Record breaking heat is how most of us remember the summer of 2023.

But when Antiques Roadshow pulled up here at the LSU Rural Life Museum, all of that was set aside.

Thanks to the producers of this legendary PBS.

So we were given full access to see what goes on behind the scenes.

But that's not all.

We also followed two huge Roadshow fans as they prepared for their big day.

So come along for this unique ride of finding fortune behind the scenes of Antiques Roadshow and major production Funding for this program is provided by Visit Baton Rouge.

In the capital city, there's a culture of excitement, creativity and all kinds of cuisine for a unique Louisiana experience.

Learn more at Visit Baton Rouge Ecom.

And by William B Weiner Jr. And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

When it was announced that Antiques Roadshow was coming to Baton Rouge, more than 10,000 people entered the lottery to get a tape date ticket.

A few thousand got lucky.

But would their items hold anything beyond sentimental value?

I'm not an appraiser, but I arranged to meet a few of the ticket holders to get the first look at their items.

My first meeting was with Gina, a medical professional, about three decades ago.

Gina was running a house in Baton Rouge when she came across several albums and boxes of long forgotten memorabilia in the garage.

The house got sold and the memorabilia was headed for the dumpster until Gina rescued it.

So let's see what you have here now.

This drawing is a costume from Funny Girl by the costume designer for Jane Callahan.

The winner is Jean Callahan for America.

America.

Jean Callahan was an art director and set designer for more than a thousand TV episodes and 50 films.

A native of Louisiana, his unparalleled work in Hollywood won him two Oscars in four nominations.

He also designed the set for the Academy Award winning movie Funny Girl.

That's the film that made the legendary singer Barbra Streisand a motion picture star.

I have several slides of her on the set of Barbra Streisand on the set of Funny Girl while they were shooting the movie.

I have her on her stationery, her signature belated thank you, Barbra Streisand.

Okay.

So we got signatures there.

And you have a lot of signatures.

Yes.

The memorabilia rescued and recovered by Gina included letters written to him from some of Hollywood's biggest names.

I love this one.

This is Amy Vanderbilt, Her personal postcard with a message.

There's Jane Russell, Dick Clark.

These are all telegrams and personal.

Congrats, relations.

It's clear from the letters and personal words to Gene Callahan that his Southern charm won over even the biggest stars on every set he stepped on.

Callahan represented, well his home state of Louisiana.

So much so that Louisiana Public Broadcasting inducted Callahan into its inaugural class of Louisiana legends in 1990.

The question is, how can you put a value on a lifetime of work?

It's pretty remarkable to think of what this could be worth.

Who might bid for it, possibly.

I mean, it belongs in a museum, right?

For Gina, the value of preserving the legacy of Jane Callahan is priceless.

Measured in the unusual way, he has posthumously become part of her family.

Well, I just love Gene Callahan.

He's been with me for 28 years.

Well, since you came to have the thing.

Since I stumbled on the nine dirty boxes.

He didn't have children or a spouse, So he's become part of our family.

My kids know who I am.

So they've grown up with him.

Well, I can't wait to see what you learn.

I can't either.

We'll find out.

All right, Jim, thank you.

Thank you.

Good to see you again.

Good to see you.

My next visit was at the home of retired ad agency executive Sunny to see what he intended to bring to the big show.

As it turns out, he had a lot of items to choose from.

First was a name synonymous with baking.

So you've chosen some things here that you think could be a value?

Yes.

I can only bring two items to be appraised.

You got five here, are you?

Let's start with this one right here.

Well, this is this is interesting.

This is a book, and it was very popular in America.

He was a writer.

Duncan Hines.

You would know the name.

You heard it right.

Duncan Hines, one of the original cake bosses, was a writer long before elaborate restaurant review services like Yelp and TripAdvisor.

Hines traveled across America from the 1920s through the 1940s, penning open editorials on the diners and dives.

He visited Hines.

His reviews were so meticulous that Hines not only inspected the kitchen, but also the residents garbage pile.

He carried a journal jotting notes as he inspected each establishment.

His reviews ranged from who had the most pristine kitchen to who had the best coffee, from who had air conditioning to who had the best prices.

Hines reviews and notes were highly sought after.

In 1935, Hines sent out a little pamphlet and his Christmas cards containing a list of 167 restaurants across 33 states that he could safely recommend.

A year later, he published this book, Adventures and Good Eating.

Copies sold for a dollar.

He was a friend.

He and his wife Clara, were friends of my Aunt Mary, who resided in Richmond, Virginia.

On top of that, Duncan autographed.

This particular book is that Duncan Hines with his wife?

No, that's my aunt.

That's my and Mary and her husband.

Okay, good.

She was the recipient of all of these these messages.

The Duncan Hines items were just the beginning of Sonny's treasures.

He also showed us a pair of cavalry spurs and a holster he inherited from the same uncle.

These are cavalry spurs worn by a captain and cavalry officer in World War One.

These belong to my Uncle Ben.

Ben Waddell.

Okay.

I have this plane.

