TORONTO – Museums and other archival institutions will likely need some financial help if they want to buy Hudson’s Bay artifacts, historians say.
Cody Groat, a historian of Canadian and Indigenous history, says archival institutions in Canada are chronically underfunded and have been for a long time.
He expects items like the royal charter that established Hudson’s Bay 355 years ago to sell for an amount so significant it would exceed the acquisition budgets most institutions have.
Adele Perry, a University of Manitoba history professor, says she suspects institutions wanting what the Bay has to offer will need to turn to a donor for financial assistance.
Documents filed as part of Hudson’s Bay’s creditor protection case says the company has about 1,700 pieces of art and more than 2,700 artifacts it is seeking court permission to auction off.
The department store chain known as Canada’s oldest company has not said what items will be available beyond the charter. A source familiar with its collection, who was not authorized to speak publicly, says paintings, point blankets, paper documents and even collectible Barbie dolls are part of the trove.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2025.
