Antiques Roadshow is the popular PBS program that reveals the secret history and value
of rare and interesting objects.
But what is it really like to be on the show?
How do the appraisers know so much?
Keep watching to learn the untold truth of Antiques Roadshow.
Antiques Roadshow's website explains that the vast majority of antiques on the show
are usually valued at under $500.
Still, there are those moments when something is actually worth quite a bit more.
One man in Tulsa, Oklahoma brought a collection of cups made from rhinoceros horns to the
show in 2011.
It turned out that the five cups had been carved in the 1700s and were once used as
drinking cups.
The collection was valued at between a million and 1.5 million dollars and remains one of
the most valuable items ever seen on the show.
Then there was the man who, in 2004, brought a family heirloom to the show.
It was described as a Swiss Patek Philippe pocket watch.
All the owner knew was that it belonged to his grandfather back in 1914 and had been
passed down through the family.
The watch came complete with the original box, warranty, and even spare parts, and was
obviously well taken care of.
The owner had also had it appraised and knew it was worth at least $6,000.
Imagine his surprise when Antique Roadshow valued the watch at $250,000!
But it gets even better.
Two years later the pocket watch sold at Sotheby's for $1,541,212.
Today, that same watch is worth between $2 million and $3 million.
Some strange stuff does occasionally appear on Antiques Roadshow.
In March 2020, what looked like a large varnished nut appeared on the show.
The object brought a lot of comments and laughs, mostly because it sort of resembled a big
derriere.
The nut was ultimately identified as a "coco de mer" from the Seychelles islands, which
are located far off the east coast of Africa in the western Indian Ocean.
The nuts were originally believed to be from mythical trees below the ocean until their
origins were finally identified in 1768.
According to antique expert Marc Allum.
"It's hand-finished as well.
[It's] essentially a huge seed pod.
A sort of double coconut."
Another oddball piece was a simple Monopoly game.
What made it unique was that after a group of thieves committed England's "Great Train
Robbery" in 1963, the gang played the game, using real cash, at a hideout.
Authorities on the gang's trail found the game and were able to identify the robbers
from their fingerprints on the board.
Several men were convicted of the robbery, but the true mastermind of the operation was
not revealed until 2014.
Appraiser George Archdale said this about the board's value:
"It's possible to say perhaps it's one to two-hundred pounds of someone's money.
But would it be right for people to profit from crime?"
Antiques Roadshow's so-called "experts" messed up following the very first season of the
show in 1996.
Appraiser Russ Pritchard valued an antique sword at $35,000.
The Boston Herald called foul, and producers discovered that Pritchard and alleged sword
owner Stephen Sadtler were high school buddies and staged the appraisal.
Stadtler didn't even own the sword.
The episode was pulled, but Pritchard and another cohort, George Juno, were contacted
by descendants of Major Samuel J. Wilson who had seen the show.
The men appraised Wilson's Civil War sword at nearly $8,000 and bought it for display
in the National Civil War Museum in Pennsylvania.
Instead, however, the men coordinated the sale of the sword for $20,000.
Pritchard eventually went to jail.
These days, Antiques Roadshow makes sure to keep an updated list of appraisers on their
website.
But there is always a chance that even a professional might make a mistake.
Some years back, appraiser Stephen Fletcher identified an odd-looking jug as "late 19th
century."
He compared it to Pablo Picasso and valued the item at between $30,000 and $50,000.
However, a fan of the show recognized the work and confirmed that the jug was made in
high school, circa 1973.
Antique Roadshow's bonafide experts are usually good at spotting fakes, but a few get by them—such
as a hand-painted box by early Pennsylvania folk artist Jacob Weber.
In 2016, the show's website confirmed that appraiser Wes Cowan incorrectly assessed the
item as an authentic antique.
Antique dealer Patrick Bell set the record straight, explaining that the box's hasp,
hinges, wood bottom, and paint indicated the trinket was probably a fake.
Antiques Roadshow corrected the error, reporting the outcome and admitting that "even so-called
'experts' can be fooled."
Still, the antique box received an appraised value of between $100 to $150.
Not bad for some early American folk art.
Fraudulent watches are especially prone to duping innocent buyers.
On an episode on Antiques Roadshows's British version, watch expert Richard Price made it
clear that fake watches have increasingly become harder to spot, and that "sophisticated
fakes can test even experts."
The trick is to check out the movements, where such tell-tale signs like peeling gold plating,
fake "hallmarks" which mark the purity of the item, and even the watch's weight can
signify it isn't real.
This is best checked by a specialist or professional jeweler.
Jewelry is another problem area, according to appraiser Joyce Jones.
The market is ripe for rip-off replicas of such well-known brands as Coco Chanel, Christian
Dior, and Elsa Schiaparelli especially.
Some items are forbidden to bring to Antiques Roadshow.
Ivory is one of them.
It's not necessarily that it's illegal to own antique ivory in its various forms, but
rather that our government almost completely banned commercial trade in 2016 because the
ivory trade continues to encourage poaching.
The 2016 directive was actually a follow-up to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which
required permission from the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce.