Sony also had an old wooden plane used for smoothing wood, which he believed was from the mid to late 1800s and a vase he inherited from his late sister.

Unfortunately for Sonny, Antiques Roadshow allows only two items for ticket holder, which meant he had some hard decisions to make.

And there was one item.

He was not going to the roadshow without my favorite.

And I know this is going okay.

This is the little toy truck.

And it was a Christmas present I had that was either six or seven years old.

This I treasured.

So this is around 1950.

You would have gotten this?

Yeah.

There you go.

1950 51.

Okay.

You know, it has a battery that would light these headlights.

Unfortunately, the headlights are burned out and they're not easily replaced.

I mean, I've not been able to find replacement bulbs, but at any rate, again, having seen toys going below a well appreciated on Antiques Roadshow, I said, I'm going to bring this and hopefully it's going to be worth something.

And this leg just came on.

it just came on.

Yeah.

Look, there you go, man.

Next up was Laura, a retired LSU professor and administrator.

Laura has several prized paintings that have been passed down for generations.

We have two paintings here.

Tell me about them.

They're both by my Uncle Hal, who was an oil artist, as you can see.

One is a portrait of my mother when she's about nine years old.

The other is of a riverboat on the Mississippi River.

Laura's uncle Hal, worked at the advertising department at the Sun Times in Chicago.

Before that, he worked as a journalist at the Saint Louis Dispatch under Pulitzer.

Her uncle painted well into his nineties and very different.

Both of them are very different.

And you can see this was done at a much earlier point in time.

I think this 1970 something on this one.

1969, it says and this is in the 1920s.

So you can see his change in style here.

This that's.

Your third item that you brought and that is this to tell us the story of this.

I don't know a whole lot about it other than my uncle Robert Morris was at Pearl Harbor when it was struck because he was in the army, stayed in the Army, was in Korea, and when he came back, he brought a number of objects with him.

This is one of them.

He had it rolled up in a tube and gave it to my mother.

My mother was a graduate art institute and really liked the piece and saved it.

And when I married back in 1968, I received it as a wedding gift from my mother.

It's very interesting.

Is in great condition.

It looks like it's been preserved very well.

And it's a special piece to you.

It is.

Is very meaningful because, of course, I knew my Uncle Bob.

I remember seeing him in uniform.

I my mom treasured it and thought it was an important piece.

As a graduate of Art Institute.

I thought she maybe knew what she was talking about.

So I have treasured it and I just liked it.

Laura's husband, Wendell, is a retired attorney.

One of his items to be appraised was very unusual.

We've seen from your wife some pieces of art already, and now you have two different pieces of art here, I guess.

Silver.

And then an early boat motor.

Yes.

This is a 19th 39 Evinrude one and a 10th horsepower.

Ola Evinrude originally started the Evinrude Motor Company in 1907, but sold it six years later due to financial hardships.

A non-compete clause barred Evinrude from selling outboard motors for five years.

During that time, he developed a new twin cylinder design that way to third less and produced 50% more power than the company's best selling single cylinder model.

Evinrude introduced the alto outboard motor in 1920.

They were produced until 1941.

Wendell inherited one.

As a young teenager, my father ended up giving it to me for my 30th birthday.

It had a lot, a lot of wear at the time, but I did use it.

I had a 14 foot plywood boat with a little cabin built into it and went out in Lake Charles in it.

And this would not push that boat against the wind.

You had to either go with the wind or sideways to the way.

well, there you go.

Okay, so then you have silver.

This silver.

Where is from?

The estate of Wendell's grandfather, George Mason Graham, who was born in Virginia in 1807 and first came to Louisiana in 1828.

Once here, Wendell's grandfather became involved in politics, and in 1845 began a movement to create a seminary of learning in Louisiana more than 25 years later.

On March 6th, 1870, the seminary was made into what we now know as Louisiana State University.

Some consider Graham, the father of LSU.

There's one one spoon, one fork here that has his initials in it.

GMG.

These were inherited.

Yes.

My grandmother personally gave me these two and then these others I inherited from my mother after her death.

Well, you have an array of history here in two very different areas.

Well, fascinating.

Well, thank you very much.

Pleasure to be here.

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Hello everyone.

I'm Robin Merrick and we're having so much fun watching finding fortunes behind the scenes at Antiques Roadshow.

Of course, it was filmed in our capital city at the LSU Wildlife Life Museum when the Roadshow production crew was here last spring.

We thank Visit Baton Rouge for helping to make this incredible event happen and to thank you for making Antiques Roadshow a fan favorite for 28 seasons.

Programs like this are able to be produced thanks to your membership that supports LP's Louisiana Production Fund.

So call us or text.

Give to 888769 5000.

Make your pledge online at LP dot org or scan the QR code on your screen.

So let's hear a little more about LP's Louisiana Production Fund right now.

There is no place quite like Louisiana.

The food, music, nature, people and traditions are just a few of the things that make our state such a treasure, not only to those of us lucky enough to call it home, but to the world.

Help LP share more of Louisiana's story when you become a member.

You support LP BS Louisiana Production Fund.

