William Cross – A Brief History

A brief history in the making of a dealer of antiques & collectibles

I was very fortunate to start my career at a very young age. Early on I thought it was a curse. Only later in life did I realize that starting so early gave me an edge few dealers have ever had. It has let me pursue not just one or two fields but quite a few, most of them intertwined.

When I was 12, my father would give my mother a break from looking after five kids by packing my two sisters, my brother and me into the big station wagon for an adventure at his store on Queen St West. Instead of letting us play havoc throughout the store (though we did that anyway), he had us grade and sort coins.

He was a numismatic dealer, mainly in Canadian coins but also American and some foreign, at a well-known company called Charlton’s, at 299 Queen St West (now the home of City-TV). Grading is essential to determining value, as with any antique or collectible, and coins, tokens and paper money are among the most heavily graded items in the field, next to diamonds. I had no sense of value yet, but I knew how to grade.

At 18 I worked full-time at the store during the summers, and my knowledge of coins, gold and silver accelerated tremendously. It was the moment gold and silver began climbing from their lows of $275 and $3. People flocked to the store to sell gold chains, sterling tea sets and candlesticks for what seemed like ridiculously high prices, based on metal content alone. Antique jewellery came in too, and my father was also buying Royal Doulton figurines, Hummels and other collectibles. For many people in the late ’70s and early ’80s, when money was tight, it was a huge windfall.

As more jewellery and antique sterling came through the door, my father began dealing in jewellery as well. That was my introduction to the antique silver and jewellery field. My love at the time was silver: Georgian, Victorian, Canadian and Art Deco candlesticks, entrée dishes and trays, all handcrafted and some over 200 years old. I still have that same love of silver today, though I like porcelain too. To me, porcelain is ceramic gold.

After my schooling I joined my father’s firm full-time when the existing manager left. Until then I had only ever been buying; now I learned selling firsthand. The strangest thing happened: I liked selling more than buying. Buying is fun, don’t get me wrong, but seeing the joy on someone’s face when they found a piece that would bring them years of pleasure made me ecstatic. It made us money too, which helps.

By 25 I had a full working knowledge of coins, paper money, tokens, jewellery, gold, silver and platinum. I also knew English and European ceramics including Meissen, Doulton and Moorcroft, Japanese and Chinese porcelain, and Baccarat, Lalique, Daum and Waterford crystal. By 28 I was running my own store at the Harbourfront Antique Market. I also learned furniture: how it’s constructed, its styles, and what’s hot and what’s not. I soon realized, though, that a small vase or a piece of silver is far easier to move than a sideboard.

At 29 I sold my Toronto business and moved west to Vancouver, where I decided to specialize in Royal Doulton and Beswick. I travelled to shows from BC to Manitoba, and within three years I became the largest Royal Doulton dealer on the west coast. I created Royal Doulton events for collectors, flying in guest speakers from the UK and hosting wine and cheese parties and dinners. I even hosted a Royal Doulton cruise to Alaska.

Then came the Internet and eBay. I predicted 25 years ago that they would bring prices down significantly, and they did exactly that: too much inventory on the market.

In 2002 I moved back to Toronto and spent some years exploring other paths, including interior design, a furniture store, and even a desk job at IBM. That last one I thought was what I’d always wanted, until I found myself stuck in a cubicle listening to a colleague talk about his 25-foot sailboat. What was I thinking? Each of those detours confirmed that my place was in the antique trade.

In 2014 I returned to BC, selling mainly Royal Doulton figurines and character jugs to a very strong market of clients who appreciated fine things, and my prices. When the pandemic hit in 2020, in-person shows stopped for more than two years, and I spent the following years in Ontario.

In September 2026 I came home to Vancouver. Today William Cross Antiques is Canadian owned and operated, in business since 1986, and one of the last major Royal Doulton specialists in North America, with over 45 years of experience and clients right across the country.

What that means for you

Every piece I list is mint, with no chips, cracks or repairs. My prices are deliberately set below comparable eBay prices, the same break you’d get meeting me in person at a show. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from me.

You can also find me at shows like the Cloverdale Antique & Collectibles Show; see my Show Schedule. If you’re researching a piece, my Royal Doulton HN Numbers Database and Series Reference are free to use.

Browse the Royal Doulton figurines, and if you’re looking for something in particular, get in touch. Chances are I’ve handled it.

Contact

Phone: 647-917-1169
Email: wmcross44@gmail.com