Shark Bytes

Hello, just have to comment that Antiques Roadshow has been showing too many repeats and not making any new episodes I seem to notice. Like, when will we see all-new episodes of Antiques Roadshow for a great learning experience and new discoveries. It would be nice if PBS' VCRs all broke and we just had live new eps and lock up the tapes for 15 years and curb PBS' excessive rerun habbit and maybe more people will actually start pledging to PBS instead of it going down the tubes. C'mon PBS, enough is enough with those excessive pledge drives(begathons) too

Never understood why you would spend huge chunks of money (4 figures) for an "antique," THEN get it appraised by an expert.

I mean...DUH!

This describes Bob Villa perfectly:

Narcissistic personality disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), is a personality disorder defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-R), the diagnostic classification system used in the United States, as "a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy." A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. believes that he or she is "special" and unique
4. requires excessive admiration
5. has a sense of entitlement
6. is interpersonally exploitative
7. lacks empathy
8. is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

The etiology of this disorder is unknown according to Groopman and Cooper. However, they list the following factors identified by various researchers as possible factors:

• An oversensitive temperament at birth
• Overindulgence and overvaluation by parents
• Valued by parents as a means to regulate their own self-esteem
• Excessive admiration that is never balanced with realistic feedback
• Unpredictable or unreliable care giving from parents
• Severe emotional abuse in childhood
• Being praised for perceived exceptional looks or talents by adults
• Learning manipulative behaviors from parents

Some narcissistic traits are common and a normal developmental phase. When these traits are compounded by a failure of the interpersonal environment and continue into adulthood they may intensify to the point where NPD is diagnosed. It has been suggested that NPD may be exacerbated by the onset of aging and the physical, mental, and occupational restrictions it imposes as can most personality traits.

No, ARS has not JTS. It's a great show with a great premise. It's fascinating to watch the interaction between appraiser and ordinary man-on-the-street.

In response to some of the criticisms noted here, it must be understood that an appraiser is not a fortune-teller. He/she is only making a guess based on resources (catalogs, pricing guides, other reference sources) available at the time, combined with his/her experience in the past. Yes, those appraisals can be way off -- a lot depends on how experienced the appraiser is with the specific type of item being examined. Plus, they are only human and they make mistakes.... they're under a lot of pressure to make a quick call on national tv and it's not the easiest thing to do.

I can't believe someone thinks that eBay is somehow indicative of the actual market value of an item. I've seen things sell at 10 or even 100 times their market value just because someone had no clue about what they were really bidding on. I've also seen the opposite, where someone got a real bargain on an item because of the timing of the bids on the auction. While bidding prices on eBay definitely do need to be taken into consideration, auction houses are much more accurate indicators of what the market value is for an item.

I'm geeky and think the show is kind of interesting...but definitely show more people bringing in junk that is just "junk". It will add some drama...

I like it

This show wouldn't be so bad if they laid off the damn folk art and glassware. Yeesh, enough already with the stupid glass! Also enough with, "Do you have any idea what it's worth?" Of course they DON'T! They would not BE there if they did.

Best show I ever saw was this dope who was getting an "authentic" Indian quiver and arrow set appraised. Apparently he dropped $200 on it and another $400 getting it mounted and framed. Guess what? It turned out it was not made over 100 years ago but more like 10 years ago and was worth about $40. As Eric Cartman would say, "SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!"

As far as I am concerned ARS has never jumped. I have always loved old things and so I love just to see what people have brought in. Also, I have learned a lot by watching this show. One of the big things is when to, or not to clean or refinish an object. Sometimes you gain value and sometimes you lose...a lot. I am often amazed by the types of collections people have and that they can be worth quite a bit.

Can't argue with a lot of the criticisms posted here, but I'll still watch regardless of the flaws. I had no idea with majollicaware or a Tiffany lamps were before this show came on TV. It's educational, which offends some monosyllabic viewers. Heck, I'll even watch the Canadian version. We do need to see more schmucks who bought something for $1000 bucks only to discover they got screwed.

While I love watching Antiques Roadshow to see stuff and see people's reactions to their treasures. One point in the show I knew had jumped the shark when a person brought a Beatles "Butcher Baby" album in (before changing the cover on it, as people found it "distasteful"), in excellent shape and quoted $5000. I know from record conventions and just generally being a record geek that NO ONE will pay $5000. If you look on Ebay, go to record conventions, or just generally know people you can find a good copy of the record for at most $300, humm..........

