Who has been to PBS Antiques Roadshow? Any surprise appraisal or actual camera time?

A friend of mine in RI lived in a house which was built in the 1860s. Her family had a property deed that went back to the early 1900s, when her great-grandparents bought the home and it stayed within the family forever (my friend, the last survivor, sold it in 2012 for a small fortune and bought a condo).

The rooms, halls and staircase was very narrow. In the front hallway, when you first walked in, there was a huge wooden 'chair' made of oak, which was very wide and very tall - it was just short of hitting the second floor. It was built into the side of the staircase, facing the front door. My friend's family always used it as a place to throw coats and handbags on, when company came over. It was a very imposing piece of furniture that actually scared me every time I entered the front hall.

Around 25 years ago, PBS put an ad in the local newspaper saying they were going to be filming in our area, but they were willing to film at people's homes if you had an item which was 'too big' to bring to their designated location (I think it was the ballroom of a hotel). My friend sent a photo of this 'chair' and they responded quickly - they wanted to come and see it in person. Turns out, it was common for these to be built back in the mid-1800s, but it was uncommon to find a house which still had one (most homeowners removed it over the years, to give more space in the narrow front hall). IIRC, the correct name of it was 'The Bishop's Chair' (or something close to that - anyone can correct me?).

It ended up not being of much value on its own, since it really wasn't meant to be 'removed', and once it was - where can someone put such a tall piece? The appraiser did say that if she was to sell the house (back then), she could add at least $15,000 extra to the selling price because this original piece was a rarity, and worth value to serious buyers of historic homes. 12 years later, when she sold the home, she did sell it to this couple who went crazy over this 'chair' - they read about it over the years, but never came across a house which still had one intact (she sold the house for a lot of money back then, not sure if she added extra because of the chair).

In the end, they didn't end up using her segment in the aired show (not sure why they edited it out).

I have. My What's Happening!! plate was valued between $5 to $6.

Love the Mad TV reference, R2.

No, I haven’t but it’s always been a dream of mine. I have some paintings I would love to have valued as I do think they could be worth something, but I’m too lazy to actually lug them to a roadshow hours away.

Still, I would go just for the thrill.

I was surprised to learn that the appraisers are not paid for their time, or even transportation to and lodging at the venues.

I used to enjoy the updates of items evaluated in the first and early seasons of the show. When an item’s value has decreased since the appraisal was first broadcast, they play a sad “drooping” sound. When the object’s value has increased, an uplifting tingling sound is played.

"...surprise appraisal..."

...and we all know how painful that can be.

One of my favorite shows. BTW, they've had a few live streams of tapings on YouTube. Very interesting to see the behind-the-scenes process for those of us who haven't attended one in person.

Would they be able to give a value appraisal on a somewhat recently acquired Tina Turner clock?