It’s making five stops around the country in search of the rare and exotic for its 30th anniversary tour, landing in Salt Lake City at Red Butte Gardens this past week for tapings of three episodes, which will hit airwaves sometime next spring.
Antiques Roadshow, a PBS program with 5 million weekly viewers, features antique owners who bring in items to be appraised by experts. The rarest, most valuable, wackiest, or unwittingly worthless items are often chosen for airtime, so regular folks get a chance to receive an expert, unbiased appraisal of their treasures, and possibly, 5 minutes of fame.
Members of the press (and, by the way, volunteers who work the show) are offered a behind-the-scenes look at the show, as well as a chance to have a treasure of their own appraised. I’m carrying a 1899 Mormon hymnal that belonged to my great-grandpa. Approaching the “triage” tent at the entrance, my item is given the once-over by a gatekeeper of sorts, who directs me to a tent designated specifically for book appraisals. The Roadshow’s “pickers,” as they’re called, also wander the premises, observing appraisals and looking for potential film-worthy folks and items.
An easy guy to spot with his signature long white beard and shock of gray hair, Utah’s own Ken Sanders (of Ken Sanders Rare Books—a community fixture to be sure), meets with me at the Books and Manuscripts tent. He’s been summoned many times by the show to travel with it across the nation, where he sits with other expert appraisers in one of 20 or so tents, ranging in categories from sports memorabilia to small furnishings.
The show doesn’t seem to have a special section for old Mormon heirlooms, but maybe it should—regional items are a big deal to Antiques Roadshow, according to a media rep who escorts me to ensure I don’t film any big reveals or let any cats out of any bags. Many of the folks I chat with seem to have at least one LDS church-related heirloom in their cart—something owned by an old church leader, some out-of-print pamphlet, or some treasured Family Bible. When it comes to appraising books of faith, especially this particular faith, Ken, a 60-year veteran in the field, is definitely your man. He gives my hymnal a quick, but admiring look and asks me after its provenance, which I’m more than willing to share—I like any chance to talk about my grandpa, who has long since passed. Ken appraises the hymnal for between $300 and-500. Fair enough. I wasn’t planning to sell it, but even if I’d wanted to, no transactions or exchanges are allowed on the premises.
“I’m really after the stories,” Ken tells me of his appraising career, saying he enjoys going along with folks on their sentimental journeys, whether the heirloom fetches an exciting monetary value or not—although he hints that earlier in the day, he’d given one guest some very good news about a special object. (Details remain guarded until airing.) “I love watching people light up when they talk about their treasures and how it was brought in a covered wagon by their great, great grandparent and passed from generation to generation.”
He says he also alerts producers when he meets endearing or unique personalities. Guests Rodney and Kimberly (I’m allowed to say first names only) are chosen for filming after their appraisal. They say that while they’re disappointed to learn that a ring they thought was 120 years old was actually only 30 years old, and that their Family Bible wasn’t as rare as they’d hoped. But they still had fun at the event.
“The appraiser, Lourdes, was really kind about it, even though she had to break the bad news,” says Rodney. Yes, it’s a reality show, but unlike most that entertain us by exploiting tales of woe, Antiques Roadshow, according to the rep, aims to educate viewers on how to avoid swindlers and scams.
Wandering around, I spot folks toting old swords, china sets, vintage posters, paintings, dolls, video games, a giant Mr. Peanut figure, an old radio…it goes on and on.
Jo, who calls herself a ‘mega-fan’, says she hopes to meet one of the regular personalities on the show. Suzanne, who daintily sits in line awaiting her turn to talk with an appraiser, wears a 1918 nurse’s uniform from World War I. She says the uniform saw action, with blood stains that took five dry cleanings to remove. Suazanne also proudly shows me an original blood pressure cuff and a photo of her late husband, who died 30 years ago, performing the first heart surgery in the West.
A quick perusal of the pop culture collectables section proved most interesting. Travis Landry, a show favorite with his boisterous personality and loudly cool clothes, owns a pop culture auction house in New York and appears regularly as an appraiser. He says his category has found its way on the show because collectors are crazy for childhood nostalgia like Pokémon cards, GI Joes and Super Nintendos with rare games, which, I noticed, can sometimes fetch a prettier penny than, say, a Victorian-era walnut chair, even in pristine condition. Trends, after all, dictate demand.
“My favorite stories are when someone doesn’t even know what they have,” says Travis. “It’s something they’ve been using as a doorstop and then one day they think, ‘hmmm, I wonder if this is worth anything.’ I love giving them the great news.”
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