The Rural Voice, 1985-07, Page 58RURAL HERITAGE
Column No. 7
Pedigrees for possessions
"You can't take it with you" is an
old expression. It means that you
can't take everything with you to the
grave. Some try, nevertheless. There
was a man some years ago who
wanted to be buried in his favourite
Ford car.
As we go through life in our socie-
ty, we keep acquiring and shedding
things. It is easy to dispense with stuff
that doesn't mean much to you, but
quite a different matter when per-
sonal treasures which you have
cherished for a lifetime must be
parted from you.
This is an especially difficult ex-
perience for some older people. Too
often, when they fall apart physically,
relatives and others move in to re-
order their lives. They suddenly find
that all their familiar things have
vanished and that they themselves
have been placed among complete
strangers. The inevitable auction sale
follows the sometimes a family
squabble about who gets what.
To circumvent all this, many peo-
ple give away treasures to friends and
relatives while they are still able to
share the joy of possessions with the
new owners.
For some proprietors, an auction
sale is a day of mourning. They see
the curious, insensitive public pawing
over everything filled with memories.
Their reaction is the same as that of
people whose houses have been ran-
sacked by thieves or raided by the un-
tidy police.
On the other hand, some view an
auction as the decisive end to a huge
nagging responsibility. Possessions
can be millstones. For them, to wake
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Sofa, walnut with upholstery. Owned
privately in Stratford. Reputed to
have been made by Wm. Way, a
cabinetmaker. Brought from England
to Stratford by J.C.W. Daly, builder
of the first house in Stratford, 1833.
(Information for pedigree)
up one day to find that everything is
gone is a tremendous relief. Besides,
there is money in the bank.
Something good usually comes out
of a bad situation. Old treasures lost
become new treasures for others.
Everyone has seen perfect happiness
on the faces of successful bidders at
auctions when carting off their
newest prize with loving care.
Everything else gets pushed aside at
home to make room. Sometimes it is
a new animal in the stable or a better
tractor in the shed or a splendid anti-
que cupboard in the house.
Canadians are some of the greatest
givers of presents and some of the
most ardent followers of auction sales
in the world. Amongst all this giving
and selling of objects in Canada, a
very important element is missing,
especially at country auctions.
Rarely does any continuity of
ownership or history of an object get
passed along with it. The history of
most things starts over again with
each new owner.
Every farmer knows that a
pedigreed cow fetches a whopping
price. An equally good-looking cow
without a pedigree isn't in the same
league at all. Likewise, a painting,
proven by documentation and
evidence to be the work of a famous
artist, can go for thousands, easily.
Buyers will pay well for anything
with a full pedigree whether it be a
cow, a painting, a chair, a tractor,
needlework, or Gloria Swanson's hat.
If you give a prized possession to a
younger friend or relative along with
its history or pedigree it will be
treasured more than ever. As it passes
down through generations its value
will increase tenfold because it can
tell its story, as it were. We sometimes
say, "If only this thing could tell its
story." Well, a pedigree can speak
for an object and tell the story of
where it has been.
An object without its story, no
matter how beautiful, remains at best
an interesting curiosity, and is denied
a better valuation.
When country auctioneers en-
courage people to provide histories or
pedigrees of objects listed with them,
and when these auctioneers feature
pedigreed objects in their ads, the
total revenues from sales will gradual-
ly increase. Of course, it takes a lot
more time and effort to prepare for
an auction this way, but the results
will be worth it.
One of the groups in our popula-
tion who should be labelling
everything are the Dutch families who
brought their possessions with them
from Holland in huge crates called
"kists." The Dutch origin of these
items, ordinary or not, should be
known to bidders as they are part of
the cultural artifacts of Canada.
In our next column, we will give ex-
amples of how to write out descrip-
tions for objects being placed into the
hands of relatives or auctioneers.
Meanwhile, if you are getting ready
for an auction or giving away your
keepsakes, use a separate sheet for
each item you wish to describe and
tell everything you know about it.
List how and where it was acquired,
the previous owner(s), improvements
or repairs you have made, and the ad-
dress(es) of where it was used. Be sure
to sign your name and include the
date, because then your record
becomes a document.
Insist that the auctioneer read each
description aloud as the accompany-
ing object is placed on the block.
The new owners, whether friends,
collectors, or dealers, will be grateful
to you forever.
This is seventh in a series of columns
submitted by the Stratford Perth
Archives. This particular article was
submitted by James Anderson.