History lesson, treasure hunt, family stories - a winning combination for 14 years.

  I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame, which Andy Warhol promised each of us. But there were no flashing cameras, no paparazzi, no screaming fans reaching out to me, and no one asked for an autograph.

  My 15 minutes actually extended to a whole day, and it was spent backstage, not on stage. I had a behind-the-scenes view of the “Antiques Roadshow,” when the show was filmed in Atlantic City last June. To be asked to write an article about my favorite show was worth waiting all these years for my personal moment of fame.

Roadshow Backstory           

  True fans know “Antiques Roadshow” is watched by 10 million people each week, making it PBS’s top-rated primetime show. Since its debut in 1996, this six-time Emmy-nominated show has hosted about 475,000 people in 75 U.S. cities.

  And, since each ticket holder may bring two items, that’s almost a million appraisals that have been done! The 70 to 80 professional appraisers at each location, from the world’s leading auction houses (think Christie’s, Sotheby’s), average about two minutes per appraisal. Add 40 crew and 100 volunteers, and it’s quite an event!

  For the 36,000 fans awarded tickets this past summer (about 6,000 per city), there were over 150,000 applications for admission (a 60% increase over 2008). Getting in with a press pass was a dream! And learning that the three one-hour shows shot in Atlantic City would be broadcast in late January/early February 2010, meant a short wait to see my dream shared with the public. (Watch streaming video if you missed the PBS broadcast, at pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow.)

Step-By-Step

  Here’s how it works. The first step is the hard part: getting a ticket. What’s next? It must be deciding what to bring to have appraised. I’m sure most people think they just might have the next $1-million discovery — the highest value for an item so far on the show.

  Like timed tickets at DisneyWorld, your Roadshow ticket gives a time to report to the venue, for me the Atlantic City Convention Center, where taping took place, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This avoids 6,000 excited ticket holders converging when doors open, all carrying their treasures by hand, on carts, in wagons, or some other inventive conveyance. While very large pieces of furniture are selected in advance and are transported by the show, people get creative in hauling big items to this antiques Mecca.

  The first stop is the gathering room, where ticket holders line up in snaking lines to get to the checkpoint for item triage. Here a Roadshow generalist determines which of the 20 categories — from Antiquities to Tribal Art — your items fall into and gives you tickets for the appropriate appraisal areas. Now you have tickets to get appraisals for your two chosen items. And you cross your fingers.

  In my case, I brought two small pieces of 18th-century Pennsylvania furniture, a spice box and miniature blanket chest, all I could possibly carry on my luggage cart. I was given tickets to the furniture appraisal area, staffed by John Hays, of Christie’s and the Keno brothers (Leigh and Leslie, as Roadshow fans know), among others.

Staging Area

  Then it’s on to the staging area where the work of the Roadshow happens. Interestingly enough, what you see on TV is what actually happens at the Roadshow. There’s a giant circle of tables staffed by 70-some appraisers, expert in over 20 different categories of antiques. These experts volunteer their time and see about 1400 objects each hour!

  In the center of the circle of appraisers are three camera areas with mini-stages, where dealers and owners meet to share stories and expertise in taped interviews for the show.

  With appraisal tickets in hand, you head for the appropriate category line to learn if you have the next big discovery that will be aired on the show. As you join the line, you can’t help looking at what others have brought and doing your own private appraisals.

  For most, you’ll get an on-the-spot appraisal with some history, background about similar antiques, and a value at auction or for insurance purposes. At last you’ll know if it’s trash or treasure!

The Pitch

  For the lucky few, if the expert believes your object is a potential candidate for the show, you’ll be asked more questions. Instead of giving you a value, they’ll “pitch” the item to a show producer to try to interest the producer in the item. Part of the pitch process is to determine the owner’s knowledge of the object, its value or scarcity, its history, its unusual nature, the interest of the owner’s personal story, and whether something similar has been on the show.

  My excitement increased as three dealers looked over my blanket chest, and one remarked it to be one of the better pieces they’d seen that morning. They sought out a producer for the pitch. I waited anxiously.

  But ultimately, it was thumbs down. There would be no surprise on my part during a video discussion, because I knew all there was to know about the piece — I’ve been collecting for over 40 years. In short, I knew too much. Despite my dashed dreams of lights-camera-action, this showed me there was integrity to the program choices and the reactions on camera are authentic.

The Chosen           

  But if your item is pitched successfully, you’re taken to the Green Room — really just a curtained off area — as you wait in suspense to hear about your item. Here you get hair and make-up done for the shoot, sign an appearance release, enjoy light refreshments, watch the other tapings, and relax before you’re called to the camera area for your video appraisal.

  While you’re getting excited about the taping, the appraiser is researching, finding out more about the item or its creator, maybe consulting fellow experts, getting value quotes from sales or auctions from internet sources, and consulting the mobile reference library that travels with the Roadshow.

  Then it’s your turn to be escorted to center stage in the midst of hundreds of people milling about you getting their items appraised and watching the Roadshow activities in awe. The shoot takes place in the center of the appraisal circle in a hub of excitement and activity. When you watch the show, you’ll notice people in the background with their treasures in hand awaiting their time with the experts.

  TV lights blaze as large floor cameras surround the center appraisal area and staff with shoulder cameras film from all angles around the appraisal staging table. Microphones on the appraiser and treasure owner record the exchange as the pair is seated at the table.

  Those in the appraisal lines watch the taping, thinking how they will act if chosen. Anticipation mixes with the dream of possessing the next big object of the day. And each onlooker is thinking, could I be the one in front of the cameras? Will I be one of the 50 to get on air from this shoot? Will this be my 15 minutes of fame?

  Watching the taping amid the swirl of focused activity, I shared the thrill of having a treasure pitched for broadcast, of seeing my favorite dealers and appraisers, and of being part of this spectacular event!

The Final Steps

  After your items are appraised and you’ve soaked up the atmosphere, the final stop is the Feedback Booth, seen at the end of the show. It’s another chance to show your item, tell its story and share what you’ve learned of its history and value. And another chance to get on camera!

  As in the other lines of the day, you can talk with other Roadshow fans and share experiences. At this final stop, I met two women from Chester County, Susan and Susan, sisters-in-law from Downingtown and East Fallowfield, who brought an 1850s chair and grandmother’s calendar watch, both worth more than expected but not enough for early retirement.

  After the Feedback Booth, my final stop was the press table to end my official duties. There I was asked to give back my press pass, but I politely declined. This was too special a souvenir.

  So, as I left the Convention Center, I was already beginning to savor this experience. I realized I’d be able to relive the moment when the Atlantic City shows were broadcast. And my press pass continues to hang on an antique mirror that I look into at least once each day. An even more tangible reminder of my time at “Antiques Roadshow”! -CL-

 Photos by Jeff Dunn for Antiques Roadshow and by Zack Malet for County Lines.

   For the Atlantic City Roadshow, three local spots were chosen for taping a few days before appraisal day. These background segments are interspersed among the main appraisals in the broadcast and include related history or items relevant to Atlantic City.

  The profiled spots included glass blowing at Wheaton Village to see antique paperweights, since New Jersey was a prominent area for early glass blowing. And visits to an Oyster House to see pearls and pearl jewelry. The last stop was to check out the Miss America bathing beauty statuettes on the Boardwalk.