Canada’s longest-running retailer is now in its dying days, and the company is readying for a memorable auction, including its founding royal charter.
The outlet, Hudson’s Bay Company, has struggled in recent years and is now fully closing up shop, ending more than 350 years of providing the Great White North with fine products.
The Supreme Court of Canada gave permission for the auction to proceed. Hudson’s Bay Company owners hope to use the funds to pay down debts to creditors.
The auction, which Heffel Gallery Ltd. intends to manage, has been intensely contested due to the historic nature of the 1,700 art pieces and 2,700 artifacts. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, in a statement to the CBC published on April 24, noted that items in the collection hold “profound cultural, spiritual, and historical significance to First Nations people.”
As part of the ruling, Supreme Court Judge Peter Osborne has ordered Hudson’s Bay Company to provide the Assembly with a catalogue of items intended for the auction.
The Royal Charter, meanwhile, is still contested by groups such as the Canada Advisory Committee for Memory of the World. The charter, granted by King Charles II, carries intense historical significance, according to Cody Groat, chair of the advisory committee.
“This is a document that essentially attempted to erase the political sovereignty of several First Nations across what is now North America,” he told the CBC in the same interview.
Jon Waldman is a Winnipeg-based writer. He has written for Beckett, Go GTS, Canadian Sports Collector, and several other hobby outlets over his two decades in the hobby. His experience also includes two books on sports cards and memorabilia. Connect with Jon on Twitter at @jonwaldman.
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