Have You Ever Had An Item On Antiques Roadshow?

BLUEJAYWAY

Don't know if this topic was started in the past. I myself have never had one or known anyone to appear on the show. Has anyone here ever tried to submit an item, coin related or otherwise?

291fifth

Getting tickets to the Antiques Roadshow is difficult. They usually get at least six times as many requests for tickets as they have available. I've tried a couple of times without success.

ifthevamzarockin

Got in for an appraisal but my items were not selected for TV.

BLUEJAYWAY

@ifthevamzarockin said:
Got in for an appraisal but my items were not selected for TV.

If I may ask what were they? Were you happy with the appraised price?

ifthevamzarockin

I took a sword that turned out to be quite old but was a "poor mans" according to the appraiser. $175.00

The other item was a blanket with Army WWII arm patches.
It was common for wives to collect patches and sew them on blankets.
The one I have the lady made an apple or cherry pie for every patch she got.
It has just over 200 patches and appraised for around $2100.00 IIRC.
I can get a photo of the blanket but the sword is long gone.

Edited to add photo:

ifthevamzarockin

Funny story about going to the show. As you can imagine tons of people show up so parking can be a challenge. I got this bright idea to pull over throw the hood up & the flashers on and make it look like I broke down rather than just parked in a no parking zone. I came back out several hours latter to find a ticket on my truck but at least it didn't get towed away. When I went to take care of the ticket I thought I would tell the judge about my sob story about my truck breaking down. He listened then he started to laugh, he told me my plan would have worked but several other people saw what I did and thought it was a great idea, they passed out quite a few tickets thanks to me. He didn't cut me a break.

dcarr

I got a ticket one time and went to an event in Denver. Neither myself nor my items were shown in the broadcast.
They specifically do not do coins - not sure why - I suppose they figure coin owners can determine values in other ways. This particular event that I attended also did not allow firearms (although some Antiques Roadshow events do allow legitimate antique firearms).

I brought two items (each ticketed person can bring two things):

1) An authentic Navajo rug that was given to my grandfather and had been in the family for many years (my brother has it now). Appraised value was $800. I don't remember who the specific appraiser was.

2) A solid brass pre-WW2 Japanese ceremonial signal cannon (black-powder muzzle-loader, about 28 inches overall length). I suppose one could argue that this is a "firearm", but not really in the traditional sense. The appraiser for this item was Lark E. Mason (the gentleman who typically does the Asian art and antiquities: https://pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/appraisers/lark-e-mason/). He was exceptionally nice and spent time explaining numerous relevant facts. He confirmed my attribution (Japanese, circa 1920-1930). He valued it at $1,500 to $2,000.

Here is a funny story about the cannon:

My wife and I were on a business trip to Maine. The following weekend we decided to stay a little longer and drive down the coast visiting antique shops. In the basement of one shop, I saw this little brass cannon sitting on the floor. It was priced at $500. I wanted it, for no particular reason. For a moment I thought about bringing it home with me, but quickly abandoned that idea once I realized that it weighed about 45 pounds and that would be a lot to take through the airports. This was the 1990s, so things were not as restrictive as they are today. But I came up with a new plan. I carried the cannon upstairs to the counter. My wife rolled her eyes ("what has he got now !?). I offered them $450 cash if they would ship it to me. They accepted and the deal was done.

A few days later we were back home. I started to wonder about the cannon. I realized that I never actually checked to see if it was a real functioning cannon. The way to do that would be to see if the bore hole goes far enough to meet the fuse hole. If they do not actually meet, it can't be a real cannon. And if it isn't a real cannon, it isn't worth anywhere near as much.

A week later the package arrived. The first thing I did was to get a long screwdriver and run it down the bore hole to see if it went far enough to meet the fuse hole. The screwdriver only went in a couple inches and then hit something and would go no farther. But what it hit wasn't completely hard. I used the screwdriver to pull out a piece of what was in there. What came out was a piece of paper towel. Then I thought uh-oh. I better be careful. After a little more work some more paper towel came out, along with some dark gray granules with a few red granules in the mix. I recognized it as "Red Dot" smokeless gunpowder. Almost the entire barrel, over 12 inches in length, was dangerously packed full of it. I had inadvertently mailed a pipe bomb to myself !

