Everything old is new again at Antiques Roadshow, the hit PBS series where people try to discern what among their trash is treasure.
My name is Mike Pearson, late of the Rocky Mountain News, and I'll be blogging periodically today about the confab of 5,000 hopefuls who came to the Colorado Convention Center for the taping of Antiques Roadshow Saturday.
They brought their rugs and their tables, their chairs and their coffins (yes, a coffin!) and one 10-year-old boy wielded a vintage tomahawk right out of Daniel Boone.
Antiques Roadshow is taping show for its 15th season, which begins in January. The Denver visit will comprise three episodes airing sometime between January and May.
So what's it like here? Surprisingly calm. Hundreds of people began lining up at 7 a.m. for a day of appraisals that will last well into the night. A two-hour wait brought them to a table where appraisers dispersed them to a dozen other tables in an interior room – "the set" where cameras and appraisers were at the ready. Contrary to how spacious it appears on TV, the set is about the size of a small ballroom.
The good news? Everyone got a hearing Saturday. The bad news? Only 90 of the 5,000 or so who brought their vintage treasures will actually make it into the on-air footage.
No matter. Most people seem tickled to be here, fueled by the prospect that that ugly painting hauled down from the attic will turn out to be a long-lost Monet.
The motto of Antiques Roadshow attendees is simple: "Hope springs eternal."
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1:45 p.m.
They say politics make strange bedfellows, but no one ever talks about the confluence of oddities at convention centers.
So it is at the Colorado Convention Center today, where 5,000 Antiques Roadshow hopefuls are sharing their airspace with 6,000 attendees at a Harley Davidson Convention on the other side of the center.
No word of any conflicts, just two groups from vastly different worlds eying one another with mutual respect.
As a blogger, I'm trying to be your eyes and ears today. But I'm also a mortal and a 10-year fan of Antiques Roadshow. To that end, I've brought along two 18th century books for appraisal. I'll report back to you on their value, unless they turn out to be worth millions. In which case I'll send you a postcard from the south of France.
One final note for the moment: This is Antiques Roadshow's second visit to Denver this year. Don't worry if you missed it; the show taped an episode in Denver, Wisconsin. Who knew such a place existed?
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2:45 p.m.
In the interest of accuracy, I must correct that last blog entry. There is no such place as Denver, Wisconsin. The Roadshow actually visited Madison, WI. No word on how that typo got in the press booklet.
In some ways, visiting a Roadshow taping is like going to a used car lot: People push, pull and drag their items in for appraisal. I haven't seen this many luggage carts since the last time there was a blizzard at Denver International Airport.
And what kinds of items are people bringing? A lot of furniture and paintings, muskets, lamps and even one woman with what appeared to be a wooden Indian. The kind you found outside old fashioned tobacco shops.
I've seen a lot of familiar faces among the appraisers, faces we all know from TV. I tried to get a word with one of the Keno brothers, but he was mobbed by adoring fans.
I did manage a brief conversation with Wes Cowan, the photographic expert. I asked how he managed double duty on Antiques Roadshow and History Detectives, another of my favorite PBS shows.
"We tape Antique Roadshow from June to September and History Detectives from November to June," he explained. "Besides, I don't appear on all of the Roadshow episodes."
I'll say this for Cowan: He was upbeat and amiable, much as he appears on TV.
By the way, that Harley convention I mentioned before is for dealers from around the world. They hail from as far afield as Abilene, Texas, Ireland and Australia.
Still waiting to get some of my items appraised. Hopefully I'll have something to report soon.
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4 p.m.
I am not a millionaire, and more's the pity.
I have two 18th century French books, which the appraiser at Saturday's Antiques Roadshow taping apologetically informed me weren't worth much money. He seemed chagrined that he couldn't give me better news.
I can't retire on their value. I might barely be able to buy a tank of gas.
One of the books is a Sunday hymnal. The other is a collection of riddles. The hymnal is worth $10 despite dating from 1754. The riddles are worth $30 and the book dates from 1717. That's not even a little bit funny.
Am I disappointed? A little. Deterred? Not at all. I figure to be back the next time Antiques Roadshow comes to town. Maybe by then I'll have discovered something in my grandmother's attic. I wonder how much my bronzed baby shoes are worth?
If you missed today's gathering, you missed a truly communal experience. The appraisers and Antiques Roadshow staff were kind to a fault. Those who came seeking appraisals were equally well behaved. In several hours of milling about, I can say I saw some truly hideous paintings – the kind of art that might give a lesser mortal nightmares. My guess is some of those owners will be able to retire on what the rest of us might consider the step children of art.
One more thing: Show host Mark L. Walberg arrived mid afternoon to tape his introduction to the show. It was fun watching him do variations on his introduction, which positions Denver as either the season premiere or somewhere further down the pike.
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