Being part of the May 13, 2025, Antiques Roadshow (AR) volunteer team was a joyfully moving day. Gathered in the Bavarian-style Carriage Haus at Grant’s Farm, my colleagues and I were welcomed and thanked by Antiques Roadshow Executive Producer, Marsha Bemko. Then, as responsibilities were described, we were sorted into wayfinders, registrars, or, like me, film helpers. I became part of the head producer’s Green Team, one of four “color-named” recording locations set up throughout the farm. Whatever my job, I knew I would soon be in the “room where it happens!”
Like most, I wondered how antiques were chosen for filming. Most objects are described and valued by experts at category tables. When an expert spots the unusual or unique, they summon a producer to decide if it merits filming. If so, its owner is told nothing about their treasure and is sent to wait in the Green Room. When a film team requested the “on deck” artifact and owner, I was the volunteer asked to escort them. At the same time, another Green Team volunteer fetches the corresponding expert.
To ensure an ethical, unbiased assessment of an item’s value, Antiques Roadshow requires experts to fund their own travel, lodging, and expenses. More importantly, AR does not allow experts and owners to discuss the sale of an item on film day.
Throughout, I marveled at the well-engineered operation, which smoothly guided around 4,000 guests throughout the day. Also, I was dazzled by the expertise of the Green Team tech crew: These professionals skillfully adjusted cameras, lighting, and positions. They restaged the display area for each new item to be filmed and reoriented the whole setup around the rotating sun.
Watching each recording was a master class. I saw that each item’s description was far longer and richer than what is seen on TV. After the first take, the producer would request extra shots: with better eye contact, clearer sound, or close-ups. Above all, it was essential that the first recording be the first time the owner and expert discussed the artifact. Capturing the authentic reaction of both was the goal.
Prized Possessions
That reaction went beyond dollar signs for most; I saw people visibly touched to realize the precious nature of a personal treasure. One man brought in a park poster, brightly colored and block printed on cardstock, created during the Depression to promote our national parks. The owner recalled meeting his wife at a national park, and they loved collecting souvenirs from those they visited together. They had found the poster in the back corner of a dusty antique shop.
One woman brought some unremarkable jewelry for appraisal, but at the category table, the expert noticed the bracelet on her wrist instead and sent her for filming. Another woman watched her husband describe a graduation watch that his grandfather had given him. As the expert’s appraisal unfolded, emotional tears filled the wife’s face as she channeled her husband’s visible emotion in remembering his treasured relative through the tale of his watch.
Few guests left with the intention of selling; the majority left savoring and celebrating the richness of the historical gifts shared with them.
It was a soul-sustaining, life-affirming day behind the AR curtain. I witnessed a brilliantly orchestrated effort highlighting a skilled parade of experts and technicians passionate about keeping the stories of our prized possessions alive. Antiques Roadshow underscores the magical truth that the genuine worth of a material item far exceeds its monetary value. Magic!
The final two episodes of Antiques Roadshow from St. Louis air on May 4 and May 11 at 8 pm. Episode 1 is now streaming; stream all episodes on the PBS app after broadcast, extended viewing with Nine PBS Passport.
Contributed by Diane Tinucci, Nine PBS Torchlight member and volunteer. Edited for clarity and length.