Antiques Road Show

Bonnie and I before entering the arena

Some of the many folk anxiously awaiting to have their treasures evaluated

Noel Barrett and Scott Tagliapietra evaluating my toy horse

Marshall Martin appraised my doll. This was my mother's doll, and I know very little about her. She is a Schoenhut doll (has a 1911 patent on her back ). When I got her, she was in very poor shape. The paint on her face was badly cracked and I remember Hans saying she looked like a burn victim. Several years ago, I took her to a doll hospital where her head was totally sanded and repainted. Her body was washed, and a new wig was glued to her head. Aunt Liz sewed this dress for her from a 1910 doll dress pattern, and I bought her leggings, bloomers, and high button boots. The appraiser said the restoration brought down her value, but assured me it was better to have her proudly displayed, rather than tucked away in a box.

Wesley Cowan - appraiser of photographs - often appears on the show

Nicolas Lowry, expert appraiser of prints and posters

It's possible you will see Janet and Pat on one of the Minneapolis episodes, giving their comments in the Feedback Booth, shown at the conclusion of the shows. The dates when the Minneapolis road show have not been announced, but will be later this fall or next January.

Bonnie, listening intently as the appraiser explains the history of the pitcher she brought which was her grandmother's

The vase this lady brought was valued at $2,000. It will be featured in an upcoming issue of Antiques Road Show Insider magazine

Appraiser Kathleen Baily evaluating this beautiful lamp

This woman brought in a diamond given to her by a fiance whom she never married. You can get a better look at it if you double click on the photo. She was stunned to learn it is a perfect, large, canary diamond, valued at $140,000 to $160,000! It was interesting to see an Antiques Road Show employee escort her to the entrance of the convention center to wait with her while her daughter brought the car to take her home.

Today I had the thrill of going to the Antiques Road Show here in Minneapolis! This was the equivalent of a U2 concert for me. I have watched this show for years - if I missed it on Monday night, it was repeated on Saturday night. It was fun for me to know Aunt Liz and Aunt Ginny were watching it, too. A few months ago it was advertised that the show would be coming here and one could apply for free tickets, to be doled out at random, or by submitting a photo of a piece of furniture, providing you lived in a 50 mile radius. If they selected your furniture, you automatically got two free tickets. Well, I emailed family and friends so they could try to get tickets, and I sent a photo of my favorite piece of furniture - my hutch, and sadly, I nor my hutch were selected. But my girlfriend, Bonnie, and my sister, were notified they got two tickets each. So, Bonnie invited me to use her second ticket, and Janet invited our cousin, Pat.

One stipulation in attending was one had to bring one antique. The limit per person was two antiques. What to bring? Well, I don't have anything really "old," but I have a few things that are pretty old. I decided to bring my mother's doll and a horse my dad gave me one year for my birthday. I have very few things from my parents, so these are treasures for me - regardless of a dollar value by an appraiser.

Bonnie's tickets were for a 9 am entrance to the show. We arrived at the Minneapolis Convention Center around 8:20, and were allowed to enter the large preparation room right away - getting into the line for 9 am. I would guess there were about 100 people in our line, but it moved along really fast - nothing like the security line at the airport!

We had a FABULOUS time! I got to see some of the appraisers I see nearly every week on TV. Everything was done so orderly - lots of volunteers from Minneapolis. It was so much fun seeing the things people brought, and listening to interviews of some that brought extraordinary items. The appraisers are experts - and often consulted other appraisers to confirm their findings.