The following is an original production of AZPM News.

Hello and welcome to Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara.

In May of this year, the beloved PBS program Antiques Roadshow will return to Tucson, and we're one of only three stops to mark their 31st season.

So up next, a younger version of myself will introduce you to the behind the scenes special we filmed the last time they were in town, back in 2015.

And please stay tuned till the end of the episode because you'll have a chance to win tickets to this year's filming.

Enjoy.

♪ FUNKY INDIE ROCK This is how it all starts: a huge empty building, not an antique or collectible in sight.

Regardless of the city, when the staff and crew of Antiques Roadshow arrives in town, this is exactly what they find.

And this is how the Tucson Convention Center looked last summer when they pulled into town on May 28th, 2015.

48 hours later, it looked like this.

♪ THEATRICAL JAZZ Welcome to a special edition of Arizona Illustrated behind the scenes at Antiques Roadshow in Tucson.

Hello, I'm Tom McNamara, And over the next 30 minutes, we'll reveal what it takes to create all of this from scratch.

We'll also show you how three Roadshow episodes will emerge from all of this controlled chaos.

You'll meet some of the appraisers and the crew including the executive producer, Marsha Bemko.

And we'll relive one of the most cherished and astounding episodes in Roadshow history, the Navajo Blanket.

That now famous appraisal was shot right here in Tucson back in 2001.

Roadshow returned here in 2007, which makes this the third time they've been here in Tucson.

So what makes Tucson so special?

Well, the people.

And we have found some very interesting items in Tucson and that makes good television.

And the excitement level is here, and the city is absolutely beautiful; and we're treated very, very well.

Plus you happen to be in a very convenient geographic location.

And that is the truth of it.

We have to tour across the country.

We like to go west to east, if we can.

And we need available convention center space.

And then of course I remember the food because you always think about Tucson, 'great, I can't wait to get some food out there.'

Nearly a year before the camera crews arrive, six cities are chosen.

Roadshow Advanced staff visit each of them to work out logistics and collaborate with the local PBS station like AZPM to promote and staff the event.

Then, the heavy lifting begins.

The trucks rolled in overnight, and, today, this huge, empty space has to become a television studio for about 5,000 people overnight.

This is the stuff people don't get to see.

It takes us all day to get ready for Roadshow.

♪ EXCITED STRINGS ♪ (Ron) It's like an oiled machine.

Every city we go to, the truck comes in; we unload the truck; we have to put up the truss, all of the pieces that go: the cameras, et cetera.

I mean it's just a routine that we go through from city to city.

We're like a family.

It's a really tight-knit group.

We all look forward to working with each other but we also rely on each other; so there's a chemistry.

(Jill) We travel with about 55 staff and crew members.

Then we pick up about 15 to 20 production people locally.

And then we have 125 volunteers from the local area that will help us.

So— And then 75 to 80 appraisers.

It's a huge group.

And let's see, where are we?

The lighting truss is not up, as you see.

That lighting truss is really gonna get high, but it has to get all set up.

(Ron) Raising the truss is when all the lighting fixtures, and all the electronics and cables, are actually in place.

We have to make sure that everything's working before we actually take the truss up But once the truss goes up, we're in pretty good shape at that point.

12 feet, ready?

One, two, three.

(Ron) Friday's really more of a set up day.

We sort of go through routine.

But the challenge is on Saturday.

We open up the doors and then that's when the madness and the excitement all happens.

I just hope that we see a lot of really good stories.

I hope we get to meet a lot of people that get a chance to tell their story on TV.

I can't imagine what's gonna be here but I can't wait to see.

♪ GENTLE GUITAR The set, lights, and camera equipment are tested and ready.

The crew and appraisers are in place.

And so after months of preparation, production of the 20th season of Antiques Roadshow was about to begin.

[ ENGINE NOISE ] Or, so we thought.

A fire erupted on the set early Saturday morning.

From the parking lot, things looked pretty dire, but the flames were quickly extinguished.

The exhibit hall aired out and deemed safe.

And, just a few hours later, the roadshow was back on track.

♪ UPBEAT COUNTRY MUSIC It's early on a warm Saturday morning, and people have come from all over Southern Arizona to have their items appraised and maybe, just maybe, appear on the show.

I love the show.

And so, it's like: this is—this is fun.

I made up my mind one of these days, one of these years, to get on your show and hopefully get an appraisal.

We put in for the lottery for the tickets, thinking "What the Heck," and we got two golden tickets.

