Antiques Roadshow.......

[Stoner4Life]

the incredible finds people come up with on items found in garage sales, flea markets, thrift shops and dumpsters on this program never ceases to amaze me.

I've got no excuse not to be out there at least checking out thrift stores in some of the bigger cities I visit, of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder and are usually bought because due to 'attraction' or eye appeal, finding that gem amongst the ordinary is certainly a crap shoot of the highest odds unless you have a background in arts & antiques in general.

I can see where if you're on a mission to find that sweet nectar you need to have a jewelry loop or magnifier on you at all times to keep an eye out for the smallest of markings that so often the Antiques Roadshow staff show the owners, most being caught unaware.

I own a few antiques but nothing like the goods debuted on the show, my most unusual item is called "The Picturesque Tri-Cities" which is a 24 part portfolio of photographs of Moline, Rock Island & Davenport (now the Quad Cities w/Bettendorf) from 1901 thru 1903. I have all 24 parts intact but being as that era was the dawn of the modern day photograph I'm not sure they hold much value.


Just got done watching pt. 2 of 3 from San Diego where a women & her mom needed some furniture for her daughters condo, a small oriental rug (a bit tattered to boot!) plucked from a dumpster wound up having a value of $125,000 to 150,000.......


anyone got any good stories? even if not a rags to riches tale what have you guys found out there? stuff like early designer skateboards command big bucks, we've seen Nintendo games go for $40,000+! Items not that old but rare can't be overlooked by any means.

 

[bobcat1963]

I remember one episode where this guy bought a two dollar framed picture,and the backing was an original dinner menu from the Titanic.I think it was one of only four or five in existance.

 

[pearlemae]

Watch the roadshow every week.I have yet to stumble over that huge score but I'm still looking.

 

[Green lung]

Real ballers even watch the uk version.....though its a little stuffy

 

[stiltokin74]

My dad goes to country auction often. One night while he was there a large box of books came up for auction, noone bid on it....after everything was over the "ole" man walks over and offers $3.00 for the box. SOLD to the highest bidder.

After he gets his prize home he is going through to see what treasures may be found and he spots a 1955 world year book. Now this was the year he graduated so naturally he picked it up to nostalgically take a look. To his surprise when he opened the book it opened in the middle because at some time in the past someone glued the pages together and then cut the exact shape out needed to securely hold ....a 1914 model Mauser German officers pocket pistol!

I bought it from him the next time I went to see the folks and it sits in my bookcase.

 

[Classy@Home]

There is a fellow that brings in a big blanket, he finds out it's rare native Indian, 500K+ USD value. He kinda tears up and gets a little flustered, "oh, my..." he says.

That guy looks and sounds sooo much like my late father-in-law that I tear up and get all silly, smiley when I see it...

 

[Stoner4Life]

There is a fellow that brings in a big blanket, he finds out it's rare native Indian, 500K+ USD value. He kinda tears up and gets a little flustered, "oh, my..." he says.

That guy looks and sounds sooo much like my late father-in-law that I tear up and get all silly, smiley when I see it...

bro, that episode haunts me, you hit it right on the head with his reaction which I construed to a side story like this: "he sure could have used the money to help a wife or other loved one, it seemed to me that he was imagining some sort of lost opportunity."

it was a Navaho Chiefs blanket that he said had been sitting on the back of a chair or couch for years.......

 

[LadyCropSitter]

My grandfather was gifted a blanket like that from an Indian Chief while he was on his mission in the early 1900's. My mom still has the blanket, I have tried to steal it a couple times just to get it appraised not to mention all the other artifacts he collected.

 

[CANNACO-OP]

Love the roadshow! I got some early smoking devices and antique tincture bottles.

 

[purple_man]

yow ladycropsitter, don't steal from your family please. as a matter of fact, don't steal from no one, always ends up in karma bitin back

blessss
ps.: and i bet if you sold them things, one day you will miss them more than the money (most likely already spent)

 

[Stoner4Life]

My grandfather was gifted a blanket like that from an Indian Chief while he was on his mission in the early 1900's. My mom still has the blanket, I have tried to steal it a couple times just to get it appraised not to mention all the other artifacts he collected.

yow ladycropsitter, don't steal from your family please. as a matter of fact, don't steal from no one, always ends up in karma bitin back

blessss
ps.: and i bet if you sold them things, one day you will miss them more than the money (most likely already spent)

I'm pretty sure she just wants to borrow that blanket for a short while purple man.......

