This auction contains a large part of the personal collection and inventory of Wendy B Hamilton long time antiques authority and dealer and her late husband Bill Hamilton. Wendy B Hamilton enjoyed many years as an antiques dealer travelling and exhibiting at antique shows across Ontario. With her eye to detail, quality, condition and rarity, Wendy had a large following of collectors who enjoyed not only buying from her but also conversing and learning from her.
Wendy had a penchant for early forged and cast iron. This auction features many smalls that are highly collectible. There are painted door stops, a very scarce Canada West Jewel tea kettle, Griswold chocolate or cake molds, early meat forks, curling irons, toasters and so forth. You could easily furnish a working kitchen with her collection of early examples.
Early homes were illuminated with rush lights, tin candle lanterns, chamber sticks, whale oil lamps, candle sconces, fat lamps and hog scrapers. This auction has excellent examples of them all. There are even two courting candle sticks and if history is true these were often employed by the parents of a young daughter to limit the time spent with her by her suitor. This puts a “twist” on the notion of romantic candle light.
Wendy was also intrigued by children’s toys. There is everything here from cast iron trains, to Western and Eastern German Easter egg candy boxes, Chinese checkers games to very early ice skates that would have been very difficult to master, kids’ golf clubs, wooden blocks, toy stoves, and marbles.
There are sewing antiques ranging from sewing birds, to yarn winders, table clamps, mini tweezers and pin cushions.
For those interested in Christmas collectibles there are cast iron paint decorated candle holders, Christmas tree clip on tin candle sockets (we don’t recommend lighting them and leaving the room) and lead figures that went under your feather tree.
Wendy also parted with some of her prized Meissen collection. We have for auction plates, platters, sugar bowls, etc.
Wendy dealt with a lot of esoteric material. She had a comprehensive library which we are listing in this auction. Look carefully through each lot and see if there are titles you don’t have. Books range from Maud Lewis to cast iron banks to Canadiana and Americana to chocolate molds and folk art.
Finally, I would like to say on a personal note that we have known Wendy and Bill for many years and are very gratified to sell their collection and inventory for them.
