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Best Auction Houses & Dealers in Canada

The best Canadian auction houses compared — Heffel, Waddington's, Cowley Abbott, and Miller & Miller. Canadian art, Inuit art, collectibles, fees, and how to sell at auction in Canada.

4 Auction Houses
0 Dealers
4 Total Listings

The Canadian Auction Market

Canada's auction market is defined above all by Canadian art — the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson, Emily Carr, and a strong tradition of Inuit and First Nations work — alongside a healthy trade in decorative arts, collectibles, and Canadiana.

Heffel Fine Art Auction House, founded in Vancouver in 1978, is the national leader for Canadian fine art and consistently sets records for the country's most important painters. Waddington's in Toronto is one of Canada's oldest and most broadly based houses, while Cowley Abbott (also Toronto) specialises in Canadian historical, post-war, and contemporary art. For collectors, Miller & Miller in Ontario has become the go-to for petroliana, advertising, Canadiana, watches, and other specialist collections.

Buyer's premiums at Canadian houses vary more than in Europe — from around 17% at fine-art specialists to 21-25% at collectibles houses, sometimes with an added surcharge for third-party online bidding. Sales tax (GST/HST/PST) applies depending on the province.

Browse Canada Specialists by Category

Find auction houses and dealers in Canada specialising in your type of item.

Fine Art & Paintings 3

Frequently Asked Questions

The leading Canadian auction houses include Heffel (Vancouver, the national fine-art leader), Waddington's (Toronto, one of the oldest), Cowley Abbott (Toronto, Canadian art), and Miller & Miller (Ontario, collectibles and Canadiana). Each has a distinct specialty, so the right choice depends on what you are selling.
Canadian auctions are strongest in Canadian historical and post-war fine art (the Group of Seven, Emily Carr, Jean Paul Riopelle), Inuit and First Nations art, Canadiana and folk art, petroliana and advertising, and collectibles such as watches, coins, and sports memorabilia.
Buyer's premiums range from around 17% at fine-art houses like Heffel to 21-25% at collectibles specialists, occasionally with a small surcharge for bidding via third-party online platforms. Canadian sales taxes (GST/HST/PST) apply based on the province of the sale. Seller's commissions are negotiable.
Yes. Canadian auction houses accept international consignments and Canadian art often achieves its strongest prices at home, where specialist collectors concentrate. Works designated of "outstanding significance and national importance" can face export review under the Cultural Property Export and Import Act; reputable houses advise on this.