And we are back with my dear friend and partner in this work at LP.

Ms.. Chelsea Norris.

She serves as co-director of the Fine Arts Gallery and Connolly's Fine Arts Gallery.

So very glad to have her back with me to be here.

Yeah, especially when we're finding treasures.

Yes.

I think the joy of my job is finding treasures.

It is.

You get a chance to work in this space every day, all day.

So kudos to you for that In the art world and all of that.

I know that watching what we're watching right now is really exciting.

And in the day that we were here in Baton Rouge and Antiques Roadshow was here last spring was super exciting.

Could it not have been a better day?

I mean, I remember the lines just coming in.

I mean, this was like the place to be be seen and to bring your stuff.

That's right.

Because we had you know, there were over 10,000 people that requested tickets, close to 3000 people that actually attended that day.

So imagine all of that.

I mean, we're capturing some of it on this show behind the scenes, and you're seeing some of it on the Antiques Roadshow program itself.

But to be there in the midst of it, as you were, Chelsea.

amazing.

It really was so much fun.

And the appraisers, I think, are such a big part of it.

You know, you really think it's the people and their things, but it's the people that give their time that do this for free for Antiques Roadshow.

So that was something that I learned just from the experience and took with me was that this is really an incredible opportunity.

But we have a lot of incredible opportunities here at LTV, including our challenge and survive the challenge.

Thank you for reminding me of that.

And Mary Sue and Ron Gary are putting forth $6,000 to match dollar for dollar all of the contributions that come in during this program.

So $6,000 up to 6000 and matching your gift dollar for dollar.

So we want to thank them for that.

Mary, Sue and Ron, we really appreciate your work and all that you're doing here in Louisiana to support this fund.

And we want you to call us right now eight, eight, eight, seven, six, nine, 5000 is the number to call.

It's on your screen as well as a great QR code.

It is there for you folks using your smart devices can just scan that QR code and make your gift and your pledge to support to Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

We're ready to hear from you.

We've got to thank visit Baton Rouge for making this possible.

This would not have happened here in Baton Rouge with Antiques Roadshow coming back had it not been for the work of the fine folks over at visit Baton Rouge.

And during our next break, we're going to get a chance to hear from Jill Carter.

Was the CEO of Visit, Baton Rouge.

So looking forward to her.

Joining us as well to talk a bit about how visit that really made this happen for Louisiana and for Baton Rouge, that we could have this another episode of Antiques Roadshow.

So credit card offer.

I want to remind everyone the credit card offer is happening.

You can give us your pledge of support.

Those of you who are using a credit card, a special offer, $500 or more on your credit card, you can receive an original Eddie Moorman painting titled Louisiana Pelican Great Painting.

We have it right here in the studio, but it's an eight by ten that you can have right there for yourself.

A $500 pledge on your credit card is what we want to have.

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We're going to go back to the program now.

You'll be back.

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Everything except bright pink yellows, red lights, anything that could smash the camera lenses.

So don't stay neutral until you'll have your volunteer shirts in your lanyards.

Okay?

I think that's everything that I have to say.

So I'm going to introduce the production staff who will get you into your teams.

And when you get trained and on your way, so get well-rested for tomorrow.

On the eve of Tape Day, we were able to see the Antiques Roadshow stage being built and I got to meet Antiques Roadshow's longtime executive producer Marcia Benko, who wanted to set the record straight as soon as we sat down.

Antiques has an S and roadshow is one word.

Yeah.

Yeah, sure.

Right, Exactly.

Marcia is one of the three main producers steering this enormous production.

It's interesting being here today, the day before the big event, and you could already feel there is sort of a rise in the anticipation.

People are getting ready for it.

It's almost like a game, isn't it?

Like a sporting event?

It is in that way.

And that the big game for us is tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our big game.

It's a big day.

You're also our first city in our Season 28 tour.

That's it.

So what we get, I want to use I want to put these words and this word in quote, We get a little anxious, a little agitated.

We want everything to go just right because we're a little rusty.

You know, since last year's tour, it is our 28th year.

But every city is different in its way.

Every city has its own challenges.

So you get that excitement that we're really psyched.

We can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.

But then you also get we want to perform really well.

We want to have every guest to come, have a really good time.

We want to capture enough for three plus episodes of television.

And that's what.

So we're really excited about getting it done.

That's what an athlete would do.

If you're getting geared up and ready, then that means you'll perform well.

You'll do well.

Yes, exactly.

Yes.

And make sure that everybody else does you that's your job.

You know, I have such a great team that I can't take credit for everybody.

This is a huge team.

And as anybody who makes television knows, it's not a solo sport.

Jill Giles works as a line producer on the show in the pre-production time as I find the locations that we're going to go to with the team of people, we all come out, do site visits, I'll help hire the crews, and then when we get to the locations, I'm one of the producers that will pick the items that go on TV.

Sam Farrell is senior producer on the show.

I've been at Antiques Roadshow since 1999 and this role has grown over the years.

I'd say I've been doing this role for the last dozen years.

