Attending the Antiques Roadshow was my best and worst consumer experience this week
August 18, 2012
By Rita R. Robison
On Thursday, I got lucky. I won two tickets to the filming of the Antiques Roadshow in Seattle today.
In a Facebook contest by the Washington State League of Women Voters, I guessed that a photo of an antique box with a handle and a counter was a ballot box.
My best consumer experience: Getting a look at how the Antiques Roadshow is produced
It was fun going to the event with a friend. About 6,000 people attended. More than 18,000 viewers of the show wanted tickets.
We were able to bring two items to show to an appraiser. I choose my grandmother Laura Bailey Slingsby’s steamer trunk.
I wrapped it in aluminum foil because I have an allergy to dust, especially old dust. I didn’t want to get any dust in my car. The wrapped up trunk drew a lot of attention. More than a dozen people asked what was inside the foil.
It was great to see that so many people like the Antiques Roadshow and support the PBS program.
My worst consumer experience: Waiting in line and the evaluation of my antique
We had tickets that allowed us to attend the Antiques Roadshow from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. When we arrived, we were able to bypass a long line of maybe 300 people waiting to go in at 2 p.m.
However, in the next huge room, a line of about 1,000 people snaked through the room. It was longer than any TSA line I’ve ever seen.
I had my trunk on a handcart. Although it wasn’t that heavy, the trunk was rubbing on the wheels, making it difficult to wheel. It was tiring waiting in line for two hours, wheeling the cart slowly along.
Then we reached the place where we were assigned categories. Mine was Decorative Arts. A volunteer led me to another long line. I waited an additional hour.
My turn finally came to have my antique evaluated.
LaGina Austin, of Skinner’s American Furniture, told me my antique was worthless. Austin said she sees thousands of steamer trunks like mine in attics every year. They were typical of the period, she said, adding it would cost more than the trunk is worth to have it restored. That’s all she had to say to me.
I asked Austin how much could I get for the trunk if I sold it on Craigslist. She said about $50. Austin said what people do with steamer trunks is put glass on top and use them for coffee tables.
I asked her how much it would cost to have the trunk restored. Austin said about $250.
I was disappointed, not in what the evaluation was, but the manner in which it was delivered.
Austin was not the least bit interested in talking to me about my grandmother’s trunk. She could hardly wait to get rid of me and move on to the next person.
It took a considerable amount of effort to get the trunk to the Convention Center in Seattle. I also stood in line for hours.
I would have appreciated Austin asking me about my grandmother, who immigrated to America from the Isle of Mann, which is located in the Irish Sea between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
It would have been nice if she had thanked me for coming with my antique.
Other participants I talked with also said their appraisers lacked interest in their antique or information about it.
Looking back on the exciting, but trying day, it would have been better for me to do Internet research on steamer trunks and figure out the value of the trunk myself.
I don’t know much about antiques. I’m not a regular view of the Antiques Roadshow.
Taking a smaller item, folding chair, and book would have made the day more enjoyable.
<div style="width: 100%; margin: auto; text-align: center;">Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist</div>
I am not an appraiser but I think it is important to remember how long you waited in line for all the people before you, and imagine how much *longer* you would have been in line had the appraisers asked each person ahead of you about their family history, etc. The appraisers are often volunteers at these events, taking time away from their own families to give others honest information about their family treasures, and at no charge. Your idea to do a little research online beforehand can help ensure that next time, you bring the most unique and promising of your possessions to the roadshow, vs. the more common. I hope you have the chance to enjoy another event like this.
Posted by: Elizabeth | May 20, 2013 at 07:05 AM
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for your comment. No, I won't be attending another event like this. When I have historic items I want to sell, such as political buttons, I'll look elsewhere to sell them.
The Antiques Roadshow is only about the very rare items that make good TV, not about the people who attend.
Rita
Posted by: Rita | May 20, 2013 at 11:24 AM
Rita,
I'm glad I read your story. I have tickets to the Jacksonville, FL event on June 8, 2013. I'm not keen on standing in line to be told that my items are not valuable. My mom has a couple items she is interested in getting looked at but there is no way she can stand in the lines.
I may just give my tickets away.
Posted by: Norma Buchanan | June 02, 2013 at 09:32 PM