I got the pretty gold one here.

The thought that maybe you had something that's really valuable that might be—change your life.

It's part of my religion, watching your show every week.

When you receive a ticket, there's an entry time, anytime between eight and five.

And you're told to come, you know, not more than a half an hour before.

Back in the day, when we first started, it was like you were waiting outside for a concert ticket.

People would line up the night before.

We find that people that come, they enjoy being in line with other people and making friends, sharing stories, talking about their items.

(Jeff) I think my dad got this in Gettysburg.

So I don't know if it's used in the Civil War, or if it was used in the Revolution, or somewhere between.

People have the opportunity to bring us two objects and they tend to pick the mos— two treasured things in their home.

And the best advice I always have is: Pick something you can't Google.

(Judith) I think it's called a mixed media.

And after that, I don't know what they call it.

That's what I'm hoping to find out today.

I found a couple of option listings for oil paintings, but they were nowhere near like this.

And then that's it.

That's where it all petered out.

I have a very unusual cannon.

It's from 1920.

It shoots, what do you call those little balls?

Cannonball, little tiny cannonballs.

So I'm excited.

I don't know anything about it.

I know this after producing this show all these years, great objects are rare.

That is the tricky thing.

Most of what we see will be worth less than, I'm gonna be generous, $500.

(Tom) Do you care to unveil for us what you have here?

- (James) On your show?

- Yeah.

[ CONVENTION NOISE ] - Do you know anything about it?

- No, nothing.

Nothing at all.

That's what we're here to find out today.

This could be a wild card.

- It really could be.

- yeah?

We're excited though.

Yeah, it's beautiful and it feels like - It has vintage behind it.

- We think so.

This is... Wow.

- That looks serious.

- It is.

Is there a train or a boat missing its lights today?

They are heavy, wow.

What do you know about them so far?

(Darrell) We don't really know much.

They're very complete; they're in pretty good condition.

Are you here just to fiddle around today?

Or is this serious business?

(Tom) No, just fiddling around.

Have you seen the name Stradivarius printed anywhere?

Unfortunately it's not a Stradivarius.

Not looking for the million dollar ticket but, if it's here, that'll be nice too.

Wouldn't it?

Yeah.

♪ HULA MUSIC STARTS I think everyone in line here has got their fingers crossed that they're gonna have that million dollar item that was a family heirloom.

When we watch it on TV, if something's worth a lot of money—sell it!

I'm hoping that it's worth $15,000 or $30,000.

I'm already retired, but, if it could enhance my retirement, I might, depending on how big the number is.

Sold.

[ LAUGHING ] (Marsha) The day you sell it, you can't afford to buy it bac— If you could find it.

Myself, I think, 'oh my!

I'd sell that in a heartbeat.'

I would, it wasn't my great-great-grandmother.

♪ HULA MUSIC ENDS (Tom) All day long, people, clutching their items, snake towards and into the exhibit hall where they join hundreds of others.

All still pondering potential wealth, and, if so, whether or not to sell.

Until they arrive at the first official stop in the Roadshow appraisal process, the general list table— or triage.

(Appraiser 1) Good morning, how are you?

(Appraiser 2) Hi, welcome to the Antiques Roadshow - (Attendee 1) I don't know, tribal?

Yeah, I'm thinking in that same ballgame there, and then, what else do you have?

(Appraiser 3) I'm scratching my head.

It's also metal work.

I think we're gonna start out with the collectibles table.

- (Attendee 2) Collectibles?

- Yeah.

(Tom) Here an appraiser looks at each object and determines which of 24 categories it fits into, so a specialist can take a closer look.

(Attendee 3) All right, thank you so much.

Once you reach inside the auditorium with your items, you're met by a literal army of volunteers who are here to take you from what's called the triage area all the way over there in the background when you get into another line to meet the appraiser.

(Volunteer 1) So I'm gonna send you over to this gentleman, and he'll help you find your spot.

(Volunteer 2) Asian Arts should be a short line, let's go over there.

- You wanna do that?

- (Attendee 4) Yeah.

Maybe, I'll find out this is not Asian.

♪ SNEAKY STRINGS (Jill) Once they get into the area where the set is, they stop and there's that moment of like, 'oh my gosh, this is what it looks like from the outside.'

Because, when you're watching it on TV, you're just seeing that one focused area but when you see the larger, you know, the iceberg beneath the surface, 'it's like, wow, this is a huge production.'

