inside the
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
HOW MUCH IS THAT CHINA WORTH?
GERALD TOMLIN LAYS DOWN THE LAW
ON PBS’ MOST POPULAR SHOW.
Gerald Tomlin furrows his brow as he explores the contents of a shoebox. His stage makeup is beginning to melt under the hot camera lights. Nimbly, he unwraps the object encased in a yellowed newspaper from 1950. This is a treasure: a handmade Alexander Calder mobile prototype potentially worth up to $250,000 at auction.
A Dallas interior designer and owner of Gerald Tomlin Antiques, Gerald has been an appraiser for the PBS television show Antiques Roadshow since its inception six years ago. The show has a cult following, drawing 33 to 34 million viewers each week. “We’re bigger than Big Bird,” Gerald says.
Of course, for every Calder prototype there are about 500 less spectacular items. “You wouldn’t believe what we get,” he says. The most common error people make is equating age with value, Gerald explains. “People think that if something goes back to a particular time period, say, pre-war or World War II, it’s going to have extraordinary value. But the value also has to do with the number of that object produced at that time.”
An example: a two-inch, plaster Kewpie doll, brought in by an elderly woman who was desperate for the doll to be valuable. “These little dolls were handed out at carnivals in the 1950s. You’d toss a ball, and if you missed, they’d give you a Kewpie.” Gerald broke the news gently, explaining that there were a tremendous number of dolls in circulation and that hers was probably worth a couple of dollars. “Sometimes you really feel sorry for people when you’re giving them these appraisals,” he says. “But you’ve got to be honest and tell it like it is.”
When it comes to his appraisal record, Gerald is among the best in the country. But when he makes mistakes, Antiques Roadshow viewers are the first to let him know. In Canada, after misreading the stock number on a sterling silver encased pen circa 1928, he misquoted its value at $3,000-$4,000, instead of $400-$500. “It was uncanny the number of e-mails I received. And some were quite testy,” Gerald says, shaking his head at the pen aficionados’ wrath. “They came out of the walls saying, ‘You are wrong! You are wrong!’ When you’re talking to 33 million people, everything you say has to be down to the dot and line specific. You’re on camera. So you’ve got to be right.”
Interestingly, most of the thousands of people who queue up at the Antiques Roadshow events aren’t looking to get rich quick. “Most people don’t sell their appraised possessions,” he says. “That was a striking factor to me. I would have thought a lot of people would sell the stuff when they found out its worth. But about 80 percent actually keep it in the family.”
Gerald confesses with a grimace that he is the only appraiser to break something on camera, specifically a platinum-coated porcelain decanter in the shape of Elvis Presley. As he turned it upside down to give the folks at home a better view, the top (Elvis’ head) fell off and shattered on the concrete floor. “I was so embarrassed,” he says.
A magna cum laude graduate of Parsons School of Design, Gerald won a scholarship to study throughout Europe’s capitals, and his knowledge is immense. He still studies avidly each night. His work experience further enriches his education as he soaks up knowledge from the other Antiques Roadshow appraisers. “You can’t imagine what those appraisers know,” he says, shaking his head. “It’s simply volumes and volumes of information.”
Has the Antiques Roadshow depleted the nation’s attics of found treasures? Gerald says no. “Great finds are still out there.” He advises that anyone interested in collecting antiques learn as much as possible. “The more knowledgeable you are, the more likely you are to recognize something for what it is,” he says.
hot collectibles
Celebrity Stuff and Other Choice Memorabilia
For the beginning collector, Gerald Tomlin suggests delving into the world of collectibles, interesting objects or the memorabilia of well-known individuals. Based on auction records, Gerald identified six top categories:
1. Vintage Fountain Pens, dating from pre-1945
They can vary in value from $75 to $5,000 for the rare and unique.
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2. Sports Collectibles
Sports equipment or specific sports memorabilia, such as World Series baseball cards. A pre-19th century golf club sold at auction for $178,000.
3. Film Memorabilia
Signed celebrity photographs from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s or props from old films. Dorothy’s red slippers brought $125,000 at auction, and the sled from Citizen Kane was sold for $60,000.
4. Rare Cameras
A mint condition Nikon S3M is worth about $18,000. Gerald cautions that old box and brownie cameras, which he sees on the show frequently, are not valuable because so many were produced.
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5. Pop culture items
Dancing dashboard dolls of the Beatles can be worth about $2,000. Anything Elvis has value. If one-of-a-kind, the value of items from Madonna and Elton John could reach seven figures.
6. Toys
Mint condition toys from early manufacturers like Bing, Marklin, and Disney can be worth thousands.