I have to say the favorite thing is that Antiques Roadshow is like a family and so we have five large family reunions every year.

So in order to get this show done, LPI has recruited 120 volunteers for us.

They're going to be here today.

They'll have a volunteer meeting where they will learn their jobs depending upon what it is, and everybody will have a real job.

And those volunteers are going to work a good, long, hard day.

And for that we give them a hat, a t shirt and appraisals and we couldn't do it without them.

This is the show day the Marcia Benko is talking about with all the volunteers.

Thousands of people just here to watch Antiques Roadshow happen.

My experience has been so much fun.

I mean, talking to the people, seeing what they bring in, I regret not bringing in anything myself.

But hey, Susan, a volunteer has been here since early this morning.

You go through a two hour training.

It was relaxed and I had a very, very nice line.

They all stood a nice line and nobody tried to get in my face.

It was wonderful.

And I feel like our role as volunteers here is to make sure everybody walks away with a wonderful experience.

So they've had a good time, no matter how long a line they stood in, no matter what they were told, what your volunteer experiences are, it's been a great time.

You know, the people have been very, very friendly and very helpful and very interesting.

So to me, what you're doing is actually excellent.

I have been doing this, making sure that people get right before.

Okay, So otherwise it's just a big crowd milling around, milling about, and I make sure they get it right.

But I think the volunteers have a great experience.

That's what they say they get to see behind the scenes of what we do.

I have two volunteers with me all day, and if and so do all the pickers.

So you get a real inside look at what's going on.

But no matter what your job is, you get a good look at how road show works.

How does Antiques Roadshow work?

How do those cherished items make it from the storage room to the stage front?

So all of the experts who are here have paid their own way to come.

They've invested a lot of money.

And so the only way for it to get a return on their investment in their business is to at least be taped.

And so what they are doing is when a good item comes to them what they think is a good item worth pitching, they call for a picker.

There are four pickers myself, Sam Farrell, Jill Giles and my boss John Badger.

Then when the picker gets there, we all have our little styles.

But I'll pull the appraiser over and I'll say What you got, and he'll tell me he's got a bull and it's this and that.

And I'll either say, that's so boring, I don't want to tape it, or Who?

Let me talk to the guest and I'll then interview the guest.

And from those two conversations, make a decision whether or not to tape the item.

Like I'm going to dig in here a little bit more.

But I that's completely changes my opinion.

Like I think it's probably conservatively more like 5 to 7 or 6 to 8.

And it's big and it's a sepia print.

Over the course of the day, we'll see about 150 different people recorded, about 70 of them for full on appraisals.

And by the end of the day, we'll have this wonderful bag full of juicy stories with great outcomes.

It's not so much that they want to know what the item is worth.

They want to share their story because their stories are really personal to them.

They might find out that their piece of carnival glass that they always serve potato salad out of it every Thanksgiving that got passed down from their grandmother is only worth $25.

But it's where it was made.

When it was made, how it was me, how it came to be, why it was trendy.

These are like the things that they like to learn about it.

So finding out something is valuable I think is the least of most of the people who are attending.

You really want to know more about the why, more about the history of it.

You know, someone says this, this could get between ten and $15,000 at auction.

Are auctions different, though?

Isn't that a variable?

It's a variable.

And if you listen to the show real careful, you'll hear usually auctioneers say it's 10 to 15 at auction.

Now, if a retail shop owner might say to you for the same item, it's 20,000, retail 25,000 context matters when you're listening to Roadshow.

So tell me about this piece of furniture.

It was riding an and a gentleman was standing in his barn and he said, Bring me whoever brings me $300 first wind surprise because it's going to ruin in the barn.

And I said, I can't drive in this weather.

He said, okay, well, someone else is going to get it cause I'm holding it.

So I managed.

It was about a 30 minute drive that turned into an hour because of the weather and we saved her.

So.

So, you know, this is possibly made by Ker Amato.

Well, I've tried to research it.

The jaws throw me off, and that's why I'm coming to see the expert.

Yeah, well, it's got it has 15 doors and normally a curve model has 18 doors.

There's always a possibility that this is some kind of odd, peculiar, extra rare custom piece.

I would love to hear more.

Well, I can tell you that if it is, it's worth a lot of money, that's for sure.

Well, that would make my day the the 18 door one spring, $15,000, maybe $20,000.

If this is if this is indeed CREMATA, which it certainly appears to be, I think that and it's a custom piece which would have to be because only has 15 drawers, it can be worth 40, $50,000, maybe more.

That would be very exciting.

I could get some more research done.

Yeah, I think we can.

Johna, thank you so appreciate you taking the time to look at it.

I have researched it for years.

I've had it since at least 2012, 1230.

Yeah.

And I cannot find a single it.

If it was just a common piece I would have run across it.

So yeah.

Yeah.

On the way is a long thing.

It's a long ways from me.

A common piece.

It's not at all.

It's really rare.

It's really desirable.

People love them.

They bring big bucks.

Yeah, know.

Well, it would be.

It would be.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Appreciate that.

You got it.

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Hello and welcome back.

