We’ve probably all seen Antiques Roadshow on PBS and thought, “How do those people get to be on TV?” I know I have always wondered- How do you know when it comes to town? How do you get tickets? How do you know what to bring? How do they decide who gets on TV? Well now we know. The Antiques Roadshow came to the Cook Convention Center in Memphis on Saturday, July 31st. We are going to give you a step by step, behind the scenes look at how the Roadshow works.

It appears that the best way to keep up with the show schedule is through the PBS website PBS.org. There you can find tour schedules and information about how to obtain tickets. Tickets, oddly enough, are free but difficult to come by. You may apply online or send in a postcard with the requested information. It must be a postcard of a certain size and not sent in any kind of envelope or it will be disqualified. Canadian residents are allowed to apply for tickets, but they have to list on their postcard the names of two appraisers they have seen on the Roadshow. Do they get tickets if they are wrong about the appraisers? I don’t know. Two tickets to each of 3,400 successful applicants are awarded. Then it’s time to wait until Roadshow Day.

Entry to the venue begins at 8 am, but the day I was there I found out that some had arrived as early as six hoping for a shorter wait in line. That turned out to be a good idea, because you will do a lot of waiting at an Antiques Roadshow event. Each ticket has an admission time printed on it and those times are set at one to one and a half hours apart.

First, your ticket time is checked and then, if it is time for your group, you are sent to the “triage” area. In this area your item (or items-you can bring two) is assessed and categorized. There are twenty-five different categories and your item may fit in more than one. Incidentally, Antiques Roadshow does not discourage any type of old or collectible item. It can be large or small, maybe it came from a yard sale and maybe your great grandmother gave it to you. It doesn’t matter where it came from, but knowing some history about your piece is desirable.

The next step is to take your item to the appropriate appraiser. The appraisal area is set up like a large wheel. Imagine that the appraisers are set up in a circle around the outer edge of the wheel and the filming goes on at the hub of the wheel. So, you find the table that has the sign above it that matches the category ticket you were given in “triage.” Then you wait in line some more. Waiting in line can be fun though. You meet new people and talk about your items and you overhear people saying, “I’m going to be on TV, I’m going to be on TV.” Well, some people and their items make it on TV and others don’t.

The first appraisal of your item is done at the tables mentioned. If the appraiser thinks you have an item that should be filmed for possible inclusion in the TV program, then they go and make a bid to the producer who is in the middle of the circle. If your item is accepted for a second appraisal then you get to go wait on the blue carpet. There are three areas of blue carpet set up around the center of the circle. Filming is going on continuously, moving from one blue carpet to the next around and around the circle. The filming done here is what we end up seeing on TV. Obviously, not all of the segments filmed make the final cut of the show. So you still don’t know if you’re going to be on TV or not. There are other cameras filming all around the venue, so you might have a quick shot of yourself make it to TV anyway.

Not all of the people milling about are ticket holders. In Memphis, over one hundred WKNO volunteers manned the event. They managed all sorts of tasks ranging from answering general questions to guiding the lost. Undoubtedly, the Antiques Roadshow production would not be possible if not for these generous volunteers. An added bonus to the time spent at the event was the opportunity for each volunteer to have an item appraised.

I know I had fun visiting the Antiques Roadshow and I’m sure some very special treasures were discovered.