'Antiques Roadshow' volunteer reveals a scary rule that prevents anyone from touching the items
For a show like “Antiques Roadshow,” that deals with countless valuable artifacts, there have to be certain rules in place to prevent such items from being damaged. One user on Reddit named u/wellmeomy claimed to have been a volunteer on the show, revealed a “terrifying” rule that prevented anyone part of the show, even an appraiser, from touching the items that are brought by guests. This "terrifying" rule applies to both the BBC and PBS editions, as per a report in Express.
This rule was put into place after a series of mishaps, which left a lot of the guests upset. One can assume that some of their items, which had been with their families for generations, were damaged, causing their appraisal value to go down as well. On one occasion, a vase was dropped on set, and the person who owned it reportedly lost her cool, which made producers eventually introduce the rule. “There were several instances where owners dropped their objects, one woman dropped a vase that was valued at a couple grand… She flipped. We were told explicitly by the producers not to touch ANY of the guests’ items, even if the owners were asking for assistance," the Reddit user wrote. They also revealed information about whether appraisers offer to buy certain items from guests if they’re intrigued by them.
“The appraisers do not offer to buy items on the spot, because it would be totally unprofessional. They may express interest though. All the guests at the event are encouraged to pick up the appraisers’ business cards, which are all set out on a huge table as the guests leave the event. Not all appraisers leave their cards though,” the Reddit user reportedly added.
Apart from working on the set of “Antiques Roadshow,” the user also claimed to get a couple of items appraised. “I worked as a volunteer at one of their shows this season. I did get two items appraised, but I was not videotaped. They had me working on the set for the whole day, so I should be able to answer any questions you have about it!” the user had posted on Reddit, prompting many fans of the show came out with questions that u/wellmeomy was happy to answer.
One person asked how much research the appraisers on the show do when they see an object and give their final valuation. Turns out it doesn’t take them too long to collect the necessary information. However, the object itself has to be interesting enough for them to invest their time researching it.
“All of the research is done on the day of the event. The appraisers take usually take about an hour, but some time more, to collect their information. There is a small area back stage with computers and a book collection to use for reference, although it seems most of the appraisers can assess the more common items instantly without much research,” the Reddit user wrote.
