Here are 10 things you need to know about Antiques Roadshows.
According to Elle Décor, it is quite difficult to get into an Antique Roadshow. Case in point, it is more difficult to get into one than to get into Harvard University.
"At least in some cases: When the show visited a convention center in Santa Clara, California in 2014, more than 22,000 applied for tickets, but fewer than 50, or about 0.2 percent of those who applied, actually made it onto the show that aired," according to Collector's Weekly.
Antique Roadshows in the United States are also quite challenging to get into because it is not as popular as in the United Kingdom. Additionally, some people do not necessarily like to appear on camera. For instance, one of the most prized road shows was supposed to feature a series of autographs collected from different presidents of the country. However, when it was time for the owner to face the camera for an interview, he declined.
Meanwhile, two of the most common items at roadshows include images and photographs of the Bible and Jesus Christ. In an interview with the A.V. Club, auctioneer Nicholas D. Lowry said, "So here you have something that's legitimately a hundred years old or more, but every single family had one."
Lastly, Antiques Roadshows also restrict appraisers to purchase the very same items that they evaluate. According to Lowry, this has been a very common thing among appraisers because sellers and other people don't want them to have any conflict of interests.
Additionally, it has also been revealed that the highest evaluated collection to have ever been recorded was worth $1.5 million. The man who sold his items did so in 2011 in Oklahoma. Most of the items that he sold were 18th century Chinese cups carved from rhinoceros horns.
