Behind the Scenes at Antiques Roadshow in Birmingham

We are huge Antiques Roadshow fans, so we were thrilled to discover the hugely popular PBS series was returning to Birmingham for the first time in 15 years to tape episodes for their upcoming season. Approximately 15,000 people requested tickets to the show, but only 3,000 pairs of tickets were awarded, and we weren't among them. However, we were lucky enough to get the next best thing--we were recruited as volunteers. After attending a brief training session Friday night, we showed up at the BJCC at 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning wearing our official gray Antiques Roadshow polo shirt and Volunteer lanyard and went to work. I noted with irony that the gray shirt matched the gray hair of most of the volunteers, but hey, old folks like antiques!

The center of the Civic Center was a huge circle where all the appraisers examined the treasures and filmed the most interesting items. It was divided into sections: Quad 1 was Furniture, Metalworks, Decorative Arts & Militaria; Quad 2 was Folk Art, Clocks, Pottery & Porcelain, and Jewelry; Quad 3 was Toys, Collectibles, Musical Instruments & Books; Quad 4 was Paintings, Prints, & Ancient Arts. Dwight worked at the head of Quad 1; he wore a headset and relayed information from the appraisers to the producers when they wanted to film someone. Dozens of other workers helped direct people to the correct lines and provide crowd control. The appraisers aren't paid; they pay their own expenses for the chance to be filmed and to place a sign in their business saying "As Seen on Antiques Roadshow."

My job was to work the Feedback Booth, where another volunteer and I obtained signed release forms from anyone who wanted to go on camera and talk about their Roadshow experience. Our booth was a huge draw; everyone wanted their shot at two minutes of fame, whether they found out their antique was valuable or basically worthless.

The scene was exactly what you might imagine, with thousands of people waiting in seemingly endless lines. Imagine a queue line at Disney World on steroids. People wandered through carrying everything from stained glass lamps, cradles, uniforms, dolls, tables, baskets, figurines, china, and paintings--lots of paintings. And lots of guns. Every gun was thoroughly checked to insure it was safe and free of ammunition, but I still jumped a little when a man came to my table with a rifle with a huge bayonet on top. Policemen roamed the premises all day, offering to escort people to their cars if they brought something very valuable.

People traveled from all over the South as they tried their best to impress appraisers and producers with their treasures.  Almost everyone I talked to was nice, polite, excited to be there and eager to show off what they brought. I saw some very ugly paintings, very pretty jewelry, and very unusual china pieces, and I just smiled and accepted the release form from everyone without comment, as I was instructed. I was most impressed when one woman showed me a half-dozen original signed Andy Warhol sketches of shoes and little fairies. They were appraised at $20,000, and she brought them in a plain manilla folder. "I guess I'll frame them now," she said. You think?

About noon, host Mark Wahlberg appeared, and a set of cameramen followed him as he worked the crowd like a pro, shaking hands, posing for selfies, and signing autographs for the Roadshow groupies, women who actually follow them from city to city. I had a chance to speak with him and he was very friendly; I found out later that he actually lived here for a year, attended Pell City High School, and is a Crimson Tide fan. I also met Pete Prunkl, one of the writers from the Antiques Roadshow Insider, the monthly magazine distributed by the show, and he was very encouraging and even gave me his business card.

The last ticket was stamped at 6 p.m. and by that time my voice was completely gone; I must've talked with over 3,000 people. Volunteers were allowed to have two items appraised at the end of the day, so we finally had our turn at the appraiser's table. Dwight took my grandfather's Meerschaum pipe and silver matchsafe, a tiny case about the size of a lighter that he carried in WWI to keep his matches from getting wet. We were disappointed to learn that smoking memorabilia is taboo and very devalued, so it wasn't appraised very highly. I took my great grandmother's cameo pin and cameo ring, and two sets of beautiful costume jewelry my grandmother wore, and they were all valued for about $100 each. They are worth much more in sentimental value, of course.

Of the 100 or so participants who get taped at each location, only about ten actually make it onto an episode, and of the thousands of people who visited the Feedback Booth, only about six make each episode. They will make three episodes from the Birmingham visit to air when the new season begins. We watch Antiques Roadshow almost every Monday night--I can't wait until next January!