I pointed the barrel to the ceiling and filled the bore with water. After letting is soak for a couple days, I used an old wood drill to auger out all the gunpowder. Since then, I have fired it a couple times (it does work), but with reasonable loads.

johnny9434

Never have but I do enjoy the show when its on

CaptHenway

"I was cleaning my cannon and did not know it was loaded!"

That was insanely dangerous.

topstuf

OIL is what destroys gunpowder.

SeattleSlammer

@ifthevamzarockin said:

The other item was a blanket with Army WWII arm patches.
It was common for wives to collect patches and sew them on blankets.
The one I have the lady made an apple or cherry pie for every patch she got.
It has just over 200 patches and appraised for around $2100.00 IIRC.
I can get a photo of the blanket but the sword is long gone.

Edited to add photo:

That’s super cool. ⭐️

AUandAG

They came and moved an antique Secretary to the show and then prepped me for a TV interview (makeup and all) and then at last minute thanked me and decided not to do the Secretary. It wasn't real valuable but has been in the family since made ($1,500). They brought it back home the next week. Their movers do know what they are doing for sure.
bob

291fifth

They apparently actually tape about twice as many appraisals as they actually show on TV. I have read that the appraisers do not get anything more than a free lunch (and valuable TV exposure). They cover all their own costs.

3stars

Several years ago there was a show on PBS called Market Warriors where four antique experts scour flea markets and fairs for items to make profit on at auction. It always amazed me that even the experts typically took losses on their items.

dcarr

@topstuf said:
OIL is what destroys gunpowder.

Water worked fine in my case, but I will remember that for "the next time".

PS:
I've been told that a tiny amount of WD-40 sprayed onto ammunition can render the primers ineffective, turning the ammunition into duds.

AUandAG

@dcarr said:

@topstuf said:
OIL is what destroys gunpowder.

Water worked fine in my case, but I will remember that for "the next time".

PS:
I've been told that a tiny amount of WD-40 sprayed onto ammunition can render the primers ineffective, turning the ammunition into duds.

Myth. I spray WD-40 on all my ammo and have had no problems. Great lubricant and makes the mags work much better with fewer jams. Of course I don't drench the ammo and it's a very light coating just as a lube.

AUandAG

@dcarr https://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-39-oil-vs-primers/

1northcoin

Our local museum hosted an event similar to the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow and expert appraisers were brought in to offer appraisals. The only TV viewing though was for the local stations.

I took an item I had inherited from my uncle who headed the occupation efforts in Hokkaido after World War II and which had been given to him as a token of appreciation for how well he treated the local Japanese. The appraisers had never seen anything like it before so I ended up having to do my own research. It was a ceremonial necklace/breast piece of some sort made from trading beads and metal by the indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu. The ones I located in museums were not as ornate or of equal quality. Since it included a medallion it qualifies as a Shitoki. (The medallion is of a white-tailed sea eagle, a bird the Ainu traditionally hunted and with it the Ainu would wear the item in ceremonies and rituals as it was believed to protect against evil spirits.) The term for it without a medallion would have been a Tamasai. In any event the more strands and more beads, the more valuable the Shitoki is.

The other item I brought was a once abandoned painting that my daughter had rescued and put on Craig's List for a couple hundred dollars. Someone recognized the painter and called her to let her know it likely had much more value. At the "roadshow" the appraiser valued the Seascape by George J. Stengel (1866-1937), a New Hope Impressionist of The Hudson River School, at close to $25,000.00

cmerlo1

My wife and I went the last time they were in Austin. Took a couple of old 1940's-era wind-up race cars that were new in the box and they were appraised by Noel Barrett for 150 each. Also took an old violin that belonged to a family member who played it in the Cleveland Symphony in the 20's and 30's. It was appraised at 500 (it was made in the 20's), but the appraiser said it was the best one he'd seen and could be worth more. The violin appraisal was taped but didn't air.

291fifth

@1northcoin said:
Our local museum hosted an event similar to the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow and expert appraisers were brought in to offer appraisals. The only TV viewing though was for the local stations.

I took an item I had inherited from my uncle who headed the occupation efforts in Hokkaido after World War II and which had been given to him as a token of appreciation for how well he treated the local Japanese. The appraisers had never seen anything like it before so I ended up having to do my own research. It was a ceremonial necklace/breast piece of some sort made from trading beads and metal by the indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu. The ones I located in museums were not as ornate or of equal quality.