♪ HOPEFUL STRINGS One of the keys to success for the Antiques Roadshow is the appraisers.

Up to 70 of the country's top appraisers, from the top auction houses, are here, as well as nationally-known, independent dealers and appraisers, each with their own interests, backgrounds and specialties.

(Appraiser 4) You can see they're selling at auction - for maybe close to $1,000.

- (Attendee 5) Oh!

[ LAUGHING ] (Tom) There is no roadshow without the appraisers.

They are the experts who can tell trash from treasure and turn family fables and high hopes to shock and awe, or disappointment.

(Appraiser 5) Just going by the workmanship on this violin, it's not a real high quality instrument.

(Tom) So what does it take to be a good appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow?

(Rosalie) Honesty, friendliness, and knowledge of an amazing amount of facts—obtuse, firm.

You never know what's gonna come to the table.

(Alasdair) I think you need to have a pretty good general knowledge because you never really know— I deal with paintings and, of course, the history of art is a pretty extensive one.

So if I just specialize in, I don't know, 18th century English watercolors, I probably wouldn't be doing a great deal.

But fortunately with the tables that we have, and the appraisers, I think we complement each other quite well.

So for example, if I don't do so much with old masters, I can talk to one of my colleagues, and they can help out.

A good appraiser in many way is like a good doctor.

I mean, you have to have some kind of a bedside manner, bedside etiquette.

You can't just look at something and be like, "All right, that's nice, it's worth a dollar, thanks."

I mean, you can do that, but that won't make you a good appraiser.

Though it is, sort of, a business issue, when people have a collectible, or they have a family heirloom, it's something that they vested a lot of emotional energy into and they have to be treated as friends, not as—not as an arm's length business transaction.

(Appraiser 6) It's got a pretty look.

What do you think it's worth?

- (Jeff) I have no idea.

- $200.

- As just a neat conversation— done—It's probably worth in the $400, $500 range.

Oh, terrific.

It's got that much pretty in it.

[ LAUGHING ] Thank you very much.

I appreciate you guys coming out today.

- Okay.

- Thank you for your patience.

Four or five hunderd bucks.

After waiting in line, and talking to everybody else, they come around, and they come up to us; and they go what can you tell me about this?

- (Appraiser 7) He's from 1950.

- (Attendee 6) Oh, from 1950?

He's in the style of the mid 16th century.

(James) You feel kind of a weight of responsibility because these people are coming to you for your advice and your knowledge.

They came here to see you.

James Supp is an antiques roadshow appraiser who works in collectibles.

(James) I enjoy helping people understand that what they have is maybe important and maybe valuable or may not.

And sometimes I'll have to tell them that it has no real value.

And some of these people are just so thankful because now they can get rid of it.

But really the important part about it is our connection with those items and the story behind the items themselves.

That is a modern nail that's been hammered in place probably at some later time.

An appraiser is essentially like a detective.

When we're looking through this stuff, we're trying to find out more about it, trying to find out what story the object tells us.

Because these are two pieces of domed sheet steel.

So I'm looking to see is— was it forge welded?

Was it soldered?

And that's a great way to help determine the age on it.

(Marsha) Who's James Supp?

Well, he's a local boy.

If you see a big handlebar mustache walking down the street, stop and ask him, 'is that you James?

Or is there a lot of that here in Tucson?

I don't know.'

(Tom) For James, having the roadshow in Tucson makes things a little easier.

He was born and raised in the old Pueblo.

Which is great that they're coming to my hometown.

It makes it so I don't have to sit on an airplane for several hours and get a hotel room.

I can just go out there, be bright and shiny, and appraise immediately.

And I'm so excited about getting to see all these peopl— local people for a change— and be able to see what kind of treasures they're gonna bring in, and find out what kind of cool things Tucson has hidden away.

The appraisers are well-respected experts in their field, and celebrities on the road, but they don't exactly get the red carpet treatment.

They pay their own way here; they pay for their own hotel rooms; they pay their own expenses.

We give them lunch and breakfast on Saturday, plus about nine and a half million viewers a week.

We've changed their lives.

(Nicholas) It's hard to monetize what it's worth, but the roadshow is a number of things.

It's great publicity; it's great recognition.

It gives us great credibility.

We all have day jobs.

I run an auction house in New York City.

Other appraisers have galleries— auction houses of their own.

