# Antiques Roadshow - What do you do if your junk is suddenly worth megabucks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957 "2005-02-19T22:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/1 "2005-02-19T22:56:39Z")
We’re watching the **Antiques Roadshow** (my daughter calls it the “Antiques Road Kill Show”, but I digress), and this lady has an old clock she bought at a yard sale for eight bucks. It’s missing the hands, the glass dome isn’t original, the case looks like junk, etc., etc., but it is still, according to the appraiser, worth “$75,000 to $100,000”. Ka-Ching!!! Assuming that the appraiser is correct, what do you do with it? In this case, it’s a pretty easy call – there is no family history or sentimental value, so SELL!! But what do you do right now? You don’t even want to put it in the car to take it home – it’s worth four times the value of your car. You don’t even want to carry it out to the car – you might drop it. Hell, you don’t even want to touch it – you might put a fingerprint on it! Does the Roadshow keep insurance agents onsite to cover this sort of thing? A short term policy to protect you from the time you leave the Roadshow, get it home, and get it to Southebys? Or are you on your own? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/2 "2005-02-19T23:00:48Z")
slight hijack, When ARS was in Atlanta, my Cousin got to be on camera. He didn’t get any items apraised, but he was in a pan-shot after a segment. It was not long, but long enough for us to realize and notice it was him. (We did how ever know they where going, so we knew to look out for them). ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/3 "2005-02-19T23:31:16Z")
If somebody more knowledgable in the antiques market can comment here, are any of these “valuations” actually what the market will support for these items? A lot of them seem really outrageous to me. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/4 "2005-02-19T23:32:45Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Does the Roadshow keep insurance agents onsite to cover this sort of thing? A short term policy to protect you from the time you leave the Roadshow, get it home, and get it to Southebys? Or are you on your own? I’m making an educated guess(in GQ :eek: ). They don’t provide any help as far as insurance. They would be just asking for a liablility problem if something went wrong. That’s my opinion. Of course, a few of their experts have gone to jail for sandbagging people with valuable objects, sending them to confederates who buy the item for the low “appraised” price, then reselling it for huge multiples of that. Just treat it like you did when you brought it into the show. Maybe just a little more careful… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/5 "2005-02-19T23:34:11Z")
> [@threemae](#): > > If somebody more knowledgable in the antiques market can comment here, are any of these “valuations” actually what the market will support for these items? A lot of them seem really outrageous to me. I kind of have to agree. I get the distinct impression some of these “valuations” are kind of tarted up for the camera, and to get a reaction. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/6 "2005-02-19T23:39:34Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I’m making an educated guess(in GQ :eek: ). They don’t provide any help as far as insurance. They would be just asking for a liablility problem if something went wrong. That’s my opinion. > > Of course, a few of their experts have gone to jail for sandbagging people with valuable objects, sending them to confederates who buy the item for the low “appraised” price, then reselling it for huge multiples of that. > > Just treat it like you did when you brought it into the show. Maybe just a little more careful… 😃 Story here [Did WGBH do enough to guard veracity of its antiques hit?](http://www.current.org/prog/prog007ars.html) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/7 "2005-02-20T02:32:14Z")
> [@threemae](#): > > If somebody more knowledgable in the antiques market can comment here, are any of these “valuations” actually what the market will support for these items? A lot of them seem really outrageous to me. > [@astro](#): > > I kind of have to agree. I get the distinct impression some of these “valuations” are kind of tarted up for the camera, and to get a reaction. I thought so too but in 1998: > **[Antiques Roadshow | PBS](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/)** > > Part adventure, part history lesson, part treasure hunt: ANTIQUES ROADSHOW travels the country in search of America’s hidden treasures. > [@](#): > > Secaucus, NJ (1998) > > Highlights: > > Seymour card table appraised by Leslie Keno of Sotheby’s, New York and Leigh Keno of Leigh Keno American Antiques, New York. > A woman brought in a wooden table she had purchased at a garage sale for $25 thirty years ago. Leslie and Leigh Keno examined the table closely and declared it a rare Federal style card table, made by John and Thomas Seymour of Boston in the late 1700s. Not only did the table have its original finish, but its original label was still affixed to the underside. The owner was astonished to learn that in today’s market her table could sell for $200,000 to $250,000! And then a year later the Show did an update: The owner appeared at an auction in Sotheby’s and the piece ended up fetching 300,000 or more! Of course, some appraisals do become duds, when a rare photo of Marilyn Monroe was appraised at a very high price, the appraiser did not know that a cache of pictures from the same era and style was going to be found and the appraisal then was not as good afterwards. **astro** : In the case of veracity I agree that sometimes they drop the ball, but this also happens in the world of appraisals away from the cameras, plus the end result was that those unethical appraisers were banned, still: caveat emptor… ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/8 "2005-02-20T15:22:01Z")
You can take the full market value of the appraisal off on your taxes by donating the item to a museum. Depending on your situation, you might really benefit from this-- especially if the appraised value isn’t really what you could realisticly expect to get at auction. You have to have an outside appraisal, such as that from ARS or dealer, before doing so. Most museums will not appraise items. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/9 "2005-02-20T16:30:36Z")
I’d just offer it to the idiot doing the appraisal. If he says it’s worth $50,000, I’ll tell him it’s his for $45,000, take it or leave it. If he doesn’t bite, well, that tells you something. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/10 "2005-02-20T18:02:49Z")
I remember seeing something I know about on there. There was a piece of automobilia appraised on the show. It was an oil company sign (in pretty poor shape) that was appraised at a price that was twice what one in perfect shape would have been worth. Admittedly, the guy doing the appraisal was probably more knowledgeable about advertising items in general than about automobilia, but I’ve wondered about those prices ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiques-roadshow-what-do-you-do-if-your-junk-is-suddenly-worth-megabucks/290957/11 "2005-02-20T19:21:21Z")
Actually, the RoadShow has a pretty good rep. First, the appraisal gets you ready for getting insurance. The folks the the Antique Road Show can point you to an insurer, just as someone who owns a classica car can get you the name of an reputable insurer of fine autos. You own a 35,000 dollar demi-lune table? You might want to get 40-45k of insurance. I have read about a number of shadey travelling antique road shows that ARE NOT \*\*the \*\* “Antique Road Show” when I was investigating some fraud claims for my company. There are some look-alikes that go to convention centers and they prey on the folks who have developed a trust, even though that trust was established with the real Antique Road Show. Dealers have been known to down play the value of items, so they can buy them and sell them or auction them for alot more.