Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith’s Lights of a City Street, displayed in Toronto on Tuesday, is part of the art destined for the upcoming Hudson’s Bay auction.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
When Hudson’s Bay filed for creditor protection and closed its stores, it left thousands of pieces of art and artifacts the retailer owned in need of a new home.
Later this year, some will learn their fate.
Fine art auction house Heffel announced the first in a series of online auctions as part of a process to sell off the assets of Canada’s oldest retailer.
The entire auction will include hundreds of pieces of store memorabilia and other artifacts, which will be sold on other dates in November and December. The art auction, which includes 27 paintings that Heffel calls the “highlights” of the collection, will take place on Nov. 19.
Here’s how the auction process will unfold.
Which of the Bay’s art pieces and artifacts will be auctioned off?
Sir Winston Churchill’s Marrakech is the most valuable piece in Heffel’s Nov. 19 auction.HO/The Canadian Press
The retailer had 4,400 items – 1,700 pieces of art and about 2,700 artifacts – when it collapsed in March.
It hasn’t revealed what most of the items are but has said the bulk are from the company’s “retail era.”
Among the available items are 27 paintings that will be sold by Heffel Fine Art Auction House during a live auction in November. Highlights of that auction include a painting of Morocco made by former British prime minister Winston Churchill, several pieces from Toronto co-founder William von Moll Berczy and an 1894 depiction of downtown Toronto by Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith.
More than a dozen paintings commissioned for the Bay’s annual calendars over the years will also be up for sale. The paintings include scenes from the company’s fur trading history by W.J. Phillips, Charles Fraser Comfort, Franklin Arbuckle and Frank Johnston.
The remainder of the items will be sold in a series of online auctions. Heffel has said point blankets, rare coins, retail antiquities and collectible toys will be part of the sale.
What other items will be sold in the online auctions?
The items to be sold in the first of several online auctions will likely be publicized in November with further auctions announced in the months after, David Heffel, head of Heffel Fine Art Auction House, has said.
When will the online auctions for Hudson’s Bay memorabilia take place?
Some of the works of art to be auctioned off, including Frederic Marlett Bell-Smith’s Lights of a City Street, are displayed in Toronto.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Heffel will host its live auction for the 27 paintings on Nov. 19 in Toronto. The paintings will be available for viewing between Nov. 11 to 18 at Heffel’s 13 Hazelton Ave. gallery in Toronto between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day.
The first in a series of online auctions will run from Nov. 12 to Dec. 4, 2025. The items in that auction will be available for preview at the same gallery between Dec. 1 to 3 by appointment only.
How can I place a bid?
For the live auction of 27 paintings on Nov. 19, Heffel will accept offers several ways.
Bidders will be able to attend the live auction in-person and make bids with paddles they register for.
If they can’t make it in-person, they can send a representative to take their place, bid by phone or through a digital saleroom. Anyone wanting to bid through a representative, phone or digital saleroom will have to register at least 48 hours before the sale.
The rest of the items will be sold online through a digital bidding system.
How will each item be priced?
Auctioneers often start the bidding at a minimum price that varies based on the item and is not usually announced in advance.
An item can only be sold if bids meet or surpass the reserve price, which is the minimum price the seller will accept for an item. Reserve prices are kept secret.
While some of the paintings, like the one by Churchill, are valued in the hundreds of thousands, Heffel has said many of the items in the online auction will be listed as unreserved, allowing them to attract offers even under $100 and then be sold to the top bidder.
Will the Bay’s art pieces actually be displayed at the live auction?
Francis Holman’s Three Hudson’s Bay Company Ships in the Thames, left, and Sir Winston Churchill’s Marrakech.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Heffel often displays some works being auctioned off at their sales but usually doesn’t showcase the entire group available at the same time.
If I don’t want to bid but I am still curious, is there a way for me to watch the live auction?
Yes. Heffel will livestream the auction on its website.
What happens after a person “wins” an item?
All successful bidders in the live and online auctions will get notified by Heffel of their victory and receive an invoice they must pay within seven days. Heffel hasn’t yet announced how pick up or shipping will work for the items.
Will Heffel announce who bought each item?
No. Auction houses generally keep the identity of successful bidders confidential. Sometimes, however, successful bidders announce their win themselves.
With files from Susan Krashinsky Robertson.
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