James runs his own appraisal and conservation business out of Tucson, but for him, one of the draws of being a Roadshow appraiser is the company of his fellow appraisers.

I get to work on the collectibles tables, surrounded by some of the best personalities in the business.

It always amazes me how much knowledge that they have in so many different areas.

These great appraisers who love teaching, love talking, and love people.

Many roadshow appraisers are sporting their own look with ponytails, bow ties, and the occasional mustache.

One furry-faced friend who's given James a run for his money: Nicholas Lowry.

He has got that evil ring-master thing going on, which is so contrary to his character.

He is just such a great guy.

He's got this wonderful little black mustache, and he looks like a ring master.

It's wonderful.

He has the whole Mephistophelian thing going.

He's got the mustache, he's got the beard, and it's sort of like Lenin meets Lucifer.

He is sort of the gold standard, the paragon of facial hair among Roadshow appraisers, and the rest of us strive to sort of keep up with him vainly.

By day's end, Antique's Roadshow appraisers will have met with upwards of two to 300 guests.

And each one of them has their own magical, wonderful story.

My colleagues and I, we always try to think about, these people are here for us, but the only reason we're here is because of them.

[ CONVENTION NOISES ] (Tom) Approximately 1,000 objects are appraised each and every hour.

For those who've made it this far, it's the moment they've been waiting for.

I don't know anything about it, except it's really, really heavy.

(Appraiser 8) It's a wonderful decorative piece.

To a collector, it's not a full-size gun.

(Appraiser 9) So, we've got the entire Roadshow working on it.

For the auction estimate, today, It will be something in the range of two to three thousand—or 25 to 35 thousand Really, for all of that work and everything?

They'll usually sell anywhere from about two to $400.

Darn it!

I was hoping for the big money - I'm sorry.

- That's ok.

- No, that's— - We can't say we didn't try.

You know what?

It looks really nice on my dresser (Tom) Of the thousands of objects appraised at each event, approximately 150 are recorded for broadcast, or web.

About 60 will appear on the Antiques Roadshow.

Behind the scenes, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, Antiques Roadshow staff are hyper-focused at finding those special items that will make it to the show.

It sounds like a full episode.

(Marsha) They're the ones who will go around and listen to the appraisers pitch an object.

Most people who come in tomorrow are gonna find out, let's say they bring in a glass.

They're gonna learn that their wine glass is circa 2010 and it's worth five to $10.

It's used to hold liquid, usually wine.

Do you have any other questions?

It's done.

The appraisal's over.

But let's say you brought in the golden goblet, okay?

Instead of that, instead the appraiser's gonna say, 'would you wait for a producer?'

I think we have to make it work, but it's good gold.

(Tom) It's the producers who determine if the appraisal should be recorded for broadcast.

And I want you to have an appraisal on the camera.

Okay?

I think it's such a great story.

Can't talk to anybody about it now.

Okay?

Until we get a camera.

♪ HONKY-TONK ROCK (Tom) Now it's TV time.

Norm, have a great time.

Be yourself and get a degree.

(Tom) The lucky guests are escorted to one of four on-camera appraisal sites.

All of the careful pre-production work that took place yesterday is now paying off as each set is pre-lit and ready to roll.

Those chosen for an on-camera appraisal have been told nothing about their object or its possible value.

The first time they learn anything is when the camera is already rolling.

Well, I have to keep my poker face on; (Nicholas) and I can't smile, or I can't sort of start drooling or rubbing my hands.

It's a nice piece you have; I want to apprai— you can't do that.... as much as you'd like.

So you really have to keep it cool.

So yeah, it really depends what comes in.

♪ HONKY-TONK FADES OUT Of all the thousands of appraisals that have been done on the Antiques Roadshow, there is one that is seared in the memory of fans and show staff alike.

And it was shot right here in Tucson, the Navajo Blanket.

I guess we're all interested in acquiring stuff that's old and just want to know where we came from, I guess.

(Tom) Ted Kuntz has been acquiring stuff that's old for a very long time.

Like this one probably paid around $40 for it back in '53—about '56 or '57.

But Ted is best known for one item in his collection.

This one.

When you walked in with this, I just about died.

On a really bad day, this textile would be worth $350,000.

On a good day, it's about a half a million dollars.

Oh my God.

(Tom) Ted's Navajo Blanket made Antiques Roadshow history as one of the most valuable objects ever appraised on the show.

It had spent years draped over a chair in Ted's bedroom, a relic of his childhood.

