Shovel Guild Library

On Saturday April 18th 2009, I learned first hand that Humber College is a big place, and the antiseptic hallways held few clues to the location of the 16th Annual Four Seasons Bottle Collectors Club Show and Sale which is otherwise known as the Toronto Bottle Show.  Its no good asking student about this - all you get in return are blank stares.

After thirty minutes of eagerly searching the halls, I encountered the hired help; a fresh faced group of 18yr old college athletes were watching you tube videos and reviewing homework assignments on laptop computers outside the gymnasium. Although there were absolutely no signs advertising the upcoming grand event, these guys told me I was in the right place. When I returned to the scene a few minutes later, they were busy inside the gym erecting tables and chairs in keeping with a floor plan that had been drafted by Melissa Clare and submitted to the college a week earlier.

Under Melissa's leadership everyone laboured cheerfully to the music of the nineteen seventies. I put the alphanumeric place mats on every table, and watched other club members set up a coffee urn, and unpack six boxes of donuts for general consumption.

Carl Parsons set up a lovely display of enameled cups. He collects the strangest things. Each of these items is decorated with Mother Goose / Grimm fairy tale themes and further flavoured with Dutch culture in the animations. Carl owns these enameled cups, mostly European in origin and keeps them as found, in various stages of decay, ranging from good to poor condition. These unique and interesting objects were put on display for the benefit of club members that are interested in learning more about this stuff. Also present was a fine collection of salt glazed stoneware jugs, restuarant creamers and a fascinating assembly of carnival glass.

So just how much money are fairy tale theme enamelled plates and cups worth? I'm always keen to know the price of things and Carl tells me they're worth between $12 and $25 dollars each, with the best pieces fetching $75 or $100. To command that price the cup must be in good condition with a rare picture from a popular fairy tale. The most valuable item on display here was a disney plate that featured the iconic Mickey Mouse and although slightly damaged, and more than a little worn, it's still valued at approximately $80.

Cliff and Donna Stunden made valuable contributions to the administration of the event, as did Sean Murphy and Carl Moorhouse. Darren Spindler , the webmaster extraordinaire behind Early Canadian Bottle Works was also busy helping set up and taking pictures of the members to record their faces for posterity.

Jamie McDougall the president of the enterprise appeared in the last light of the day, to gaze upon the assembly and approve the well oiled machinery of his administration. This event is the product of twelve smart people with over fifteen years experience, and the dedication of Melissa Clare.

When the work was finished, the collective relaxed and schemed over complimentary coffee and donuts. During this time Melissa took it upon herself to rearrange Carl's cups (he did not protest but rather watched with amusement) and help others set up some additional displays.  Outside, the excitement began to build as Canada's oldest and most reputable bottle dealers waited for admission. 

The Toronto Bottle Show is the biggest and most prestigious bottle show in Canada. Looking around the venue it was easy to see how the place could accomodate 10,000 specimans - at least two hundred thousand dollars worth of historic Canadian antiquities would be on display in an extravagant show and sale that is also the nation's foremost informal meet and greet for bottle collectors of all descriptions. This is the best place in the world to learn about Canadian antique bottles and crocks.

What is the source of their merchandise?
Dumpdiggers made this the primary focus of this event experience. Where do these people get their stuff? Are they diggers, or auction sale hounds? Or do they buy online? For me to understand them as people, I'd like to know what they collect, and also, more importantly, what type of collector they are - and that usually boils down to the simple question, why do they collect antique bottles and pottery?

The dealers waited outside...
At seven o'clock sharp the doors opened and the dealers queued to gain admission. Some folks at the head of the line had been waiting outside for an hour, while other veterans were content to mill about the parking lot catching up with folks and getting some sneak peeks. I'm told that some remarkable deals occurred out here on truck tailgates belonging to other folks who'd just come down to say hello. These rouges didn't even bother getting a table or setting up displays for the public, and they didn't pose for my camera either...  

Most of the veterans are old frineds that have known each other for a long time. Its a fact, you meet a lot of people at the bottle show and these men must have met each other many times over the last fifteen years. I would stand and listen as they shook hands and inquired about each other’s familys, property and bottle collections. Do they still have or search for certain infamous missing pieces? Have they been to other shows? And how about their friends? Where is so and so, and how is he or she doing now? Everyone likes to talk about who’ve they seen recently, and who they expect to see tomorrow... And thats when the rumour started: Malcom and Newf are coming to the 2009 Bottle Show.

And much to everyone’s surprise, Malcom McLeod and Newf arrived thirty minutes after the doors opened. They were too busy saying hello to people to register right away, but soon after began hauling in crates full of dug items on two wheeled dollies. When Malcom saw me taking his picture he remarked, "Hey Robert, are you a member now? They'll let anyone join this club."

Everyone Crowds Around Malcom And Newf's Table

That's when the excitement piqued. The energy was electric as Malcom and Newf unpacked their crates and populated their table with their best finds from three years of digging. Each piece of stoneware was picked up seconds after Malcom set it down; he had to tell his friends more than once that he was going to unpack first, and then give his prices. It was a good strategy - demand increased as the crowd grew larger. Robin Newton-Smith gathered three items into a private stash and wanted to negotiate a collective bargain - Malcom kept unpacking but honestly observed, "You know Robin the price is going up the longer you stand there." to which Robin acknowledged, "Yeah I figured". But he didn't move, and he was the first person to come to terms with Malcom. He quickly packed the goodies away in a yellow shopping bag and I never did discover what he bought or how much he paid.

Chris (Newf) did the same stiff trade on the other end of the table. Newf has a honourable nickname (this four letter word was all that was one his dealer nametag). He's from the east coast. This moniker, Newf, was almost certainly bestowed by Malcom on one of their first digs together. The friendly nickname denotes his point of origin, and his one true passion. He's a stone mason that hopes to retire out east. Above is a picture of his table, with a close up on a special bottle made in the Erie Glassworks. "Everything you see on this table represents at least one day of digging" he told me, "These are my best picks", and by that he means these were the objects that he took from a common stash to which he contributed equally albeit in a different hole, in the same patch of dump or backyard property – it’s a ritual called the pick of the picks and these were his best picks, but not what he collects. That Erie bottle ended up on Jamie McDougal's table and he wasn't selling. He collects 'factory bottles' and Toronto sodas made at the Erie glassworks are rare indeed.

Just before I left on Saturday night I snapped a shot of Jean Marc of  Antique Quebec Medicine Bottles sitting behind his complete display. He was all set up and ready to do his part and make his glorious debut at the Toronto Bottle Show.

I'm a big fan of this bilingual young dealer (I think he said he was 24yrs old) whom I perceive to have true passion and dedication the history behind his collection, and he was well received by everyone that night, and at the show proper on Sunday.

Continue reading about the 2009 Toronto Bottle Show?