As the iconic Canadian retailer prepares to liquidate merchandise from all of its stores, shoppers looking for Hudson’s Bay’s signature wool blankets are paying thousands of dollars for their own piece of Canadian history.
The eight-point multistripe king blankets are selling for as much as $4,500 on eBay.
A seller in Milton has a multipoint king blanket listed for $3,750.
A queen-sized multipoint blanket is listed for $2,850.
Out of stock
The blanket, known as the Oshki Wupoowane Multistripe Point Blanket at thebay.com, is listed on the retailer’s website for $360 – a $90 saving from the original list price of $450. However, the product is currently out of stock.
Enduring emblem of Canada
On its website, The Bay notes the HBC point blanket has been called many things throughout its history — an essential trade item, an enduring emblem of Canada, a carrier of disease and a symbol of colonialism.
“We begin to acknowledge the many layers of symbolism the blanket embodies in history, art, pop culture and commerce,” the retailer said.
While shoppers may struggle to find the blankets in stores, The Bay previously announced all net proceeds of point blanket sales would benefit Indigenous communities.
The Blanket Fund
Hudson’s Bay Foundation and the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund previously partnered to launch Oshki Wupoowane, also known as The Blanket Fund. The effort provides support for Indigenous cultural, artistic and educational activities.
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the Hudson’s Bay wool point blanket was first made in 1779. The design — featuring white with green, red, yellow and indigo stripes — is now used as an emblem for HBC.
The Bay’s Hamilton location at CF Lime Ridge Mall still had some coats featuring the iconic point design on Tuesday (March 18).
The design has also been used on clothing, household goods, giftware and more sold at The Bay.
Fur trade roots
While HBC wasn’t the first to create the point blanket, the company popularized it among Indigenous communities and settlers in Canada.
The Hudson’s Bay Company was formed in 1670. Its iconic point blanket is also rooted in the 17th century North American fur trade.
French weavers who developed a “point system” — a way to specify the finished size of a blanket — used a series of thin black lines on one of the corners of the blanket. These lines were used to identify the blanket’s size.
During the fur trade, merchants would often price blankets according to the number of points, with one point assigned for small blankets and four points designated for very large blankets, the Canadian Encyclopedia notes.
The Bay’s eight point blankets come in sizes ranging from twin to king.
Customers can also choose a smaller throw blanket featuring the same iconic design, although these items also appear to be sold out at thebay.com.
A bold stripe cotton-rich throw blanket was available for $50, down from an original price of $90. A bold stripe down-filled cabin throw is listed for $99.97. But both items appear to be out of stock at thebay.com as of March 20.
The Bay’s iconic logo also appears on kitchen goods and giftware, such as tins of popcorn.
If you broaden your interests beyond the blankets, you could still grab an HBC souvenir without spending thousands.
The Bay’s Hamilton location at CF Lime Ridge Mall still had some coats featuring the iconic point design on Tuesday, as well as kitchen goods and giftware, such as tins of popcorn, for example.
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