I'm Robin Merrick, board member of the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

You're watching the behind the scenes special of One Antiques Roadshow, filmed in Baton Rouge last spring.

We thank the 100 plus volunteers visit Baton Rouge, the LSU Wildlife Museum, and the almost 3000 people from around Louisiana and elsewhere who brought their treasures to be appraised help.

LBB Continue to present this fantastic program.

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Now.

And we are back and we've got a really special guest with us today, Jill Carter, who's joining us as president and CEO of Visit, Baton Rouge.

Jill, thank you so much for being here.

Robyn, It's great to be here.

We're glad to have you and all the work that you did with bringing Antiques Roadshow to Baton Rouge.

Tell us a bit about what it took to bring Antiques Roadshow here to our fair city.

Well, you know, this is the second time Antiques Roadshow has been here.

They were here and taped in 2012, we believe.

And of course, 2013 is when this show actually aired.

And since then, visit Baton Rouge has been pursuing Antiques Roadshow and their producers to come back.

And certainly I know that my predecessor, Paula Rego, that worked so hard on this project and, you know, our mission is really to market the city.

And so every day we wake up and try to figure out which clients we need to call on that we can get to our fair city.

So, you know, this generated so much excitement across the state of Louisiana, just beyond Baton Rouge.

So all the folks that came here as part of that talked a bit about that excitement that it generated for the entire state.

Well, we understand that almost 10,000 people wanted to purchase tickets for the Antiques Roadshow taping and about 2500 to 3000 of them showed up that day and they came in just so excited about what they had in their treasure trove to share with the appraisers in the end.

So it's going to air here in Baton Rouge.

You know, we've seen one already.

We've got a couple more coming up.

Right.

This is exciting.

And we're watching right now the behind the scenes of what took place that day.

So all of these things that make it to the show itself, but the behind the scenes has been a really great opportunity for us to see just all of what was going on behind the scenes.

And there was a lot going on that day.

It was just and it couldn't have been a more beautiful day in Baton Rouge, having, I think God just blessed us with a chamber of commerce, whether as we call and I agree, because the humidity was low for a day in May.

I mean, who would have thought everything was just absolutely perfect for Antiques Roadshow to be in our city?

And so we were excited about that.

But I'm going to let everybody know we've got this great challenge coming up as well, because here at Lvb, we are definitely looking forward to you becoming a friend of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And you can do so, of course, by scanning a QR code that's on your screen and of course giving us a phone number, calling us at the phone number that's on your screen.

And Mary Sue and Ron Gary are putting forth $6,000 to match, dollar for dollar, all of the contributions that come in during this program.

So that's a super exciting, super challenge.

It is.

And so we've got some great thank you gifts that we want to share with you as well.

We want you to see those because when you call in your pledge of support, that's a member challenge going on.

But we also love to say thank you.

And here's more.

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Receive the menu on Fiji Fleur Tilly Picture perfect for entertaining or gift giving or for just $8 a month.

Choose the Finding Fortune's Clementine Hunter Hand-Embroidered tea towel collection that includes a day at Melrose and Zinnias Looking at you.

In addition to these wonderful gifts, you'll receive Visions LPs monthly Program Guide and our popular member benefit and streaming service LP Passport for the very best of LP and PBS.

So in addition to these great thank you gifts, we've also got the credit card offer where if you make your pledge of support of $500 more on us or more on your credit card, you can receive this really great Eddie Moorman original painting of the Pelican.

It's really awesome.

So $500 or more on your credit card and you can see that.

And back to Jill and your support.

Visit Baton Rouge in support of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

Why is that so important?

Well, Robyn, as you know, because you are also a board member of Visit Baton Rouge as well.

We are sort of looked at as the storytellers and certainly our TV.

Such a great job at telling the story of our area and our heritage and our culture and our arts and our history, which no one does it better than our TV.

And so we know that we if we support this organization, they're going to get that word out and help us to tell that story.

And that's why LTV is indeed Louisiana storyteller telling all the amazing stories of Louisiana.

And Antiques Roadshow gets an opportunity to tell those stories as well.

And then the behind the scenes is what we're watching right now.

And I'll tell you, this is a really great show.

I hope you guys are staying tuned to everything that we've got to show here.

It's so important to support the Louisiana programs.

I think that's one of the other things that that that we do really well here at LP is to tell Louisiana Story, but then also the productions that happen in House in addition to bringing Antiques Roadshow to town.

absolutely.

And it's is just critical.

I mean, the caliber, the quality of of it.

And any time that we can match up the brand of Baton Rouge with the brand of this type of organization, it's just the perfect match.

Yeah, it's the perfect match, perfect marriage, one that will never be broken, will always be together.

And we love that.

We're going to go back to the program behind the scenes for Antiques Roadshow, become a member to support the programs you love for $20 a month.

Receive the Finding Fortunes combo, which includes a pair of Clementine hunter hand embroidered tea towels, a day at Melrose and Zinnias looking at you and receive the elegant menu on Fiji Fleur Tully pitcher for $13 a month or see the menu on Fiji Fleur tilly picture perfect for entertaining or gift giving or for just $8 a month.