The other item I brought was a once abandoned painting that my daughter had rescued and put on Craig's List for a couple hundred dollars. Someone recognized the painter and called her to let her know it likely had much more value. At the "roadshow" the appraiser valued the Seascape by George J. Stengel, a New Hope Impressionist, at close to $25,000.00

$25,000 .... SELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1northcoin

@1northcoin said:
Our local museum hosted an event similar to the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow and expert appraisers were brought in to offer appraisals. The only TV viewing though was for the local stations.

I took an item I had inherited from my uncle who headed the occupation efforts in Hokkaido after World War II and which had been given to him as a token of appreciation for how well he treated the local Japanese. The appraisers had never seen anything like it before so I ended up having to do my own research. It was a ceremonial necklace/breast piece of some sort made from trading beads and metal by the indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu. The ones I located in museums were not as ornate or of equal quality. Since it included a medallion it qualifies as a Shitoki. (The medallion is of a white-tailed sea eagle, a bird the Ainu traditionally hunted and with it the Ainu would wear the item in ceremonies and rituals as it was believed to protect against evil spirits.) The term for it without a medallion would have been a Tamasai. In any event the more strands and more beads, the more valuable the Shitoki is.

Here is a photo of a similar Shitoki that was posted on the City of Ishinomaki's website as presumably an owned by the city relic.

Ishinomaki was hit hard by the tidal wave that followed the March 2011 Earthquake and I don't know if this item was lost and destroyed or whether it is an artifact salvaged after the tsunami and now on display in the nearby Disaster Recovery Memorial Museum. The city also had a Manga museum that was destroyed and has now been rebuilt but doubt it would have housed this type of item.

If I can eventually get the photo to load I will add a photo of mine.

DNADave

I stood in line for four hours with an 1873 whites atlas of West Virginia when they came to Charleston . Thought it might be a good local piece. Appraiser had it at $500.

You can take two things. I also took a unique selection of historical items from the Campbells Creek Coal Company but they didn’t appreciate the significance.

1northcoin

@1northcoin said:
Our local museum hosted an event similar to the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow and expert appraisers were brought in to offer appraisals. The only TV viewing though was for the local stations.

The other item I brought was a once abandoned painting that my daughter had rescued and put on Craig's List for a couple hundred dollars. Someone recognized the painter and called her to let her know it likely had much more value. At the "roadshow" the appraiser valued the Seascape by George J. Stengel (1866-1937), a New Hope Impressionist of The Hudson River School, at close to $25,000.00

And here is the above described painting as it was found prior to any restoration.

1northcoin

@1northcoin said:

@1northcoin said:
Our local museum hosted an event similar to the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow and expert appraisers were brought in to offer appraisals. The only TV viewing though was for the local stations.

The other item I brought was a once abandoned painting that my daughter had rescued and put on Craig's List for a couple hundred dollars. Someone recognized the painter and called her to let her know it likely had much more value. At the "roadshow" the appraiser valued the Seascape by George J. Stengel (1866-1937), a New Hope Impressionist of The Hudson River School, at close to $25,000.00

And here is the above described painting as it was found prior to any restoration.

For completeness, here is some added information regarding the artist as sourced from the pictured book:

1northcoin

@1northcoin said:
Our local museum hosted an event similar to the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow and expert appraisers were brought in to offer appraisals. The only TV viewing though was for the local stations.

I took an item I had inherited from my uncle who headed the occupation efforts in Hokkaido after World War II and which had been given to him as a token of appreciation for how well he treated the local Japanese. The appraisers had never seen anything like it before so I ended up having to do my own research. It was a ceremonial necklace/breast piece of some sort made from trading beads and metal by the indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu. The ones I located in museums were not as ornate or of equal quality. Since it included a medallion it qualifies as a Shitoki. (The medallion is of a white-tailed sea eagle, a bird the Ainu traditionally hunted and with it the Ainu would wear the item in ceremonies and rituals as it was believed to protect against evil spirits.) The term for it without a medallion would have been a Tamasai. In any event the more strands and more beads, the more valuable the Shitoki is.

I finally got the photo of my Shitoki to post. The small picture next to it is of me at 3 years of age wearing the above described uncle's officer's cap:

Of added interest I found this photo sourced from a 1946 issue of Life Magazine depicting the wearing of a Shitoki by one of the indigenous to Japan Ainu:

kaz

I seem to recall that years ago, John Agre of CRO appraised a chain cent for an elderly gentleman who had no idea how valuable it was. (someone correct me if my memory is faulty!)

topstuf

Dumb drafts

1northcoin

@topstuf said:
Dumb drafts

?