I lived with my grandparents when my folks were separated— when I was five years old.

And my grandmother had grown up with this frontiersman, Mark Bedell, and the story goes that Kit Carson gave this blanket to Mark Bedell.

He was a young boy, six, seven, eight, nine years old.

During the years I was living with my grandmother, it was on the bed where I slept.

And in the cold winter days, it was probably thrown over me.

(Tom) Once Ted learned the blanket's value, he knew he couldn't keep it.

(Ted) It would be better served to be someplace where it could be preserved properly.

It was sold to an anonymous buyer who donated it, or put it at the Detroit Institute of the Arts in Detroit, and, so far as I know, it's still there on display three or four months a year.

I stopped by Detroit on a trip back in 98, or 08.

And they had just taken it out and put it back in storage.

And I didn't get to see it there.

But I was hoping to.

(Tom) With the money from the blanket's sale, Ted and his wife, Virginia, were able to buy their home and help family and friends.

But otherwise, life stayed pretty much the same.

I worked up until I was 74 years old.

I had no intention of changing my lifestyle.

- Our wedding picture.

- (Tom) Now, the Navajo blanket provides the Kuntz's with a safety net for medical expenses and hard times.

(Ted) Well, I've gone blind, pretty much totally blind.

I can see to get around.

So I'm totally dependent on somebody to drive me any place I want to go and help do a lot of things that I took for granted in my younger years that I can no longer do.

So I have to sit back in the easy chair taking care of my wife.

Care is expensive.

It does add up.

But despite his difficulties, Ted Kuntz still finds joy in collecting bits and pieces of history just in case.

Take care of the old things.

And someday they'll be valuable.

You never know what's going to produce value.

It's extremely rare.

It is the most important thing that's coming.

Almost unbelievable that I could have something that valuable.

(TV Host) This is just pure linear design.

It's the prize of my life.

I have no idea.

It was just layin' on the back of a chair.

Well, sir, you have a national treasure.

- Wow.

- A national treasure.

Gee.

♪ SOFT ROCK MUSIC Throughout the day, hopeful Tucsonans continue to approach appraisers.

While most go home learning that their collectible, painting, or keepsake isn't going to make them rich, they all leave knowing a little more about it and they share a memory they wouldn't trade for the world.

I don't know if it's gonna pay for my brand new car yet, but we'll see.

It ended up being from a Hungarian artist.

It's about, what'd he say, from the 1940s.

And what did he appraise it at?

Between three and $500.

Better than nothing.

Bye bye.

Come back to Tucson.

At least I know something about the gun.

Four to 500 bucks, a lot more than I thought it would be.

I wasn't expecting a million, but open.

I had so much fun.

My sister and I, we were just going through the lines.

Everyone loved the cannon.

They asked to take pictures of the cannon.

All in all, it was a pretty good day.

By the end of the day, in every city they visit, the crew will have captured enough appraisals to produce three shows.

Then they'll spend the fall, winter, and spring editing, screening, and re-editing a season's worth of episodes.

All the while making plans for the next season of the Antiques Road Show.

Watching the incredibly syncopated yet personal process that is the Antiques Road Show, is like watching an orchestra perform on a 90,000 square foot stage.

5,000 people with up to 10,000 items to be appraised.

And what started out early this morning won't be finished until 7.30 or 8.30 in the evening.

And while even then, it'll still look pretty much like this by tomorrow afternoon.

The Antiques Road Show is off to another city.

Thank you for watching this special edition of Arizona Illustrated.

See you soon.

Tucson, thanks.

It's been a great weekend.

Had a super time.

Toodle-loo, Tucson.

Thank you so much for your warm welcome and I hope we'll be back again soon.

Thank you, Tucson.

Goodbye.

Goodbye, Tucson.

We'll be back.

You're hot, Tucson.

But we enjoy it anyway, okay?

Thanks for having us here at PBS, GBH in Boston.

See you again soon.

Road Show, take care.

All right.

- Thanks, Ron.

Thank you.

- Bye-bye.

Well, thanks for watching our behind the scenes with the Antiques Road Show from when they were back in Tucson in 2015.

And I was much younger.

Again, the show will be back filming in Tucson on May 19th, 2026.

And they've made some changes to their production you'll wanna know about.

So please visit AZPM.org/RoadShow for more information and to find out how you can win tickets to this year's filming.

We hope to see you there.

I'm Tom McNamara.

Thanks again, and we'll see you next week.