Choose the Finding Fortune's Clementine Hunter Hand-Embroidered tea towel collection that includes a day at Melrose and Zinnias Looking at you.

In addition to these wonderful gifts, you'll receive Visions LP's Monthly program Guide and our popular member benefit and streaming service LP Passport for the very best of LP and PBS.

Welcome back to Finding Fortunes, a behind the scenes look at Antiques Roadshow during their summer of 2023 tour here in Baton Rouge.

What will appraisers say about Sonny Boy Truck?

And what could all of Gina Hollywood memorabilia that belonged to Gene Callahan be worth?

Those answers and many more stories unfolded here at the LSU Rural Life Museum.

Tape Day started early with bright eyed show hopefuls checking in their items and heading to their respective category tables.

Although the items of the so-called stars of the show tape day would not be possible without the skill and knowledge of the appraisers that lend their expertise to the show.

So, Jim, you brought us this lifetime pass to James Leighton.

I'm assuming that.

Yes, it is.

So how did you get a lifetime pass?

The best.

Are you a professional baseball player?

No.

Commissioner of baseball.

I was a prisoner of war.

When?

In 1968.

And in Vietnam.

And Vietnam.

North Korea.

How long?

I was there 11 months.

How did you get captured?

I was on a ship, USS Pueblo.

You know, they gave me only so many who were on the pueblo.

I would put an auction estimate.

Given the history and the fact that you also have what we call provenance here in this letter.

I mean, I would put it sounds like a low estimate, but it'd probably be 150 to $250.

That's funny.

But for you, it's priceless.

It is.

It is.

And we appreciate you bringing it.

And we want you to take care of it and go see some ballgames.

Yes, ma'am.

I will sound like your wife.

These are often nationally or internationally known leaders in their field.

They are people who know something that you can't just look up on the Internet.

Are people who bring something to the table, which makes it special, makes it interesting.

It's a rare opportunity to be in the room with the country's top experts and get your questions answered.

Is it what it purports to be?

You need an expert's help often.

And a lot of them could cover other tables in general.

But what people come for is that in-depth knowledge about off the cuff, in-depth knowledge.

And that doesn't just mean facts and history.

It also means knowing a little bit about how to look at an object.

Now, to check in with our friends that we've been following throughout this process.

First off with Laura Lindsey, who has learned some interesting history on her paintings.

It's a woodblock, so it would have had a large, you know, rectangular block of wood that actually would have had the black part would have been in the part.

And the other part of unique, unique surface wasn't the order to copy and to make about another copy.

The value I found was in the information that I received on the woodblock print from Korea.

I found out that it's actually the God Kannon or God of Mercy, and it was created by the Japanese occupied Korea between 1920 1950.

And that was a great information because my uncle was over there during the Korean War, brought it back in the 1950s.

So it makes a lot of sense and gives us a lot more information on what we have.

The appraiser was very taken by the quality of the work, and interestingly enough, he researched to try to find out about my Uncle Hal and he was an artist.

He was kind of trying to help.

You know, prophecy is on me, so there's nothing coming up for him.

And we know he had received awards, but he couldn't find any information on him.

So from a value standpoint, it's hard to put a number on it from a sentimental value.

Obviously, it has tremendous value and clearly he was a talented artist, so pretty good feedback overall for Laura and for Laura's husband, Wendell.

Well, this is, I think said to the 300 great battle engines type, unfortunately, because I can help, you know, the twins or something around 200, maybe three by five, but in affordable condition if it had major breaks and damage right there.

But he says their condition makes all the difference in the world and it's not in great condition, so that if it were not restored, will it be less?

But it's very.

According to Wendell, the appraiser was able to establish the connection between George Mason, Graham and LSU.

Even so, the value of the silver was only a few hundred dollars.

I also followed up with our pal Sonny.

After all the indecision he finally decided to bring and battery operated online at Walmart to put it all in 100 bucks.

You know where they want it when they buy it?

No, no, no.

When they bought it through 98 and PG and Y or whatever, Woolworth's now this side, the vehicle is torn where it would otherwise tell you the manufacturer right now little going can really low on this side.

We do see the manufacturer.

I know what it looks like.

I know what it is.

But you have to take the star back to see that little circle right there.

Say Marks and A are x Louis Marks manufacturer, which I didn't know is Louis Marks maybe $100.

That was their their estimate.

When you talk to someone right here.

Yes.

The toy the appraiser.

And he was very helpful.

I appreciate the information.

Yeah.

But, you know, I'm not going to quit my day job over this truck.

And what about Jeanie with all of her Jean Callahan memorabilia?

I was telling her about all my documents and the collection I have, and she said she wanted to get a producer.

So the expert called producer Jill Giles to assess whether Gina's Hall would make it to the big stage.

What was his job?

He was such a set designer.

That's his invitation to the Academy.

28 years.

And then you kept it all this time through three movies, five Hurricane, The Great Flood.

Gina waited excitedly in anticipation of possibly being on the national show.

