In anticipation of the show’s upcoming 30th season, we share what it was like when the PBS production rolled into town.
Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner
Photography by Ali Cotton for GBH / Courtesy GBH
“Antiques Roadshow” fans are intense. I say that lovingly, because I am one. We watch allll the shows. We’ll enter the sweepstakes for the free tickets no matter if it’s taping three states over. Our kids grow up knowing the value of a 19th-century sampler. And when the program is on hiatus, we tide ourselves over with reruns. Phoenix 2009, episode 2? I’ll watch that! Thank goodness, the wait for Season 30 is almost over, with new episodes airing starting on Jan. 5, 2026.
I’ve been to “Antiques Roadshow” twice as a ticket-holder, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and near San Diego, California (I warned you; I’m a fan), and both times were great experiences. Even standing in line is fun. With the show filming at the Georgia State Railroad Museum on April 29, 2025, I was fortunate enough to be invited as a member of the press, which meant I had a strict arrival time, a media escort, and needed to follow the show’s privacy rules. No problem. Not tripping over the railroad tracks while on a live production set took slightly more caution. Good thing I’d worn sneakers.
The show remains as popular as ever and is the most watched ongoing series on PBS. When I spoke with executive producer Marsha Bemko, she said 12,517 people applied for the 2,000 pairs of free tickets for the Savannah stop. Looking around at old machinery and the morning light angling off the brick buildings, she said, “This really is a rocking location.” The other destinations on the summer production tour included St. Louis, Missouri; Salt Lake City, Utah; Boothbay, Maine; and Charlevoix, Michigan. The footage from each spot is culled and divided to create three, one-hour-long episodes.
The people-watching didn’t disappoint. I spotted some of the show’s best-known appraisers, including plaid-suited poster expert Nicholas Lowry; sports collectible savant Leila Dunbar; New Yawk-accented jewelry and watches pro Kevin Zavian; and Savannah’s own Amanda Everard, president of Everard Auctions and Appraisals.
Lots of people wanted to take a photo with Leigh Keno, a hunky specialist in furniture and folk art who has long been on the program. Keno told me one thing he’s noticed is that the “Antiques Roadshow” audience is so used to seeing appraisals where items have lost value due to refinishing, people are now hesitant to change anything. But there’s a big difference between painting over a Federal mahogany card table, and, say, a circa-1900 oak table that’s only worth $200. “Once you know what you have,” he says, “go ahead and enjoy it.” The value lies within use, which seemed like a good lesson, not just for furniture. Life is a special occasion, right?
Another person key to the show’s long success, furniture expert Karen Keane is an appraiser at Bonhams Skinner. She told me that older pieces of furniture “bring a soul to the interior of a home.” With Savannah being such a creative town, she encouraged people to combine various eras and styles to create a unique look in their houses.
My coworker Andrea Burg is also a fan of the show, and she volunteered at the Savannah production. She attended a mandatory training session with about 90 other volunteers, who came from all around the Southeast. When I ran into her on the day of the production, it took me a moment to recognize her; with her official logo hat, polo shirt, and ID lanyard, she looked like a seasoned crew member.
The most important task for the volunteers, she says, “was to keep the lines moving, and keep all the guests happy and organized. After a quick breakfast, we had a short amount of time to converse with some of the appraisers you see on the show all the time. I immediately sought out my fave, Nicholas Lowry, and fan-girled over him. Then, all the volunteers reported to our posts and waited for the floodgates to open and let in thousands of guests.”
While the day felt festive and exciting, it’s not, Burg points out, a festival situation. “There aren’t food trucks or refreshment stands (other than water). There aren’t any vendors or entertainment. The reality is you will be hauling your item(s) around and standing in line, sometimes for hours. And then when you get up to the table to have your item appraised, you’re done — unless the appraiser deems your item very valuable, old, or interesting. Then it’s time for one of the volunteers to get on their radio and call for a producer. I got to do this several times, and it was really cool.”
“The crew’s enthusiasm and organization was amazing,” Burg continues. “Every single person I came in contact with was kind, lighthearted, helpful, and very hardworking. And, it was fun to talk with the show’s guests and hear their stories of how and why they came to Savannah with their treasures.”
Want to attend “Antiques Roadshow” during its 2026 production tour? Tickets are given out free, via a sweepstakes. Visit pbs.org/roadshowtickets.