 

[paulo73]

I love the Antiques Roadshow.
Me and the missus always found ourselves keeping all the old stuff from our beloved ones but only when we arrived to England we´ve started to discover that many of those things are more valuable nowadays then in the past
Sadly i´ve never seen the USA version maybe i will check it online...that Navajo blanket caught my imagination
I have seen too many Antiques Roadshows to mention anyone in particular but i find most amusing when people have wrong ideas about the use of certain antiques and they only find out about the right purpose on the show. Funny and educative!
Nice thread btw
Thanks Stoner4Life

 

[LadyCropSitter]

yow ladycropsitter, don't steal from your family please. as a matter of fact, don't steal from no one, always ends up in karma bitin back

blessss
ps.: and i bet if you sold them things, one day you will miss them more than the money (most likely already spent)

ROFL...I am not going to steal it. I really meant that I wanted to take it to be appraised & surprise them. I haven't really tried to steal anything from my family, I am sure I could just ask for it.

 

[BornToBeWild]

I really enjoy that show! I've never hit the jackpot yet but I'll go to auctions or yardsales and turn $1-$2 into $100 sometimes, then able to go buy more stuff. Past summer uncle buck and I went to yardsale bought a box full or purses (my mom collects them has hundreds lol). Found a Coach purse with matching Coach sunglasses inside with 4 $20 bills, I took the money back to the lady but she insisted I keep it as she said she got everything from a thrift store dumpster. Just never know when ya may have a few dollars in the pocket and end up with $500 profit in a few days.

 

[RudolfTheRed]

i hate seeing shows like antique roadshow, or American pickers because i start to realize what a dumb ass i was as a child. my grandparents were incredibly successful auctioneers, and antiquers and made millions of dollars doing it. they tried to teach me the trade before they passed but i had no interest in all that old shit i would say. now looking back i wish i had listened to them and learned the trade after seeing all these new shows. they knew exactly what to look for, where to find it, etc. and were very good and doing it.

if only i had listened....

 

[chuckyoufarley]

my farther in-law burned 6 of the square plastic milk crates full of baseball cards that his kids had collected, traded, played with, when they were young thats from the 60's to the 80's.when my wife told me that i wanted to put him in the burning barrel.he did it just for something to burn ,we would start a fire in the barrel in the back yard and all the neighbors would come out and hang out bullshitting drinking starring at the fire hahaha good ole days

 

[Stoner4Life]

any of you living near old cities like Philly, NY, DC, Baltimore and all of their outlying areas have an advantage in hitting garage sales, sleeper items that have become undervalued and mundane to their owners make for savvy shoppers sometimes striking gold.

watch for sales in the older stucco & tudor style home neighborhoods, either advertised in newspapers or by driving through these places. by the time a homes contents might be going to auction it's likely the auctioneer or other experts have appraised the true valuables and smart bidders will be in attendance.

I'd love to be antiquing back east.......

 

[Snagglepuss]

Thats a great show...i especially like it when someone comes on with a item.And their sure that its worth alot money..And the guys like your item "isn't worth shit"...Not in those words, but you know what i mean..

On another note..I have this lamp i bought from goodwill $4.95 ,its been sitting in my room and other places around here for at least 8 yrs.......I looked it up a month back and its made by a milan Italian designer named Mario Arnaboldi ...Apparantly it was only made for 1 year "1984"...

Whilst im not gonna get rich,,the damn thing sells for $400-$500.....for fucking lamp ...The
things people spend their money on these days .This is kinda like an antiquing story.......

 

[fishheadbob]

It's a great show which I usually watch, but I do wonder. When somebody brings on an antique chair, for example, and one of the furniture twins starts creaming his pants because "it's a genuine 1754 chair made by the legendary joe shit who worked outside Philadelphia. At auction this chair would bring $175,000". I get skeptical. If it were me I'd reply that he could buy it right now for $125,000 . That might get edited right out.

My favorite was some lady brings on a Stradivarius violin which she had in her attic. She knew it was a Strad because it said Stradivarius on the label, and she presumed it was made for Stradivarius' girlfriend Facebat Anna in the year 1712 or whenever since that was also on the label. A little basic Latin translates facebat anno 1712 into the English made in the year 1712. Catchy name for your next daughter though . Let's name her Face Bat. The kicker was that the fiddle was a Chinese knockoff worth $10. The bow with it was worth $16,000.

 

[Green lung]

I saw one where a guy probably 60yrs old had a lead glass lamp from like 1920 with a cord and everything.



The appraiser asked him how old he thought it was and guy said 200 years old lol.




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