The auctioneer at Waddingtons Auction Company is a gentleman with an unmatched sense of humour. He once sold a pair of high boots that were full of $6,000 in greenbacks for $2. His dry sense of humor never wavers. Even during a tense moment, he’ll say “sold” and walk out through the living room window. He has been auctioneering for over 50 years and maintains a strict code of ethics and conduct.
Waddingtons Auction operates on a commission basis. Usually, he takes 10% of the selling price from the buyer. He leaves his expensive ground-floor apartment at 9 a.m. every day to commute to the auction rooms. He lives with his second wife. His view of geography is coloured by the professional viewpoint. His services are frequently used by the Provincial Government and for inheritance tax appraisals.
Waddingtons has appraised personal estates of famous people. Some of them include Sir Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin, and Dr. A. R. Dafoe, the doctor responsible for the quintuplets. He has also evaluated the estates of former Toronto Daily Star publisher Joseph E. Atkinson. To give an idea of the kind of people that waddingtons attract, the company also has a portable staff that can be called in for big estate auctions.
The Waddingtons Auction company has been around since 1850, and is Canada’s largest art appraisal and auction house. Since then, they’ve dealt with fine art, decorative arts, and quilts.
