Yes, I admit it. I love the Antiques Roadshow. Just to be clear: I don't actually like antiques, or antiquing, or collecting antiques, or what have you. I am allergic to dust and mold, for god's sake. The idea of wandering around an antique mall, looking for silver teapots is my idea of hell on earth. But somehow, there's something compelling about other people's junk.
I can just see a "Best In Show" -esque mockumentary about an antiques appraisal show - hell, if I was a little more with it, I would write it myself!!! I love watching people bring their treasures to some convention center, hoping they will get told they've really been sitting on a fortune. I love looking at some object and thinking "That thing is completely hideous. I bet it's worth 2 bucks" only to find that this thing is really worth several thousand dollars. Shows how much I know. In a twisted kind of way, it is also kind of fun to watch the appraisers tell the expectant person that really, they totally got ripped off, and the vase they thought was ming was really made last Tuesday in Jersey. Really, this show provides an endless source of entertainment.
But truly, my favorite part of the roadshow are these guys:
Leigh and Leslie Keno - furiture appraisers extrordinaire. You KNOW if one of these guys shows up to poke and prod at your piece, you really ARE sitting on a fortune. They do not appraise just any pile of wood. Last night, the show was on from Houston (an old episode) and the very first piece was an old desk with all kinds of hidden compartments. The Keno present could barely contain himself while the lady rambled on about where they'd gotten it, etc. He jumped right in, gleefully whipping out drawers, examining hinges and hardware, touching the wood adoringly. I thought he was about to start dancing around, he was so delirious about this thing. They are known for pulling out drawers and pointing out wood grains and suchlike, and once, one of them ripped open the covering on a sofa. That was one for the books. They don't always appear, but like I said, when they do, the piece is usually worth a whole pile of cash.
No comments:
Post a Comment