Tracker Pixel for Entry

Antiques ROADSHOW: ‘A spoonful of sugar’

News | June 1st, 2019

After shaking hands with the owner, appraiser Jeffrey Shrader transfixed on the Holy Grail of World War I helmets - photograph by C.S. Hagen

FARGO – The copper snake knife came with a warning in 1984: never touch the blade; it was poisoned. For decades the knife was kept in grandpa’s nightstand touched only under his watchful eye.

After being inspected by PBS’s Antiques ROADSHOW, the mystery dissolved, but the heirloom became no less important. The blade and handmade bamboo sheath were $25-dollar trinkets that islanders sold soldiers during World War II in the Pacific Theater. The decorative Hitler Youth knife made by WKC Steel and Metalwork Factory was worth far more, about $125.

Arms and Militaria appraisers Fafael Eledge and Joel Bohy checking out World War II era knives - photograph by C.S. Hagen

Most who attended the Antiques ROADSHOW on Saturday went away knowing their family treasures weren’t worth as much as they imagined. Some, however, such as the unnamed owner of a World War I painted American helmet, were worth small fortunes, appraiser Jeff Shrader said.

He has “goldfish memory syndrome,” meaning he frequently refers to information he’s been collecting on the more than 1,600 similar helmets he has sold so far, but Shrader said he found the “Holy Grail” with the North Dakota find.

“This is the nicest one I have ever seen,” Shrader said. “This falls into the masterpiece level.”

After an initial appraisal, Shrader pitched the helmet to producers for camera time and to be viewed in the show early next year. He was able to investigate the original owner’s military records and shed light on more than the helmet’s worth: the owner’s history during World War I.

Lines for the Antiques Roadshow began at 6 a.m. at Bonanzaville on June 1, 2019 - photograph by C.S. Hagen

Not all treasure owners are featured on the television series, which is in its 24th year, Hannah Auerbach, senior account executive for national marketing said. Paintings worth more than half a million dollars have been turned down for the show because pricing is not the only aspect of what Antiques ROADSHOW is trying to do, she said. An equally important part is to reveal the history behind the art, the photographs, the knives, the snow sleds, the Indigenous carvings, and other family treasures, Auerbach said.

This year’s nationwide tour is the second time Antiques ROADSHOW has chosen historical places like Bonanzaville to film the show. For years, television crews worked from gymnasiums and roofed-in buildings. Originally slated to be filmed at the FargoDome, Fargo City Commissioner John Strand lobbied for the show to be filmed at Bonanzaville instead, Auerbach said.

“This place is different, it feels very American and is visually interesting,” Auerbach said. “This place is cool.”

“This is a big change being able to be in Bonanzaville, it is a big deal,” the show’s long term executive producer, Marsha Bemko, said.

Filming outside where lighting, the weather, and noise can change quickly and may affect quality is a challenge worth taking, she said.

Antique Roadshow cameras at the ready - photograph by C.S. Hagen

The first show produced by Boston’s WGBH producer Peter McGhee 24 years ago, was filmed with only a few hundred people participating, Bemko said. The second show attracted so many people that police had to show up to help navigate traffic. By the fifth year, the show – which started with help from the British Broadcasting Company – was topping charts. Much more than an infomercial, Bemko seeks ways to keep viewers interested by teaching history and answering questions.

Many of the 150 appraisers affiliated with the show started at the beginning, and remained, Auerbach said. Trips during the spring and summer touring seasons are paid on their own dime, but appraisers achieve name recognition for their work on the show, she said.

Associate Director of Photography, Deborah Rogal just finished inspecting a photo album from D.F. Barry, a historically important photographer who worked with Natives and U.S. soldiers in the 19th century in the Dakota Territory.

While appraising photographs she looks for more than signatures, which luckily the collection she inspected had, but also photographic styles. She also inspects and appraises photographs of historical significance.

Antique Roadshow appraiser inspecting a painting - photograph by C.S. Hagen

“And I do give value to a really good snapshot,” Rogal said. “It could be worth $100 or $5.”

From the first episode of the Antiques ROADSHOW producers have sought to teach viewers that one piece of furniture could sell for seven figures, Marsha Bemko said.

“Knowledge is power and you should be aware of that before you give your things away,” Bemko said. “We’re teaching history with a spoonful of sugar.”

Appraiser Nicholas Lowry investigating a print - photograph by C.S. Hagen

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comIt’s been eight years since the Water Protectors were cleared off the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers. It was a bitter ending to a battle to protect the water; and for most of us…

By HPR Staff We’re all a part of building strong, healthy and inclusive communities. But the region’s non-profit organizations do a lot of the heavy lifting. Now it’s time for these organizations to step into the spotlight.…

February 6, 6-7 p.m.Plains Art Museum, 704 1st Ave N, FargoLove local art? You won’t want to miss out on this Artside Chat with two-spirit Chippewa artist Anna Johnson. While you’re there, check out her exhibition…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com As I write this article, it’s January, and the temperatures in North Dakota are negative. I’m living in a house and our furnace just died a forever death after years of quick fixes. Yet,…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comHow billionaires with brain rot are creating bedlam in the USAOn January 21, 2010, the Republican-dominated United States Supreme Court approved a death sentence for American democracy of 250 to…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com So far in 2025, announcements for new restaurant openings in the metro far outnumber closings. This is good news going into the new year for us hungry folk. In my opinion, the positive trend will…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com In a little more than a quarter of the 20th century spanning the 1930s, 1940s and part of the 1950s, Humphrey Bogart built one of the quintessential American filmographies. Stubborn, tenacious,…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIn 1974, the Jamestown Arts Center started as a small space above a downtown drugstore. It has grown to host multiple classrooms, a gallery, performance studio, ceramic studio and outdoor art park.…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On Dec 5, the Turning Point USA chapter at North Dakota State University hosted an event called BisonFest. This event featured Chloe Cole, a former trans kid, known for detransitioning and…

By Jim Fugliejimfuglie920@gmail.com A friend of mine, a well-known Bismarck liberal (I have a few of those), came up to me after church the other day and asked, “So, are you moving out of the country?” I knew he was referring…