It feels amazing.

It's been 28 years in the making.

Unfortunately, Gina wasn't selected for the national broadcast.

This is such a kind of a miraculous collection to me because it's a survivor.

And if it weren't for you, this would be in a city down somewhere.

And basically the the paper trail of someone's entire life and career would be evaporated.

It would be gone.

And so thank you for saving things because of or for people like you.

I mean, this is what archives are made of, right?

Because there's no there's no one piece that's just like the other.

So it's very labor intensive.

But my my best estimate would be just on this binder alone of at least six, $800 worth of stuff.

So thank you so much for preserving it because, you know, it's been a labor of love for you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

In the spirit of Antiques Roadshow, I also brought a few very special items to be appraised.

This is button from the 1935 US track team, which my father was the captain of and have the world's record in the high hurdles.

And your father's name?

Al Moreau.

This is him right here.

There he is also.

And this is a picture of the team on board the Aquitaine on their way to Europe for 1935, signed by all of them.

And this is also signed by all of them.

That's very cool.

So it's something that, you know, when when you're as good as he was near the world record and the high hurdles, you get a lot of memorabilia.

And we have, sure, hundreds of things.

But this is just a little bit I think it's cool.

I think it's a period piece and that's what's important is from that time frame.

Yeah.

And there are many of them floating around.

No, I think I think the problem with dealing with something like that is the lack of caps.

Although these things are near and dear to me in our family, the appraiser wasn't able to give any auction value because there wasn't anything to compare it to.

However, we had a great exchange and I learned about how the experts value sports memorabilia.

What are the great things about the Antiques Roadshow and being on tour with Antiques Roadshow is it's kind of like summer camp.

You know, you get to go see your friends again.

You get to see the crew that you don't normally see every day.

The appraisers that we only see on tour sometimes we have volunteers that will travel with us to different locations.

So it's great to all come back together.

We all know we're here for the same reason, which is get the production done and everybody works really hard.

But you also have a lot of fun.

Antiques Roadshow, successful for so many reasons, but I think the the I've always said the most important thing is the connection that you get.

That Antiques Roadshow is about American identity, that when you sit and watch Roadshow, every single item speaks a little bit to how you and I got here, who we are and those people who have been here forever.

Perhaps we hope to speak a bit about how this country has formed, has changed and has evolved over the years.

Roadshow's a happy place where everybody's equal and everybody likes each other.

So for me, that sameness, that is something that's very joyous and important to me because I see it with my own eyes.

I have cried with guests, I have laughed with guests.

And at that moment we're really connecting and everybody around us is connecting.

And it's just a beautiful human thing to become a member to support the programs you love for $20 a month, Receive the Finding Fortunes combo, which includes a pair of Clementine hunter hand embroidered tea towels a day at Melrose and Zinnias looking at you and receive the elegant minion forge a floor to live picture for $13 a month or see the menu Fiji Flotilla picture perfect for entertaining or gift giving or for just $8 a month.

Choose the Finding Fortune's Clementine Hunter Hand-Embroidered tea towel collection that includes a diamond rose and zinnias Looking at you.

In addition to these wonderful gifts, you'll receive visions LV Bee's monthly program Guide and our popular member benefit and streaming service LP Passport for the very best of Lpv and PBS.

Hello once again from the LPD studios.

During this special behind the scenes look at Antiques Roadshow Season 28 tour stop in Baton Rouge, I'm Robyn Merrick, board member for the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Excellence is what makes this possible through your membership and your support for your public television station.

If you're not yet a member, join us to support the programs you love.

Call or text.

Give to 888769 5000 Become a member online at LTP dot org or scan the QR code on your screen with any thank you gift level.

You will also receive access to help passport streaming service for your favorite PBS and LP programs.

Let's hear more about Passport right now.

This is the PBS video app.

Install it on your phone, tablet, smart TV or other streaming device and use it to access more of the PBS shows you love.

But if you're looking for even more shows to binge like this or early access to shows like this, then look for this icon.

That's the PBS passport icon.

And it means that video is part of PBS Passport.

Passport is our way of saying thank you to our station members.

Donate to your local PBS station today.

And one of the member benefits you'll receive is PBS Passport, which offers extended access to a growing library of new and favorite PBS programs.

You can support your station and your community by becoming a member today.

Visit pbs.org.

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Watch PBS Passport anytime on any screen.

Wherever you stream, it's your ticket to the best of PBS.

Why we are back.

You've got a great way to join in all kinds of ways to enjoy passport.

So we want to hear from you.

And I've got Chelsea Norris joining me once again from Ann Connolly, Fine art here in Baton Rouge, where she serves as a co-director.

And so we really enjoy working together.

Glad to have you back.

The dynamic turtleneck duo.

Yeah, sure.

Doing turtlenecks today, that's that's what that's what's.

And we certainly weren't doing turtlenecks on last spring when the Antiques Roadshow was here in Baton Rouge, although the weather was almost amazing.

Yeah, it wasn't turtleneck weather, but it was an amazing day out of the LSU Wildlife Museum.

