What to know
- Old Town BIA is auctioning off 50 hand-painted beaver statues that were made for the FIFA World Cup.
- Forty-eight beavers represent each country that competed in the soccer tournament, while the other two statues served as universal welcomes for the World Cup.
- Proceeds from the auction will be split evenly between KidSport Ontario and Toronto’s First Post Office.
If you’re in the market for a unique piece of memorabilia from Toronto’s time hosting the FIFA World Cup, you’re in luck.
The Old Town Business Improvement Area is auctioning off 50 hand-painted beaver statues that were scattered around the Old Town neighbourhood in the city’s eastern part of Downtown. Of the 50 statues, 48 represent each one of the countries that competed on the global soccer stage and two served as universal welcomes for the tournament itself.
The auction started on Friday and will run until Aug. 24. Proceeds will be split evenly between two organizations: KidSport Ontario and Toronto’s First Post office.
KidsSport Ontario provides grants for kids who can’t afford to participate in organized sports. The charity pledges to cover all registration fees for at least one season of a sport.
Toronto’s First Post Office is Canada’s first and oldest surviving post office, located in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood in Old Toronto. It’s currently a National Historic Site and still functions as a Canada Post outpost.
Currently, the statues with the highest bidders are the Canadian Motif (Maple Leaf Forever) beaver at $3,000; the Scotland beaver at $2,200, the Infinite Welcome (49th) beaver at $2,025 and the Netherlands beaver at $1,750.
There are several beavers with bids at $500, including Uruguay, Senegal, Panama and Jordan.
The two statues that are not up for auction are the Canada beaver painted with a maple leaf jersey and a lumberjack flannel and the beaver representing Old Town.
