Charles Cripps sadly missed

Roadshow evaluator Charles Cripps was born in Baghdad, Iraq where his father worked as a civil engineer for Ransoms and Rapiers out of Ipswich, England. “My mother traveled a great deal with him and happened to be in Iraq when I was born,” recalled Charles. At the time of Charles’s birth, the senior Mr. Cripps was working on a barrage across the river Tigris at Kut-el-Amara, just south of Baghdad.

“In 1939, prior to the outbreak of the war, all foreign nationals had to leave the Middle East and return to the countries from whence they came. Thus, we returned to England, where I attended St. Margaret's C. of E. school and Northgate Grammar School in Ipswich, Suffolk,” said Charles. “I also attended the University of Alberta and have an unfinished degree in Education (Fine Arts.)”

As a youngster, Charles was surrounded by Persian rugs and antiques. “My grandparents also had antiques in which I was interested from an early age. History was another forte, and this falls hand in hand with antiques and historical buildings,” said Charles. “After serving twenty years in the R.C.M.P. (I retired in 1969) I went into the antique business, importing antiques from Europe. I had an antique store and an auction company, until 1985, when I turned my attention to appraisals and divorced myself from the buying and selling arena.”

Charles’s original love was 18th and 19th century silver and furniture. He was also fond of 19th century paintings. “It soon became obvious to me that I must extend my area of expertise, particularly since I was living in this part of the world.”

A Certified Appraiser of Personal Property (Appreciating) through the International Society of Appraisers and through networking, Charles had access to a large number of colleagues with varying areas of expertise, which he found especially useful since the antiques market was forever evolving.

“After the Second World War, there was a great deal of interest in antiques of all sorts. This was, I believe, primarily due to the exposure of so many men to the history, treasures and buildings of Europe. In the fifties and sixties, thousand of items were imported into North America, to be sold successfully through antique shops and auctions. In, and subsequent to, the 1970's, prices in Europe began to increase and then to escalate, while prices in North America did not,” said Charles. “On the local scene, immediately after the War and partly due to all the new discoveries brought about by the war, people began to discard older items in favour of modern shiny furniture. This led to a very active antiques business involving North American antiques. Every farm-house was visited and the Americans invaded the Maritimes, carrying off much of our early history. The present state of the antique business is unstable, contingent on the area. Many reproductions are available in every field and the epoch pieces are becoming rare and expensive. Often times, people settle for a reproduction, good or bad.“

The Canadian Antiques Roadshow gave Charles a wonderful opportunity to “meet people and confer with colleagues” as well as giving him “the satisfaction of being able to enlighten an individual as to the identity, historic significance, value and any other aspect of an item that they own.”

Charles’s love of history was evident in his belief that we should “preserve our historic buildings, artifacts and items since they are all relevant to where we have now arrived. Having said that, I believe that many of the younger generation are not of the same mind. Buildings will continue to be destroyed and artifacts lost in ever increasing numbers. It all comes down to attitude and greed.”

But for those people who are interested in collecting the old, Charles offered this advice:
'become an expert'. “This is paramount in this day and age when there are so many fakes and reproductions on the market. Also there are many scurrilous individuals who are more than ready to take advantage of a situation, particularly when it comes to dollars and cents. For over twenty years I taught classes on "Introduction to Antiques" through Metro College in Edmonton, and that was what I preached, be an expert,” said Charles.

“I have no idea what I would be doing if I were not in the antique appraisal business. I feel very fortunate at being in the situation that I am, and I know that I am envied by some people. So long as an individual is healthy and stays mentally and physically active, I believe that they have fewer problems with aging,” said Charles. “I think that I shall continue on for as long as I can. Truly, I do not know what I would be doing otherwise.”

Charles died on February 15, 2008 following a brief critical illness. He is survived by his loving wife and best friend Dodie (Dolorse) of 52 years and several children and grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by us all.

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