What Is an Antique Roadshow All About?

You'll enjoy antique roadshows if you have a passion for antiques, crafts, or collectibles and spend your time collecting them from rummage sales, antique shops, or even your own attic.

This show first aired in the United Kingdom in 1979, and it featured a group of appraisers who specialised in various antiques and collectibles. The appraisers would visit to different sites and invite ordinary people to bring any items they thought would be valuable to the presentation. A few people would be picked to appear on the show with their belongings, and the expert would tell them how much the items were worth, or whether they were worthless.

Antique road shows immediately gained popularity and extended to a number of other nations. The show lasts an hour, and the hosts add a cultural touch to it by discussing and explaining the history of the things, which gives viewers a better sense of comprehension and interest. If an object has no worth, the evaluation is usually not broadcast on television to avoid embarrassment and aggravation for the owner. The useless item, on the other hand, will be featured on the show if it has an intriguing backstory or if its origin is relevant to the place where the show is being filmed.

A local person may occasionally bring in an item that they believe is extremely rare and valuable. Even if the appraiser discovers that the item is a fake and worthless, they may still invite the owner to go on the show so that the expert can explain the difference between the fake and the real thing.

Some people have been collecting antiques for years, and you can bring anything to be assessed, whether you are an obsessive collector or have a random collection of unique artefacts. In Antique Roadshow you are welcome to bring paintings, jewellery, photos, furniture, clothing, toys, blankets, and anything else from your home.

Hair, a potato that looks like Richard Nixon, and even stuffed roadkill have all been presented to the programme for valuation. So, some individuals think they have something wonderful and it turns out to be worthless, while others think they have something worthless and it turns out to be fantastic.

If the object has a high assessment value, the owner can determine what to do with it after the valuation. The owner can be made aware of the importance of having the item insured, as well as an estimate of how much coverage they should have. A historical artefact may be sold at auction or donated to a museum or library by the owner. There are also instances where the antique has been stolen and needs to be restored to its rightful owner, which adds to the show's intrigue.

Here you can find latest Antique Roadshow Schedule

Jayson Butler is historian and fond of antique collectibles.