In an effort to make some of us wonder what treasures we might have in our dry-walled apartments -- or perhaps to rub salt in the wounds of those who unsuccessfully submitted their antiques to the appraisers at Dallas Convention Center last summer -- PBS is airing the first of three Dallas episodes of Antiques Roadshow tonight at 7 p.m. on KERA-Channel 13 locally.
I got a sneak peek in order to give you a preview, and reasons to watch ... or DVR, if Gossip Girl isn't a repeat.
It is kind of embarrassing how badly dressed the people waiting in line behind the appraisers appear to be, but it was June in Dallas. That being said, it was June in Dallas!
Half of us are apathetic, half are materialistic. C'mon Big D, represent! Work the style for PBS. I'm wondering if this is how they picked the creamiest of the crop cream for airing. You know: best-fitting flood pants, least-worn Crocs, that sort of thing. Then again, if you can afford to shop at Neimans weekly, you've probably had your trinkets appraised and insured by someone who came to your house, as opposed to hauling them to stand in line with "Viewers Like You" at the DCC.
But there are some amazing finds. A lady finds out a bowl, basically made from the knot of a tree, that she keeps her DVDs in, is worth thousands of dollars. I like her; she's sweet. Watch for her.
The daughter of a pro baseball player finds out how much her father's complete archives, five World Series baseballs and three series rings are worth. I'm not even going to say who he is, but if you were ever a Yankees fan, it's a cool moment. Also, one woman has a painting of Henry Clay valued at six figures, and a water-stained Book of Mormon could bring in thousands.
A timid man may have been screwed on his purchase of a Tiffany tea screen. (I'm ashamed, but I was hoping for at least one negative.) But, the lady with the Mocha ware pitcher is the cutest, the dog rug is a total surprise, and the interview between host Mark L. Walberg (aka, "Not Actor Mark Wahlberg") and a serious flag collector in the Hall of State is extremely awkward and therefore priceless.
And as anyone who has ever watched Roadshow knows, the footage from the feedback booth at the end of the show is always a winner. In this episode, it's clear a coffee table (the cause of much family debate) is going bye-bye ... and rather quickly. Do it, guy. Scrap, trade or sell. You won that round.
An interesting side note: Art Restorations, Inc. manager Jessica Ragsdale tells Unfair Park that during the day Roadshow was filmed, the ARI's storefront received at least three submissions from people coming directly from the show's filming wanting to restore their pieces. One couple had actually damaged one of their paintings in the transport to the Roadshow. But they went to the right place. The show's appraisers Gerald Tomlin and John Buxton bring items in from their own galleries for ARI's restoration services and both are standing references for ARI.
