One of my favorite television programs is “Antiques Roadshow.” Host Mark Walberg (no, NOT Mark Wahlberg, the actor) tours the country with a cadre of experts from America’s best auction houses. It bills itself as “part adventure, part history lesson, and part treasure hunt” that has garnered nine Emmy® Award nominations. As PBS’s highest-rated series, the show has an audience of nearly 10 million viewers weekly.
Collectors, family heirs, bargain hunters and curiosity seekers come to these events with their grandfather clocks, Civil War memorabilia, Ming vases, Duncan Phyfe drop-leaf tables, bric-a-brac, etc., in order to have the various specialists appraise their prized possessions. While the owners wait in awe to find out the estimated worth of their items, it’s fun to watch at home and make your own educated guess.
Before the antique professionals let the owners know the amount for which he or she will appraise the items, they will apprise, that is, tell the show guests all about the background and history of their valuables.
The appraisals, whether they be great, or greatly diminished from preconceived notions, often will leave the owners with quite a look of surprise.
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