CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The popular television program Antiques Roadshow will be in Charleston Saturday to tape three episodes that will air next year. It will be the show’s first appearance in West Virginia.
“The ‘who knows what’s coming?’ is exciting,” Roadshow Executive Producer Marsha Bemko told MetroNews after arriving in Charleston. “Most of what we see is not valuable. In order to be of extreme value it’s always rare. It’s not always old, but it’s always rare and you have to sift through 10,000 objects to find rare objects.”
Bemko said 70 appraisal experts from across the nation will look at those objects Saturday at the Charleston Civic Center. West Virginia Public Broadcasting said 30,000 thousand people applied in the lottery for the 3,000 pair of tickets that were handed out. Each person is allowed to bring two items.
“I’m thinking we’ll see some Ohio Valley glass and I’m thinking, one of your fellow statesmen said this to me, I’m thinking we’ll see a lot of rifles,” Bemko said.
The shows will be recorded Saturday, edited and then broadcast on PBS next year. Bemko said the schedule will be announced in September. The Charleston taping is the eighth and final stop of the season for PBS’s most popular prime time show.
Antiques Roadshow has been around for 19 seasons. Bemko credits two main reasons for the success.
“People like that smart reality television. Plus we want to have a niche up on others. We want to make sure that we don’t put our first Navaho blanket in our yard sale and ask 50-dollars when you fact you could add a couple of zeroes to its value,” she said.
The Antiques Roadshow will take place in both the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum and Grand Hall. Bemko has some advice for those taking part.
“Come in with questions about what you own. Come in and have a good time and I would say this, wear comfortable shoes,” she said.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting is taking advantage of the visit. A fundraiser is set for Friday night with host Mark Walberg and the appraisers. A premiere gala is also being planned along with a special DVD set of the episodes and a behind-the-scenes look at the Charleston production.