I've enjoyed this show from the start but I started seeing fins this season. The reactions to the appraisals always fascinated me. Invariably, the person whose teacup was worth $200 was more excited and emotional than the owner of the painting worth $100,000. Probably, that was because the owner of the painting had lots of money. Last season, it seemed that every appraisal was a big one. Nobody had a small find. Even the fakes were worth $1,000. Whenever the Indian expert from Canada came on camera, you knew you were going to hear the words "national treasure" and that it was at least $100,000. Lara Spencer didn't help either. Her association with the sleazy tabloid show "The Insider" destroyed her credibility. Let's hope that the new season has more small winners and at least a few people who got cheated.

I don’t watch this show as much as I used to, but I still enjoy it. I’ve seen both the British and the American version. In the British version, the junque owner nods politely and makes annoying “uh huh, uh huh” mumbling sounds every time the appraiser comes up for air. Both shows have their pluses and minuses. Each one is simply different. I have to admit that I enjoy the part where the junque hauler is told that it truly is a piece of junk and not worth what they paid for it. The funniest one was the couple who brought in their green vase. Hubby had found it at an antique store in Podunk, Colorado on a road trip. They had done some research on the “green vase” and were bug eyed that this was an authentic piece of genuine Tiffany glass!! They leaned forward, eyes fixed, mouths slightly agape in anticipation of having their long held belief confirmed that they had found the Mother Lode – good times were just around the corner. The woman appraiser described to them in excruciating detail just what a real piece of Tiffany glass would look like and why their’s was not the real deal. Husband slumped back in his chair crestfallen, but the wife had a defiant glint in her eyes, and said rather rudely, “Well, thank you for YOUR opinion.” You just knew that the wife was going to go appraiser shopping until she browbeat someone into agreeing with her that she was the owner of a valuable Tiffany "vahz" made during his “folk art” period. They don’t show this clip nearly enough in reruns. However, the two most poignant shows where the one about the elderly man who brought in a old blanket, and broke into tears when the appraiser told him how valuable his American Indian blanket was. The old man could barely speak, he was so overcome by the enormity of realizing that the blanket he had used on his bed for decades was priceless. The other one was another elderly man who brought in a huge glass beer mug that had been in his family as long as he could remember. He had placed a price tag on it for fifty cents to sell at a garage sale. You just knew he needed the cash. When the appraiser gently told him how much this rare mug was worth, he burst into tears. He had come so close to selling his only valuable possession for a pittance. I cry right along with him every time I see this in reruns. With Antique Road Show you get a full spectrum of people, stories, and outcomes. You see hopes and dreams dashed and new ones created. I think it’s the best of the reality shows.

I can PROVE this story. It actually happened. In 2001, I went to the Antiques Roadshow in Sacramento. I had 2 items with me. One was a letter written between Illinois and Massachusetts state delegations during the 1860 convention about Abraham Lincoln. The other was a turn of the century accounting written by a Confederate Captain about his Civil war experiences. The autograph/document appraiser at Sacramento told me the 2 pieces together were worth a "couple hundred dollars at most". Here is the rest of the story...I consigned the 1860 delegate letter to Christie's, where it sold for $16,500! Research on the other piece, the Civil war accounting, led me to the grandson of the author who is now 91 years old, and I gave it to him as a gift for his family who were the true owners of the legacy of that history. Guess what, the author actually wrote (at least) 2 copies of the story! Dorothy Sloan Rare Books (Austin, TX) sold another copy of the same handwritten accounting by the same author in February 2005 for $9,200! . Let’s see…A $25,500 difference in value, and an under appraisal of 127,500%…That’s a meteoric flight over the shark! Let me tell you, most of their appraisals are made up, or just trying to rip off the holder of a valuable item

Two words, Lara Spencer. She should have not crossed the line into the domain of public television. She is best served in front of some zombie teens drooling for more "goods" on Britney Spears. Bleh, I can't stand that fool.

I think what most people don't seem to understand is that this show is a glimpse into Manhattan high society, and the upper-crust world of obscene wealth. It's appeal is when your typical mouth-breathing dolt realizes that the junk they have is worth tons of money, but what people don't understand is that the prices they are quoting ARE REAL! There are people who ACTUALLY PAY hundreds of thousands of dollars for Federalist furniture. There are people who ACTUALLY PAY tens of thousands of dollars for sterling silver tea sets or rustic jugs. There are people who ACTUALLY PAY hundreds of thousands of dollars for a painting, etc... It's hard for most people to believe as most people have never been nor will they ever be in a position to spend such money on such frivolity, but yes, Virginia, there are people out there who ACTUALLY DO! So what if the show 'confuses' some people into thinking that their garbage is worth money when it isn't. Welcome to the real world, where knowledge is power, and one little mint marking can make the difference between a .01 cent penny and a $5000 'numismatic rarity'. Take equal parts Game Show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Falcon Crest- stir vigorously, pour over ice (into a rare, 18th Century Pewter mug) and viola, you have Antiques Roadshow. I've watched it since day one, will continue to watch. I guess I appreciate it for what it really is, no more no less.