December 21, 2008
Antiques Roadshow Primer : The Introductory Guide to Antiques and Collectibles from the Most-Watched Series on PBS
The national treasure hunt, Antiques Roadshow is, in its third season, the most popular show on PBS. Every week it draws millions and millions of viewers to the edge of their seats as independent dealers and specialists from the country’s leading auction houses appraise family heirlooms and flea market finds alike. Now this knowledge, authority, and passion is distilled in the Antiques Roadshow Primer, an introductory guide to American Antiques and collectibles.
Antiques Roadshow has taught us to look for fortunes in our attics–perhaps to find, as other lucky souls have, an Anna Poole Peale portrait miniature worth $5,000 to $7,000 or a Confederate sword worth $35,000. Focusing on 11 major areas–including Furniture, Painting, Silver, Jewelry, Porcelain, and Toys–the primer addresses the essential things buyers and collectors need to know, covering vital details for each category, such as shapes, styles, and patterns, provenance, periods, and motifs. A 32-page full-color section amplifies each chapter by illustrating numerous examples of styles and techniques, and individual items are fully identified, often with their appraised value. Above all, it helps even first-timers to answer the two key question every collector must face: Is it old? Is it valuable?
Author:Â Carol Prisant
Paperback:Â 320 pages
Company: Workman Publishing Company (1999-12)
ISBN:Â 0761116249
List Price:Â $19.95
Amazon Price:Â $2.25
Used Price:Â $0.01
More: continued here
Thanks to Antiques Roadshow(tm), the highest rated, long running prime-time series on PBS(r), with millions of viewers a week, we are a nation seeking fortune in our attics. And thanks to Antiques Roadshow Primer, with 572,000 copies in print, we are highly antiques-literate. But there’s another audience out there, too, showing up ever more frequently on Antiques Roadshow-those obsessive, bitten-by-the-bug collectors. Bring on the “Maltese Falcon” posters! 
There’s more than a kernel of truth to the fact that many things only improve with age. Just like the antiques and collectibles it identifies, the world’s longest-running antiques price guide continues to get better with time. Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles 2009 Price Guide boasts a feast of 2,400 color photos, an easy-to-use color-coded catalog format, tens of thousands of detailed listings for furniture, glass, ceramics and toys, a chapter on fakes and reproductions, and exclusive market trend reports written by expert appraisers and collectors.
