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Ticket Holders To Bring Treasures To 'Antiques Roadshow' Filming At Hotel Del Coronado

The Hotel Del Coronado as seen from the beach, July 17, 2013.
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The Hotel Del Coronado as seen from the beach, July 17, 2013.
Ticket Holders To Bring Treasures To 'Antiques Roadshow' Filming At Hotel Del Coronado
Ticket Holders To Bring Treasures To 'Antiques Roadshow' Filming At Hotel Del Coronado GUEST:Marsha Bemko, executive producer, Antiques Roadshow

The public television phenomenon that his Antiques Roadshow visited San Diego again this week. The soldout ticket only event will take place at the historic Hotel Del Coronado. The roadshow is going strong in its 22nd year as the most-watched ongoing series on PBS. This seems to be no end to the fascination of watching people just like you and me discover hidden treasures. Joining me is Marcia Bill co-executive producer of the Antiques Roadshow. Welcome, Marcia. The hotel Dell seems like a pretty perfect fit for the show because it has hidden treasures of its own. Why did you bring the show to that location? >> It becomes a very unromantic practical consideration when it comes down to it. When you go knocking on peoples doors, to ask them if they are going to let you and your 3000 or so friends and, a lot of people will not have us. So part of it started with we are looking for a beautiful place and who wants us. Hotel Del Coronado was one of those places. I think it is our only location this year where we are actually staying on the place where we are shooting. >>> The Antiques Roadshow highlights points of interest when it visits a city. Will you stay in Coronado or will the show profile other areas of San Diego? >> We are staying in Coronado. We are focused on that. There is more than we can cover on Coronado. That is where we will focus our attention. >>> As I said, only ticketholders are allowed into the event. Bring us behind the scenes. You said inviting your 3000 closest friends. What does a typical antique roadshow location shoot look like? >> It starts with where we going to go, we select the location, this is one of five we are going to this year. People apply for tickets. Because if we let people lineup, it would be more people than we could possibly see that day. For instance, in the city, there was 13,686 people who applied to the pool of tickets that we give out which is 1750 free tickets or pairs of tickets. 3500 tickets. Way more people want to come then we can accommodate. It starts with that. If you are someone who gets a ticket, and you come to the show with your two most precious things, and some of you own some pretty interesting items worth sharing with the nation. >>> It must be quite a scene with people bringing furniture >>> You come to the show with your two most precious things. Some of you own pretty interesting items worth sharing with a nation. >>> It must be quite a scene with people bringing furniture and [no audio]. >>> Someone who gets a ticket and you come to the show with your two most precious things. Some of you own some pretty interesting items. Worth sharing with the nation. Even if they have one item to bring some of those items are pretty big. >> A roadshow is everything you could imagine it could be. They too are volunteers. A lot of time they pay their own way, they give another -- enormous amount to public television. But to be a roadshow appraiser, you need many years of experience. For the most part, they recognize unless it's some small jewelry they recognize a good object from across the room and hope their table mate does not get it. Painting experts will sit there with computer open. It is a harder thing to ballpark some of those prices and the databases you use. They will use them. They are the ones who recognize whether or not that Picasso signature is worth looking into. >>> At the audience loves to see the reaction of people who discovered that Picasso, that item they brought in is much more valuable than they thought. I wonder if some people refuse to believe the item they think was a treasure is really pretty much junk. >> We have had that happen a couple of times. I have told those people to get a second opinion. We are doing it, we don't have special equipment with us. But we do have some people in some denial even when we have tested things. It has happened. Only memorably wants, woman who came to a Spokane show had what she thought was a ruby bracelet. It was Burch and Kevin ZD who are jeweler's and they are father and son. Burch had the jewelry tested. Kevin wanted to wander over and test the brace it -- bracelet with Burch and it was Glass. Not rubies. When I went back, I gave it back to her and asked her she wanted be on TV. She said yes. She was a good sport. About three hours later they called me and said she was still in the green room and wanted to see me. She asked me if I traded the bracelet that she had for one that I had that look like hers that she had available. She believed that. I said you have to be kidding if you think I have an exact copy of your bracelet with me. That was the biggest denial story I ever had. That was unusual. I will tell you an unusual story because it is a fun story. Most people are glad to hear the truth. >>> You are in vault with finding the best moment of the event. What do you look for? >> For me, here we are taping season 23 and I've been with the show since I started with season five's tapings, I love a good story. My favorite objects don't have big value they have great stories. Stories that make history come alive. Objects make history come alive. You cannot help but learn a lot about the place of origin where the chip -- object came. >>> Do you have any idea when do you think the hotel Dell episode might air? See in some time after January 1 and before December 31. Sometime in the first part of next year. We always premier hours seasons with the first Monday in June. We are touring a little earlier than usual because we are outdoors. Normally we tore towards the summer. Appear in the North where I am from, it is too hot in the summer to be outside. >>> I have been speaking with Marsha Demko executive producer of antique roadshow. Thank you, Marcia. >> Thank you.

The public-television phenomenon "Antiques Roadshow" visits San Diego on Tuesday.

The sold-out ticket-only event will take place at the historic Hotel Del Coronado. Marsha Bemko, executive producer of "Antiques Roadshow," said 3,500 people have tickets to Tuesday's event. She said 13,686 applied.

Each ticket holder brings two items to be appraised.

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The Roadshow, in its 22nd year, is going strong as the most-watched ongoing series on PBS.

Bemko has been with the show since its fifth season. She decides which moments from the events make it in the show.

"I love a good story. My favorite objects don't often have big value, they have great stories. Stories, they make history come alive," Bemko said.

The episode filmed in Coronado is expected to air towards the beginning of the next season, which starts in January 2019.

Bemko joins Midday Edition on Monday with a preview of what ticket holders will experience at the roadshow.

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Ticket Holders To Bring Treasures To 'Antiques Roadshow' Filming At Hotel Del Coronado