Editor’s note: Antiques Roadshow requires that news media refers to guests by first name only.
A piece of IU’s basketball stadium floor signed by Bobby Knight. A chartreuse rocking chair designed by Eero Aarnio. A redwork quilt embroidered with the date May 11, 1897.
Those were just a few of the countless items inspected during Antiques Roadshow’s stop in Indianapolis. Thousands packed the grounds at Newfields on June 1 to learn more about their antiques, some passed down through generations and others rescued from the curbside.
The show, which has aired on PBS since 1997, is filmed in multiple cities throughout the U.S. each year. At each stop, local antique owners are invited to bring in their wares.
Some 24,000 people entered the lottery to win one of the 2,000 tickets for the show’s filming in Indianapolis. Each person who received a ticket was allowed to bring up to two items for appraisal. Upon arrival, guests showed a preview of their items and were directed to the relevant specialist’s tent. The categories were quite specific: clocks and watches were separate, as were toys and dolls.
That meant two stops for some visitors, like Charlie, who brought in both a carousel horse and a collection of his mother’s memorabilia from her time as an army nurse during World War II. Inside a scrapbook, among military regalia and photos from inside the hospital ward, there were black-and-white pictures of a puppy.
“She brought it back on the boat with her, underneath her coat,” Charlie said. That dog became his first pet.
Learning guests’ stories is appraiser Leila Dunbar’s favorite part of the job.
“You never know who you get to meet, what you get to look at and what you get to learn,” Dunbar said.
Appraisers who came across particularly interesting objects or stories flagged producers to film interviews with guests, which may ultimately be televised during the show’s 31st season in early 2027. Nicholas Lowry, a poster specialist, was eager to flag the crew when he recognized a print that had been brought back for re-appraisal decades after the show’s first Indianapolis stop in 2001.
“I want to revisit this appraisal now, 25 years later, and do it right,” Lowry said.
Antiques Roadshow will make its third and final filming stop of the season outside of Rochester, New York, on June 17.
The show originally filmed in eight locations. That changed to five stops each year beginning in 2015, but amid funding cuts to public media, Antiques Roadshow will only make three stops this year.
Newfields president and CEO La Monte Booker said that he’s hoping to bring more large-scale community events to the museum grounds. That can help bring new audiences not only to Newfields but also to the city, he said.
“It’s a privilege and pride to have this kind of event here,” Booker said. “It’s really great.”
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Antiques Roadshow’ films in Indianapolis. Hoosiers were ready
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