And although ivory is commonly seen at many estates and yard sales, Antiques Roadshow
would rather not deal with its sensitive nature.
Another touchy area is Native American artifacts.
Antiques Roadshow explains that laws governing ownership of such things make it a complicated
field.
In 2013, a woman brought an Anasazi pot to the show, which was valued between $3,000
and $4,000.
But the item raised the question as to whether it was legal for the lady to own it.
In 1990, according to the National Park Service, the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act made it illegal to collect Native artifacts.
But that has not stopped people from doing it anyway.
Every person lucky enough to get into an Antiques Roadshow event is guaranteed a free appraisal.
But there is no guarantee you will actually appear on the show.
The reason is that at an average of 2,500 attendees with two items per show, upwards
of 5,000 objects could possibly be appraised.
The key to actually scoring an on-camera appraisal is to bring something truly unique, with a
great story behind it.
Even something with a high appraisal might be passed up for something else with an intriguing
history and provenance.
Here is how it works.
Appraisers view each item at the event and alert producers if it's something show-worthy.
From there, the owner of the interesting find waits in line.
Eventually, they will be sorted into other lines, depending on what category their particular
item falls into.
After more waiting, the staff will shuffle them onto the set and into another line to
meet with an appraiser.
If the appraiser thinks the item is special enough, they tell another producer, who then
decides whether to air the appraisal.
"...shoved something in a box, that turns out to be a pretty valuable item.
So who knows?
Who knows?"
Bear in mind, if an owner of an interesting object gets this far and the item is a hit,
they will be sure to act very, very surprised.
"Oh my god.
Wow!"
No appraisal is official, since those in the business actually use three methods to assess
the value of an item: auction, retail, and insurance.
The auction value is basically set by the buyer.
Although someone vying for a highly desirable item might bid far more than the item's retail
value.
Appraiser and auctioneer Kerry Shrives says:
"This is why the most valuable items are often sold at auction.
It's often the best way to realize maximum value for a rare object."
On the retail side of things, dealers pay less than an item's worth in order to make
money when they sell it, and that can result in setting the price higher for a bigger profit.
That leads to the insured value, which insurance companies set "at the top end of retail value."
Just enough for the owner to buy a replacement.
"The partial teams signed 1930 Braves ball.
I'd put the value on that one for insurance purposes at about $1,000."
Indeed, any appraisal on Antiques Roadshow is basically approximate.
Although the appraisers do have time to research the item at hand using computers, libraries,
sales comparisons, and what is known about the item's history.
If the item is a really big deal the producers and appraisers likely know about it before
it's even brought to the show.
And since appraisers are not paid, giving accurate values can give them needed exposure
to draw more business.
If an item turns out to be extremely valuable, Antiques Roadshow does keep security guards
around.
And police are on hand to escort those with high-dollar items to their car.
The official rules assure attendees that Antiques Roadshow hires private security and the police
to monitor events.
Additionally, all guests who enter an event are subject to searches, and the show producers
can deny entry to anyone for any reason.
But securing the area goes much further than just hiring guards and notifying police.
In her 2009 book, "Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes: An Insider's Guide to PBS's #1
Weekly Show," author Marsha Bemko wrote about security director Sean Quinn.
The security director personally visited each town ahead of the show to make recommendations
and develop a security plan.
Volunteers working for the show are trained and cautioned to call a supervisor and security
should they see something amiss.
Attendees are limited to two items per ticket, but an "item" can be a collection.
Even so, the items should be as closely related as possible.
There are, however, certain items that the show will not appraise.
These include ammunition or explosives, bicycles, cars, coins, fossils, paper currency, stamps,
or stock certificates.
In the interest of safety, antique glass fire extinguishers are prohibited too.
These round glass collectibles were filled with either saltwater or a chemical, carbon
tetrachloride, the latter of which can be dangerous if the fragile bulb is broken.
Notably, weapons are also prohibited under certain circumstances.
All knives and swords must be in a sheath or wrapped to prevent injury.
All firearms have to be unloaded.
And even if it is an antique, bringing a gun is still subject to local, state, and federal
laws.
It is also important to remember that anyone entering the area can be searched if they
appear suspicious.
It isn't easy to get on Antiques Roadshow, although there are four ways to score tickets.
One of them is a "sweepstakes," wherein entrants access the show's website with a valid email
address and fill out an electronic form in its entirety.
A second sweepstakes requires participants to follow Antiques Roadshow on Twitter or
Instagram with their own account and type in a comment which tags a friend or includes
the name of the city where the appraisal event is taking place.
Then there's the "Knock Our Socks Off!"
Contest.
In this, entrants have to submit an online entry form at a different site.
The submission must include a description of the potential item in 20 words or less
and a story about the item in 200 words or less.
Owners also have to submit at least one photo of the item, and it has to comply with specific
upload criteria.
And, the item must fit into a category on a drop-down list.
Last is the Furniture Contest, wherein those wanting to lug their antique rocker or other
large piece of furniture must enter the first Sweepstakes contest, live within 60 miles
of the event, submit an entry form, include a photo, and agree to let the show staff transport
the item to and from the event and use it on the show.
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