Boyhood friends share passion for collecting
Collecting since they were 12 years old, their hobby has grown to become a part-time business
Tim Wenn and Ben Pernfuss have suffered with their addiction for eight years – and they’re only 20 and 19 years old, respectively. And when we say “suffered”, well, frankly, they’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
Tim and Ben are collectors, thoroughly ensnared by the habit, and making the most of it. They’ve been collecting since they were 12 years old, and their hobby has grown to become a part-time business buying and selling collectibles, which has also led to their part-time employment with Miller & Miller Auctions.
Both young men are university students. Tim is enrolled in a double major program (economics and archaeology) at Wilfrid Laurier in Waterloo. Ben is an environmental science student at the University of Guelph.
Tim lives in Baden, Ben in Waterloo, but they have been friends from birth – their mothers were and still are close friends. The two boys grew up as best buddies, a bond that was only strengthened as, together, they discovered the joys of collecting.
They both have specialized collections, but also admit they’re likely to try and buy anything attractive that catches their fancy. Of course, they’re also always on the lookout for bargains – like the rare, Rau Brewery bottle from the historic New Hamburg brewery (now Oak Grove Cheese). Tim found it online, bought it and then sold it at the latest Miller & Miller auction – for more than double the estimate.
Tim sold this rare Rau Brewery bottle at Miller & Miller’s June 20th auction for $767 - more than double the estimate.
Ben’s primary collection is memorabilia from British Petroleum, in honour of his grandfather who worked for the company. Tim collects Coca Cola artifacts, admitting he likes the colour and design and that he comes by this interest naturally since his grandparents were antique dealers.
Both young men actively buy and sell. Between them, they had 10 items in Miller & Miller’s June 20th Advertising, Toys & Historic Objects auction.
They wouldn’t have had a lot of time to follow the bidding on their items, though, since both men were busy working for Ethan and Justin Miller, something they’ve been doing for more than a year now. They help prepare consigned items for auction, assist during the auction itself, and then prepare the items for pick-up or shipping once it’s over.
Because of the pandemic, the latest auction was entirely online, although Miller & Miller auctions are normally a dynamic combination of online bidding, telephone bids and live on-site auction action.
Both Ben and Tim have nothing but praise for the Miller brothers. “You couldn’t ask for two better bosses,” says Ben. “They make you feel like friends.” They also say they’ve learned a lot about their hobby by spending time with the Millers, especially “going on road trips to look at collections.”
Between the two of them, Ben and Tim had 10 items in Miller & Miller’s June 20th Advertising, Toys & Historic Objects auction.
The two friends remember the precise moment each bought his first collectible. They were 12 years old, and together at an antiques auction in St. Jacobs. Ben bought a Crosley Dashboard Radio; Tim went home with a Coca Cola picnic cooler. They have never looked back.
Not every purchase has been a success though. Ben admits to buying an “antique” for $100 which turned out to be a reproduction from the 1990s. He also recalls suspecting that signs selling for $2 each at a show were repros, only to discover later the eventual buyer resold them for $250 apiece.
Both men are philosophical about such things: “You learn your lesson,” says Ben with a smile.
They understand the urge to collect, although Tim admits their level of commitment is unusual “for people our age.” Ben suggests people want items that are rare, or because they hold nostalgic meaning for them – or simply because they’re beautiful. Tim says he’ll consider picking up “anything that catches your eye, that you just love – for the look.”
Both men are already toying with the idea of new categories of collectibles. Ben admits he’s been noticing “Canadiana folk art,” and Tim has started a small collection of pottery and crocks, a collection which is likely to grow.
Collecting is not a passing fancy for these two. Tim admits that although he doesn’t yet own a home, in his imagination he’s already decorated it with collectibles. And Ben says, “Once you have that drug, that drive, it never leaves you. This is something I will do, on the side, for the rest of my life.”
By Paul Knowles
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