From: dahoov2@cox.net   
      
   We went to Raleigh NC this morning (yesterday but the event was this   
   morning) for the Antiques Roadshow and I gotta admit how disappointed   
   I was to an extent because I did not see Mark Wahlberg nor the Keno   
   Brothers.  The guy who does the toys and does posters is the one who   
   appraised one of my items. I recognized only a couple of the   
   appraisers.  We did the feedback booth but we won't make it in (no   
   comment on my sour husband... who didn't smile and mumbled....so   
   doubtful we'll get on). I didn't see a single person get filmed....I   
   don't even know where the green room was.  It was quick in and quick   
   out.   
      
   We left the hotel and got there in about 5 minutes and waited in line   
   with our stuff only about half hour or 40 minutes.  Then got into   
   another line and were done in less than an hour. We had four items   
   (you were allowed two each) and three of the four were "collectibles"   
   so we went to the "collectibles" table where two guys appraised the   
   items.  Then I went alone to the "books" where my deed was appraised.   
   We saw quite a bit of people... they put you in half hour blocks (like   
   100-200 people or whatever in each block).  So it's a continual flow   
   going in and going out.  The most fun part of the experience was   
   seeing what people brought and talking to them.   
      
      
   What distressed me was the animation cels I brought.  The good news   
   was that nothing I brought was less than what I paid for it so that's   
   good.  The bad news was nothing was worth much more than I paid.  I   
   didn't see anything there to oooh and aaah about.  The lady in front   
   of me (it's fate; I always get the ones who have Star Wars stuff no   
   matter where I go) had a signed pressbook from ESB signed by three   
   people.  One office worker, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford.  Her   
   brother in law worked for Lucasfilm up through the Howard the Duck era   
   she said.  She also had a Return of the Jedi pressbook and a screening   
   ticket which I'd not encountered before but she said it was his and he   
   was on crew so... the odd thing about it is most of the crew only   
   moved to San Francisco during the prequels; so to me it was an odd   
   piece.  I told her my quess about the value (nothing was terribly   
   valuable and the program with the signatures was smudged and had water   
   damage on the top).  My guess was 200-250 max to a Star Wars geek such   
   as myself; those pressbooks are kind of common.  I saw her later on   
   and she said they didn't want to look at her stuff at all as it wasn't   
   valuable!  I saw a guy with a one of a kind LARGE (about 4' high 'x5'   
   wide) Coca Cola diorama (it basically was a wooden box (only about   
   6"-8" thick) that had coca cola on the background and a couple plastic   
   or ceramic men inside holding cokes...  it was appraised at 15,000   
   dollars.  They did not film him,. He thinks it was because of his   
   looks (he looked like a Hell's Angel).   
      
      
   The one thing I hate about Antiques Roadshow is the continual showing   
   of the same old types of items:  ie Babe Ruth signed baseballs,   
   Tiffany lamps, Rookwood pottery etc. Over and over! I think that one   
   of a kind Coca Cola item was more interesting and different.  Or even   
   someone had this GIANT (had to be 8' tall) bird sculpture.  It wasn't   
   valuable and no filming, but at least it was interesting!   
      
      
   A lady in front of me had a piece of pottery that was appraised just   
   over a thousand dollars and they filmed her at the table (not for a   
   regular segment but one of those "interludes").  But pretty much I saw   
   people there with things I've seen a million times before at junk   
   stores/antique shops.  Nothing super.   
      
      
   Now for what I brought and what was said:   
   1) Animation cels:  5, one signed by Jim Davis of Garfield, one of   
   Droopy signed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera and a Pink Panther signed   
   by Fritz Freleng (I bought all three of these direct from their   
   studios); the guy didn't want to look at them.... he told me not even   
   to take them out after I showed him my Chilly Willy cel signed by   
   Walter Lantz and my Wile Coyote cel signed by Chuck Jones.  After   
   asking me what I paid, he told me they were worth about what I paid   
   for them and that animation cels aren't what they once were.  I   
   disagree, as I did a ton of research on all my pieces before I left   
   and though I'd agree with him on generalality, I felt the Chuck Jones   
   one is worth minimum 350.  Though he's right ... they have decreased   
   generally speaking which is odd considering it's a lost ORIGINAL art   
   form that's now all digital.  But he said the main reason was "over   
   production".  Whatever.  That's my disappointed appraisal.   
      
      
   2) Bill Cosby script signed by 20 people (only Lisa Bonet, Earle Hyman   
   are missing on it and he signed for me separately).  They told us it   
   was worth about 350.00 and that save it, they believe it'll increase a   
   bit but felt that because all autographs are "contemporary" and they   
   mostly all sign for people even now, that it's not worth more at this   
   time; but they felt given time it could be because it's early   
   signatures of Keisha Knight Pullam and Raven Simone, from when they   
   were little. That's the main draw of the script (not the fact it was   
   the final episode or Bill signed it too).  Basically it was worth   
   about what we paid or slighly more.   
      
      
   3) Lady Carnarvon signed deed to Highclere Castle.  I already had   
   gotten an email appraisal where the guy told me it was worthless so I   
   was hoping it was worth more than the 15 pounds I paid. The appraiser   
   showed interest; said it was a cool item because of the name and the   
   castle, but said because it's a deed, it's not terribly sellable.  He   
   said it was probably 100 dollars or a little more. I was pleased about   
   that and he said to keep it; he thought it was an interesting item for   
   sure.   
      
      
   4) Lastly my Charles LeMaire Costume design from "The Egyptian".  The   
   guy said it was a very nice thing (attractive) and he said he was   
   impressed with the framing of it. I showed him the book drawings and   
   the Autograph of Jean Simmons I got through the mail a couple years   
   ago and seemed excited to see the autograph (he knew right off the   
   signature was hers) and asked me what I paid. I paid 200 for the item   
   and 100.00 to frame it and the graph was free except postage; and he   
   said it was worth about 500.00 (not including the signature which he   
   didn't give me any quote on).  Not a bad profit; but it's something I   
   love anyway as the painting is very well done (the gauze outfits would   
   be hard to do for any artist and close up you really appreciate the   
   skill he had).   
      
      
   It was an interesting experience though and glad I did it.  If I do it   
   again, I'd try to find some piece of pottery or a Babe Ruth signed   
   baseball with a story behind it; that seems to be what they want.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)