an auction, but now I would hesitate to even include it in an auction.  Good day, maybe $50…bad day, might not be able to sell it! (more…)

So now we head into another new year, and I head into my 22^nd year in the auction business. Actually, over 30 years in the antique business.  I opened an antique store in 1984, and ran it until 1994. (more…)