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Old-time shop and stroll
Lee Caswell, an appraiser on TV’s “Canadian Antiques Roadshow,” unveils his top treasure-hunting picks from across the country

For more than two decades, Lee Caswell has been an antique dealer in Port Hope, Ont., which led to his stint as a ceramics appraiser on the popular television program “Canadian Antiques Roadshow.” He’s also president of The Canadian Antique Dealers Association, and his favourite galleries and showrooms are all members, providing guarantees of authenticity and listing countries of origin, manufacture dates and restorations on the price tags. “A lot of unethical things go on in the antique world,” says Caswell, “especially these days.” Antique hunters can’t always have an expert appraiser alongside when they shop, but they can hit Caswell’s top 10 spots for antique shopping in Canada.

Uno Langmann Limited, Vancouver
Located on Gallery Row, near the gateway to Granville Island, this shop is the ultimate venue for museum-quality paintings, furniture, silver and decorative arts from the 18th through 20th centuries.
(604) 736-8825

Old Canada Country Antiques, Vancouver and Surrey, B.C.
The Vancouver showroom and its Surrey warehouse are dedicated to 19th-century furniture and folk art, particularly items with original painted surfaces.
(604) 731-2576 (Vancouver), (604) 575-2577 (Surrey)

Gérard Bourguet Antiquaire Inc., Québec One of the leading dealers of fine original Quebec painted furniture, accessories and folk art, Gérard Bourguet is often called on to work with museums. His collection, situated in Vieux-Québec, is the place to encounter the earliest furniture made in Canada, dating back to the 1600s.
(418) 694-0896

Smith’s Creek Antiques, Port Hope, Ont. This beautiful shop carries a general line of Canadiana, focusing on original finish, original paint, and fine tiger maple furniture.
(905) 885-7840

Donohue and Bousquet, Ottawa The knowledgeable husband-and-wife duo of Arthur Bousquet and Lelia Donohue have been buying, selling and appraising high-quality antique silver since 1971 and offer a fine selection of English sterling. Everyone from prime ministers and diplomats to Supreme Court justices come here to seek out unique pieces.
(613) 232-5665

Gregory Connor Antiques, Stratford, Ont. An excursion to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival has been known to put visitors in the mood for antiquing. The lucky ones find their way to this quaint and nicely presented shop in the heart of the city that specializes in period furniture and accessories of the 17th century and Georgian and Regency periods.
(519) 273-4165

Peter E. Baker Antiques, Elgin, Que. Over the past 30 years, Peter Baker has gained a reputation as one of Canada’s leading dealers in early folk art. His collection includes weather vanes, carvings and trade signs, as well as original painted furniture in the country tradition.
(450) 264-6794

Five O Seven Antiques Limited, Toronto This massive downtown Toronto showroom includes one of the country’s largest collections of quality antique garden furnishings, garden statuary and ornaments.
(416) 462-0046

Elisabeth Legge Fine Antique Prints, Toronto Situated in Toronto’s fashionable Yorkville area, this gallery carries a wide variety of beautiful English antique prints that date back as far as the 14th century. Among them are sets of botanical etchings and engravings, natural history prints, sporting prints and even rare erotica.
(416) 972-1378

Turco-Persian Rug Co. Ltd., Toronto This 100-year-old family-run showroom has one of the country’s largest selections of handmade antique rugs, including a few very rare Persian rugs by 19th-century master weaver Haj Jalili, and an impressive number of 16th- and 17th-century Belgian and French tapestries woven on wool with silk, the kind previously found only in museums.
(800) 457-0629

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