About VISBIDS
Your one-stop shop for all your estate and downsizing needs
VISBIDS is a recognised Southern Ontario auction house serving families, collectors, executors, downsizers, and professionals managing antiques, collections, and estate contents. We sell fine antiques, fine art, silver, folk art, jewellery, toys, furniture, and other personal property through professionally managed online auctions.
Our services bring the different stages of an estate or downsizing project together in one place. We provide collection evaluations, certified appraisals, estate management support, antique consignment, private brokerage, online auction services, and shipping coordination. This allows clients to move from an initial review of their items to an appropriate sales plan with clear guidance throughout the process.
VISBIDS was founded by Barry Ezrin and John Vanderkop, who each bring over 30 years of experience in the antiques industry. Their backgrounds include antique dealing, personal property appraisal, estate settlement, auction management, retail operations, antique shows, and direct work with collectors, institutions, families, and professional representatives.
Click below to view the list of our auction items.
Experience Behind Visbids
Barry and John bring complementary knowledge to each estate, collection, and consignment. Barry’s experience in appraisal, market research, collecting, and antique dealing supports the identification and valuation of personal property. John’s background in estate settlement, auctions, retail, and handling household contents supports the planning and practical coordination required to bring suitable items to sale.
This combined experience helps Visbids provide realistic advice based on condition, rarity, current demand, and comparable market activity. Some items are well suited to online auction, while specialised or higher value pieces may require private brokerage. Other items may have limited resale demand and may be better retained, distributed, or donated.
Meet Barry Ezrin
Barry is a well-known Southern Ontario antique dealer. Barry wants to guide clients through the antique assessment process with more than ten years of experience and certification from the Canadian Personal Property Appraiser Group (CPPAG).
Barry was born and raised in Toronto. He has been a passionate antiques collector his whole life, going to auctions since age seven. He has spent the past thirty years hunting for antiques to furnish he and his wife’s early federal home. He has been a full time antiques dealer since 1992 after leaving the corporate and government sector. He participated in up to 26 antiques shows a year. He has become an accredited personal property appraiser. He is a nationally certified member of the Canadian Personal Property Appraisers Group. He has done appraisals for museums, cultural institutions, corporations, banks, and individuals needing advice with downsizing or settling estates.
Meet John Vanderkop
John Vanderkop grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. While in high school, he worked part time for Mildred Grebeldinger at “Ye Olde ‘X’ Shoppe”, where he discovered his passion for the antique business. After travelling and working various jobs after college, John returned to the X Shoppe, where his career in the industry began in earnest.
After several years learning the trade, he opened his own antique/second-hand store in Port Credit – A1 Antiques and Used Furniture. For the next several decades he grew and ran his business, specializing in estate settlement, running auctions and doing antique shows. Ten years ago, after retiring from the day to day business of running a retail antique store, he became a permanent vendor at the Aberfoyle Antique Market, running a large indoor booth at the oldest running outdoor antique market in Canada.