Well, we had nearly 3000 people to come and participate.

It was totally unbelievable.

It was the best day ever.

And so we're really excited to have hosted that group here in Baton Rouge.

And and what's even more exciting about that day, Chelsea was all the volunteers that came together to make it possible.

amazing.

I mean, people are traipsing their treasures and every type of vehicle or moving capability possible.

I mean, you have to just really kind of marvel at the creativity of mankind sometimes, Right?

But we couldn't do it without the volunteers.

I mean, we've got the volunteers on the Antiques Roadshow side with those appraisers coming in and then our amazing community affiliated volunteers that added that little bit of Louisiana, I think, to the whole experience, about 100 volunteers and place that day.

So that that was no small feat to get that many people together to volunteer and really go in the same direction.

But also what was exciting is the way the Antiques Roadshow production works.

I mean, they have it down to an absolute science.

Day one, this happens, day two, this happens, and day three this happens.

And they make it all happen in a solid three day block of time.

Not only is it everything having to do with everyone involved, but it's LPI that's able to it to us.

So it really was kind of a match made in heaven.

It was indeed.

Absolutely.

And speaking of magic made in heaven, we got to thank Mary Sue and Ron Gary for their corporate challenge that we have going on right now.

So the member challenge is going on right now, and they're supporting public television here in Louisiana and they're so committed to it.

The work that Beth Courtney started and CC Copeland is now continuing in terms of the Louisiana Production Front Fund, and Mary Sue and Ron Gary are putting forth $6,000 to match dollar for dollar all of the contributions that come in during this program.

So in essence, that means your gift gets to be doubled.

So whatever you're giving and you're receiving the thank you gifts, you get a chance to double that contribution to Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And we want to hear from you right now.

And we certainly want to thank Mary Sue and Ron Gary for their support of LPI.

And on top of that, on top of that doubling offer, you can get out the credit card.

This is the time to get out your credit card, because at the $500 level, those of you who are making contributions at $500 or more, you will receive an original painting by Eddie Moorman titled Louisiana Pelican.

It's an eight by ten.

We have it here in the studio.

It's also on the screen great piece of art that you have in your home, $500 or more on your credit card.

And you can, of course, do that online at Elpida or D, scan the QR code or the number that's on your screen as well.

All right.

We're having a lot of fun here watching this program and talking about all the things Antiques Roadshow and the behind the scenes of what was going on here at the LSU Life Museum last spring.

So, Chelsea, I'm excited about it.

I can't wait to watch the rest of the programs and the rest of the series that comes out on all of this visit to Baton Rouge.

It's been all amazing.

Absolutely.

And the fact that they can do all of this in like a three day period is kind of unbelievable just from a production standpoint.

As someone who has never produced anything, I'm constantly in awe of what not only Antiques Roadshow has done with us, but what LTV continues to do.

That's right.

And so if you missed out on this visit, maybe one day they'll be back.

Maybe we'll see your support, maybe we can get them back.

Great.

And there's so many ways to support us and we have so many ways of saying thank you.

Let's show you all about it.

Become a member to support the programs you love for $20 a month.

Receive the Finding Fortunes combo, which includes a pair of Clementine Hunter hand embroidered tea towels a day at Melrose and Zinnias looking at you and receive the elegant M.F.A.

Fleur Tilly pitcher for $13 a month or see the menu on Fiji fleur tilly picture perfect for entertaining or gift giving or for just $8 a month.

Choose the Finding Fortune's Clementine Hunter Hand-Embroidered tea towel collection that includes a day at Melrose and Zinnias.

Looking at you.

In addition to these wonderful gifts, you'll receive Visions LP's Monthly program Guide and our popular member benefit and streaming service LP passport for the very best of LP and PBS to look at those great thank you gifts that you can receive.

We also have the member challenge going on during this break right now, as well as the credit card offer.

So you've got multiple ways to get and multiple things you can receive.

We just want to hear from you and your pledge of support to public television here in Louisiana.

And on that note, we want to thank a bunch of folks that made all of this possible.

Certainly have to thank visit Baton Rouge and Jill Kidder.

She stopped in to visit with us earlier, thank the folks and the producers at Antiques Roadshow, as well as all the volunteers that were here to make this happen.

And thank you to all of you that piled your cars high with things.

That was the most fun thing for me to watch, really.

It was such a joy to see our community come out.

Yes, the community come out with all of your treasures.

And so hopefully we'll see more of that soon.

Back to the show.

For well over two decades, Antiques Roadshow has kept millions of viewers watching and wondering just who will find the next fortune.

Thanks to our exclusive look behind the scenes, you've seen how they put together this amazing show.

Year after year, everyone at LPI would like to give a big thank you to WGBH in Boston and the entire Antiques Roadshow production team for allowing our cameras to take you on this journey.

Major production funding for this program is provided by Visit Baton Rouge.

In the capital city, there's a culture of excitement, creativity and all kinds of cuisine for a unique Louisiana experience.

Learn more at Visit Baton Rouge.

And by William B Weiner Jr. And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

And.