The Road Show

An antique dealer friend of my parents and mine has been on a couple of antique related shows including the antique roadshow. His appearances were about a decade ago but with reruns I guess his footage comes occasionally. He says that he still gets recognized from time to time and says that it has been to his detriment on more than one occasion as asking prices increased since he is a "pro" and must be picking up all of his big ticket items from unsuspecting sellers for next to nothing. This couldn't be further from the truth as he is very fair person always willing to share his knowledge but he is more widely known now in antiquing circles in our area and there is no way to un-ring that bell.

 

I attended Antiques Roadshow USA in 2014. I applied through my name, my adult child's name, my mother's name, AND my sister's name (all with their permission) but lost out on all four tries. A co-worker put in one application and won tickets. It turned out that he couldn't go and he gave them to me.
We had timed tickets but discovered it only designated the time you got to go stand in the 2-hour line. Surprisingly, it went rather quickly. Everyone in line was in a good mood, talking to their neighbors, and admiring everyone else's stuff. The Roadshow crew even had a person designated to keep us all happy, she started occasional cheers, etc.
I took a set of MCM Robsjohn Gibbings nesting tables that I had purchased at a local thrift store - purposely bringing furniture in the hopes of meeting the Keno twins . As expected, I was put in the furniture line, which fed to three different appraisers... and the Kenos were one of the three. You saw whomever was next available. YES! My appraisers ended up being the Keno brothers! I was actually nervous, LOL. Anyway, they didn't tell me anything that I hadn't already found out on the internet but I didn't really expect them to. It was a rather quick visit and I wasn't filmed. Chit chat and autograph seeking was firmly discouraged by the crew.
An extra bit of fun was stopping by the Feedback Booth! The little bit my daughter and I did wasn't aired either, but we got a free T-shirt to commemorate the occasion.
All in all, it was a fun day and I'd definitely do it again.
The nesting tables are still in my garage, gathering dust. They are only a set of two, not the usual three. They are exactly like THIS set, which is priced very unrealistically. (My valuation from the Kenos, was only $250.)

 

The only Antiques Roadshow I've attended is the very first one ever filmed in the US (ever). Back then there was no indication that it would turn out to be a big phenomenon for PBS. It was held in my local hometown and less than two blocks away from our house, so I picked up two chairs and carried them over. Because it was a brand new show and had never been shown on TV it was held in a relatively small space - an old brick VFW hall, and there were no lines to get in.

As soon as I walked in they directed me to the furniture area, and I had the great pleasure to talk to Wendell Garrett. This was before the Keno brothers were brought on, Wendell was in a wheelchair and was a real pleasure to talk to. None of the appraisers had had any TV exposure yet so they were all unknown quantities to those of us bringing in antiques. Most of the filming with appraisers had been done in the morning, though there were still cameras around getting some footage. When I was leaving they told me to come back and bring more things, since they were there till the end of the day and the appraisers had free time. So I did bring some more, artwork this time.

Of the two chairs I brought, one was a Chippendale side chair which was appraised at about the same as I had paid at auction, $500. Note this was when the Roadshow was doing only auction value, and not confusing the audience with "retail" or "insurance" prices. The other chair was an earlier more rustic chair in tiger maple that I had bought in Maine at an out of the way used furniture/antique stand. That one I paid $20 for, and he appraised it for $1000. The main lesson I took from that is that auctions are not the best place to buy antiques. You know what you are getting at an auction, since they have reasonably qualified appraisers evaluating the items they sell, and most times you will pay a fair price. But I did much much better by using my own knowledge and following my own instincts, which is what I've done ever since.

I've tried to attend a couple more recent Roadshows when they have been in my area, but haven't been picked for the lotteries they now hold to get in. The most recent Roadshow that I tried to attend was to be held in May 2020 in Boston - but Covid caused that one to be cancelled so I'm not sure whether I would have been able to attend of not.

 

I love the antiques roadshow. It’s such polite gentle entertainment. Fun watching those that are genuinely stunned by their items worth and funnier to see those twitching and trying to look pleased for the cameras but aren’t really as they think their investment should have shot up and hasn’t.

 

Joe2007, is not that always the way? It is the bad apples who spoil it for everyone. I am acquainted with a seller on etsy who travels with her husband to buy stuff to resell. They are very decent people, but she told me most of the dealers they see are terribly rude and not especially trustworthy. I think this group is being viewed more and more like auto mechanics---just waiting to take advantage of whomever they can. Sad....

 

bluumz, that sounds like it was a blast! I am glad it worked out for you! I like the brothers, too.

 

moreotherstuff, I have to wonder if the tickets themselves might not become collectors's items some day, especially once the show stops production. Good momentos of your visit in any case, though.

 

Wow, Jeff, how great was that! What a wonderful memory and a wonderful story to tell! Thank you very much for sharing! That second chair sounds very interesting. Would love to see some snaps of it.

 

KSW, I agree with you. I have been screening wonderful old comedies lately, e.g. Our Miss Brooks, I Love Lucy, Jack Benny, etc., and it always occurs to me how enjoyable are these programmes and how three generations can sit and watch together. Now, so many programmes I would not even want to watch much less have children and elderly folks watch. That is why I have always mostly watched PBS. It it the best thing on the dial, and the older I grow, and the less I am able to get out into the world for anything, the more thankful I am for PBS. PBS really helps to make life worth living for me.

 

Jeff, this was Greenwich, CT right? I grew up there. Rumor has it the most valuable item they ever saw was there but the owner declined being filmed for TV. He had a set of presidential signatures from George Washington on up to I am not sure who, it was reputed to be an amazing collection.

 

One of those things that's 'someday, but not in my lifetime'.

 

The Antiques Roadshow came to my town in 2014.
I couldn't get tickets, so I called and volunteered.
I got to work at the Pottery and Porcelain table. I held the line back and let people up to see the appraisers.
I was there all day, and it was a blast! I talked to as many of the appraisers as I could and got photos with many of them. I got on camera a few times. It was a really exciting experience!

 

Well that was very clever of you, stracci! Good for you! It sounds like it was a lot of fun.

 

Yes, it was so thrilling!
Here is a photo of me with Wes Cowan, Leigh Keno and Ken Farmer

 

Wow!! What a great photo!! You look so happy, and what a great story to tell your grand babies some day, too!!

Well, if they ever come back to my town, I shall have to remember to volunteer my services! (LOL)

 

Yes, I have loved reading about it all, too! Such fun!

 

I will say that all the appraisors that I talked to were very nice and personable. One who stood out was Rafael Eledge. He is the guy who specializes in Civil War memorabilia.
We chatted for a few minutes, and I thanked him for coming to my town for the show. He replied "No, thank YOU for volunteering! If it wasn't for the volunteers, this show would never take place!"

I also sat next to these guys at the buffet breakfast. David Bonsey (musical instruments) and James Callahan (Asian Art) who was wearing some killer rings.