Jimnight

Nope ... I never have.

Baley

@1northcoin said:
@topstuf said:
Dumb drafts

?

The constant "Draft Saved" popup window is maddening..

I wish it had a 2 minute grace period between the annoying "saved" notifications

highwayman1

Years ago I was the numismatic expert for a roadshow event, but I don't remember it being televised (or perhaps more likely, they just didn't care about the coin section). Kind of a circus. So busy I barely had time to breathe. Lots of wheaties but some neat stuff mixed in.

BLUEJAYWAY

I remember years ago on one show. A man brought in an old sword. He said they used to cut watermelon with it. And have heard others cite they used an item as a door stop.

1northcoin

@1northcoin said:

@1northcoin said:
Our local museum hosted an event similar to the PBS version of Antiques Roadshow and expert appraisers were brought in to offer appraisals. The only TV viewing though was for the local stations.

I took an item I had inherited from my uncle who headed the occupation efforts in Hokkaido after World War II and which had been given to him as a token of appreciation for how well he treated the local Japanese. The appraisers had never seen anything like it before so I ended up having to do my own research. It was a ceremonial necklace/breast piece of some sort made from trading beads and metal by the indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu. The ones I located in museums were not as ornate or of equal quality. Since it included a medallion it qualifies as a Shitoki. (The medallion is of a white-tailed sea eagle, a bird the Ainu traditionally hunted and with it the Ainu would wear the item in ceremonies and rituals as it was believed to protect against evil spirits.) The term for it without a medallion would have been a Tamasai. In any event the more strands and more beads, the more valuable the Shitoki is.

I finally got the photo of my Shitoki to post. The small picture next to it is of me at 3 years of age wearing the above described uncle's officer's cap:

Of added interest I found this photo sourced from a 1946 issue of Life Magazine depicting the wearing of a Shitoki by one of the indigenous to Japan Ainu:

Did anyone notice the uncanny resemblance between the shape of the tattoo on the face of the Ainu and the shape of my Shitoki's Sea Eagle medallion? I just noticed it. Upon reflection it appears that rather than being a "Joker-like" painted on smile, the face marking may have been of deep spiritual significance given that the Ainu revered the Sea Eagle in their culture.

A similar reverence of a bird is common among indigenous peoples of Alaska who revere The Raven.

2dueces

I haven’t but the artist I own 19 paintings of another collector brought in one for appraisal. R Atkinson Fox and the collector brought a painting of ducks about 20 years ago. You can still find the clip on ARS. Appraised at $15K if I’m not mistaken.
Here’s

of mine.

1northcoin

Impressive paintings.

1630Boston

@dcarr said:

@topstuf said:

I've been told that a tiny amount of WD-40 sprayed onto ammunition can render the primers ineffective, turning the ammunition into duds.

I will experiment with this........I'm not sure that is the case with modern primers.
I will report my findings to @ricko.

Tomthecoinguy

Milwaukee Public Television holds an annual appraisal fair, it was clear inspired by the antiques roadshow. You can buy a ticket for $15 per item, with the proceeds going to support MPTV. I have been appraising the coins there for more than 10 years. It is so fun because you never know what you are going to get. One year they taped some apprasials, I made it on air with an appraisal of some GSA CC dollars.

Here are some of the highlights.

An older lady came in with 4 silver dollars. They were all uncirculated early dollars, including a Gobretch dollar. She said she inherited them from her late husband, who got it from his father who owned a factory and collected coins in the early 1900's.

Another women brought in a 1918/1917-S standing liberty quarter, that she had found in a roll of quarters she got for laundry. She found it about 40 years prior. I sent the coin in for grading ATS, and it came back MS65. Pop 4, 1 finer.

I guy from the Milwaukee Firefighters museum brought in a Gold Carnegie Hero fund medal. There were only 19 of them made, and it was 22K gold, I figured it was over 7 troy ounces AGW. It was truly amazing, and started me collecting Carnegie Hero fund medals. The Milwaukee Journal did a story on it.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/columnists/jim-stingl/2016/10/18/stingl-firefighter-hero-medal-stuns-appraiser/92356210/