Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Antiques Road Show Hits $1M Mark


For the first time ever the US version of Antiques Roadshow hit the $1M mark in an appraisal. Yesterday the producers of the show said that a woman brought some jade to the Antiques Roadshow in North Carolina on Saturday.

The jade consisted of four pieces of Chinese carved jade and celadon from the Chien Lung Dynasty (1736-1795), including a large bowl crafted for the Emperor. I guess the for the Emperor thing was what put it over the top. It was valued at about $1.07M.

The woman inherited the items from her father who bought them in China back in the 1930's. The previous high amount on the show was $500K. The US still has a long way to go to catch the UK version of the show. Their top estimate so far is almost $2M which was for a scale model of Anthony Gormley's artwork, "The Angel of the North." (pictured above)

18 comments:

Sue Ellen Mishkey said...

I love the roadshow. When I lived at home my mom used to watch it all the time, and since we only had one t.v I would watch it too. It's amazing how these(alleged) pieces of junk turn out to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Sporky said...

WOW! The owner must have been thrilled.

My friend is going to be on there soon! I can hardly wait! :)

ItsJustMe said...

Wow - that's amazing. Love that show.

califblondy said...

Loved the Will & Grace episode when Jack and Grace tried to get on the show.

Babs said...

My husband and I watch this show every Monday night. We really enjoy watching people's reactions, especially when it's something that's worth a fortune that they just happened to pick up at a garage sale or estate sale, or it's been in the basement forever. We also (she admits, sheepishly) take a bit of pleasure watching those people who are certain they have a 'valuable treasure', and find out it's crap. The looks on their faces are priceless.

Unknown said...

I like the sculpture, but does anyone know the name of the painting/artist behind the Angel of the North?

Jenni said...

My husband and mother-in-law went to the taping. They got as far as talking w/ one of the producers about a ring that my mother-in-law brought. They said it was neat to see how things work. From the stories they told, people brought some really weird things.

Beensie said...

I love that show too!! Thanks for posting this Enty.

canadachick said...

And Queue the chinese government to demand the artifacts back as part of cultural history.....oh wait....its CANADA that does that and its not the chinese......right

Heather said...

Whenever I think of Antiques Roadshow I can't forget that Frasier episode where they play the AR drinking game. "VENEER!"

Melody the First said...

A lot of people I know (mostly of the straight/bi female and gay/bi male variety) say they are watching AR for the show but I know they're really watching it for the Keno Brothers.

I watch it for the cool trash-to-treasure thing, the historical information (amazing stuff shows up there in shoe boxes), and the ongoing revelation that no jug can be so huge, cheap and ugly-looking that it isn't worth at least $50K.

Oh, and the Keno Brothers.

Thanks for the info, Enty.

KellyLynn said...

That's so cool. The fact you wrote a post on it is so cool too. It's nice to know that an entertainment blogger is still smart and nerdy enough to appreciate Antiques Roadshow.

lmnop123 said...

I used to watch AR religiously and fantasized that I had something of value to present to them for appraisal.

When I realized my junk was really just that, I stopped watching the show.

Yes I know that's called sour grapes but at least I'm honest. :)

Jenni said...

Not on my dollar - my mother-in-law is a self-professed pack rat. We actually tried to convince her to not take some of the things she brought to the taping on Saturday, including the ring that ended up being worth $4K! That's part of the appeal of this show is that you truly never know.

Pookie said...

heather, lol @ the fraiser AR drinking game! *is inspired*

lmnop123 said...

Jenni congrats to your MIL!

My "antiques" however have had a couple of accidents (cracks, etc.) :(

Sinjin said...

Metatheria, the artist's name is written right before the work's title at the bottom of the post.
(Anthony Gormley).

You like this, huh? LOL, I find it disturbing and apocolyptic :-)
There's always something for everyone.

bionic bunny! said...

always loved AR! i have some items i always wanted to take in, but they are too fragile to travel. :(

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