Essential Top 5 Tips for Attending Antiques Roadshow

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Wow! I wish I knew these before I went last Saturday to the first show of the 2009 Season in Atlantic City, NJ!…But now, I get to share them with you. These are designed to give you an insider’s view of what and what not to do!

My husband and I have been trying for the last 5 years to attend one of these shows. We finally received our tickets and I thought my husband won the lottery! I heard yelling coming from our home office…and went rushing..he was holding up the Golden Tickets!! And the journey began…

We live in New Hampshire, so this was to be a weekend trip. If you are from out of state, give yourself plenty of time to relax before and after the show (you’ll need it!). I really do beat myself up now for not being as ready as I should’ve been. Our time was 10am., premo time! 10am and earlier is best, after 10am and it starts getting crowded. Give yourself enough time to get through the traffic at the venue and get to the show area. You need to be in line at :30min before your scheduled time. We were and they were running early on the 9am group so we never waited in line.

When you go into line it is by time. They have it setup by 9, 10, 11 etc. if they are running early they let you through early. We never had the chance to sit down. The line constantly moved.

At the end of the line, there is the most important area of the whole show. It is the place where you receive your ‘Catagories’. You must have your items out and unwrapped so they can see them by now. The volunteer at this desk will look at your item and give you your category card. Make sure you get the right category. This is a must. I was given a Book category for a scapbook that should have gone to collectibles. It was a stage scrapbook with signatures of stage stars with photographs and comments on the plays of the era. The appraiser in ‘Books’ never even looked at it. The same happened to the boy next to me. He had an oversized book with Dresdenprints. He should’ve been put in prints, they directed him to Books. Decide before you go, where you want your item appraised.

TIP #1: You must let the volunteer know the category. If your item does not fit in the category you receive, go back to the area with your item in hand and explain to them why your item was in the wrong category to try and get the right ticket.

Once you are through the door into the production area, there are dozens of volunteers to help you go to the right line to get started on your appraisals. You have to also decide how you want to visit the appraisers. I was with my daughter, we both went to all appraisals. You also have the option to split up. By going together, I talked to the appraiser and she wrote down what he said, a perfect arrangement in case I forgot something or missed it.

TIP #2: Go to the appraisers in pairs. One talk and the other write. There is a lot of talking going on and it is easy to miss. The appraisers are very tight at their stations and sometimes you cannot hear due to the people next to you. You also feel very rushed in the situation. Do not rely on memory.

When you first are lead up to the ‘circle’ of appraisers, you are on the outside of a ring. We went to the Books first. It was a very quick appraisal with me telling the appraiser what the item was. Then, we were told, once you are on the production floor…do not leave! The lines outside are for people coming in at a later time than you. These are the 11pm, etc. people. The lines start to grow. Just move within the inside of the circle to each group you need to visit.

TIP #3: Do not go back outside the circle to get in line. Some volunteers will get this wrong. They will mistakenly tell you to do this. You should travel inside and get in line in the circle. I was told by the production crew that at various points they had no one in line for the appraisers because volunteers sent them out. One volunteer led us out on one of the most sought after lines, Jewelry and we waited 2hrs in line to see the appraisers. This is probably the most important rule!

Which brings us to, while waiting in line…bring plenty of snacks and drinks, just in case!

When talking to the appraisers, I found giving them a general rundown, rather than everything I knew at the beginning helped. If I started and told them everything, they would stop and give me a value. They really did not take the time to look for themselves. My advice would be, give general info and wait for them to ask for more. Have your items pre-marked with interesting pages, etc. I should’ve had my book marked with the autographs beforehand. I ended up doing this in the jewelry line. You need to be ready when you walk up there or they lost interest FAST!

The appraisers also do not have research material available at the tables. They have laptops to Google info. I am told the real research goes on behind the scenes if you get selected. Most appraisals are off the cuff. These are very qualified appraisers. They know what they are doing. I noticed some have gotten away from the common man though and may not know what sells to the masses. Case in point would be furniture. The Keno brothersare fantastic and know their stuff VERY well, but they deal mostly in the upscale furniture. The lower priced furniture that may appeal to the masses might very well be lost on them. Keep this in mind when you get a lower than expected appraisal. Their appraisel is a starting point. The next step is ‘want’. If you have an antique that appraises low but is hot on the market…you get two people that want it..there is no telling what can happen!

TIP #4: When you present your item, be brief, give the appraiser time for discovery, then fill in the blanks. They lose interest fast, afterall they are the experts!. Appraisers are doing multiple appraisals ‘off the cuff’ without the benefit of research material like you had before coming. Remember, the appraisal is a starting point…they cannot allow for interest from the masses.

I selected items to take that I thought had great stories and interesting history. If I had the choice today, I would bring items that were in the HOT categories. If you have these antiques in these categories, teh better. These are the TOP 20 categories of collectibles as released by Kovels for 2009, in order of ranking:

Occupied Japan
Jewelry
Capo-Di-Monte
Silver Plate
Stove
Furniture
Coca-Cola
Lladro
McCoy
Josef Originals
World War II
Royal Bayreuth
Copeland Spode
Rosenthal
Royal Copley
Bicycle
Bavaria
Lighter

It just seemed to me that these are the type items they were looking for, the older the better. Of course, in jewelry you want to bring; Tiffany, Cartier, or something very unusual, etc.

You will increase your chances to be on the show by having something antique in one of these categories.
Of course, bronze statues, civil war, paintings and all the ones you presently see on Road Show are a good bet. Antique Asian arts seemed to be really HOT this time. The line was just unreal, if you have something in this category, make sure it is truly unusual and hard to fnd.

TIP #5: Bring items that are in the HOT collectibles categories. If you are a fan of Antiques Roadshow, chances are you don’t just have one or two items to bring. I had to decide what to bring from several items. Make the right choice for the right reason. Remember if it is a dish you can get info anywhere, don’t waste the opportunity to get an expert opinion, take another item.

Whatever you do, do not forget the feedback booth! This is a great opportunity to show your item! My daughter and I planned our speech and went in. It was great! We absolutely loved it!

There are also booths around the show to get Freebies. There was one setup, Liberty Mutual. You spun the wheel and got a T shirt or mug. This is the Official Roadshow T Shirt, you cannot get one any other way. The Roadshow crew who was running the spin told me he was offered $25.00 for his off his back! We got two T shirts. On the back was the complete Roadshow tour dates for 2009! These are going up for auction on eBay asap!!

This is an extra hint for those of you who read all the way through!! If you go to this booth first before the appraisers….get your T Shirt, then as you visit all the appraisers…have them sign your T Shirt! You will not believe what a T Shirt with Leslie Keno autograph goes for on eBay!! I’m just saying, no one told me this before I went, I don’t have any signatures on mine. I have Leslies’ signature on a piece of paper and got to meet him, but no signed T Shirt!!

First, Congratulations on getting your tickets to the Antiques Roadshow! You will have a great time no matter what happens! Even if they tell you your most prized antique is worth a dollar! you walk away smiling!! Just being there is a happening. With these tips it will make it much easier for you to enjoy yourself while there! Good Luck with your items…please comment here if you used my hints and they worked for you. I’d like to know how your show went as well!   This weekend North Carolina!

I just can’t wait for 2010, I’m ready to do it again!

 

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