Antiques Roadshow

Everyone has a favorite appraisal! In Roadshow Favorites, we relive some of the most memorable — and emotional — discoveries from our first eight years.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's Greatest Finds showcases the cream of the crop — the rarest, finest, and most valuable objects ROADSHOW experts have appraised over our first eight seasons.

Tomorrow's Antiques is a blast from the not-so-distant past! This nostalgia-filled special celebrates the rockin' 50s, psychedelic 60s, and funky 70s with ROADSHOW appraisals that prove it's not just 100-year-old antiques that are worth collecting for fun and profit.

Appraisals include a 19th-century kaleidoscope; a calendar watch dated circa 1640; a Women's Professional League baseball. Also: a woman learns that the vase she bought from an antiques dealer is a replica. Host: Chris Jussel.

From Seattle: Items appraised include a Confederate sword; a painting by an Aboriginal artist; three handcarved pottery pieces; a series of letters written by Gen. W.T. Sherman after the Civil War.

Appraisals from Denver include a silver tea set made in 1871 and believed to have been a gift from the Czar of Russia; a Li'l Abner toy that sold for $2.59 in 1945; a sword dating back to the Revolutionary War. Host: Chris Jussel

Part 1 of two. Appraisals from Secaucus, N.J., include a card table from the late 1700s; a Thomas Edison electric pen; two framed documents written by Ernest Hemingway. Host: Chris Jussel.

Conclusion. Appraisals from Secaucus, N.J., include five Tiffany vases; several books signed by Benjamin Franklin; and a hand-carved, wooden cake board dating to the early 19th century. Chris Jussel hosts.

Appraisals from Cincinnati include a set of original illustrations for the Dick and Jane reading primers dating from 1965. Also: a hall stand made in Switzerland; a vase.

Appraisals from Richmond, Va., include a jewelry collection of Burmese rubies and diamonds; a folk-art rooster originally used in a dairy display. Also: a visit to the Museum of the Confederacy. Host: Chris Jussel.

From Richmond, Va.: Appraisals include a presentation Colt pistol and a French doll made around 1885. Host: Chris Jussel.

Appraisals from Los Angeles include a Scottish-made clay piglet and a miniature portrait. Host: Chris Jussel.

Appraisals in Columbus, Ohio, include a handwritten letter from Thomas Jefferson; the first edition of Playboy magazine from 1953; and a skull-shaped humidor. Chris Jussel is the host.

Items appraised include a vintage football poster, a late-19th-century quilt, two valuable toys and an unusual gold ring. Chris Jussel is the host.

Items up for appraisal in Birmingham, Ala., include a 19th-century quilt, two valuable toys and an unusual gold ring with a surprise inside. Chris Jussel is the host.

Boston gallery owner Dan Elias, a contemporary-art specialist, hosts this stop in St. Louis. One man brings in a painting he calls “ 'Uncle Jim' in the attic.” It turns out that “Jim” is some 200 years old---and that he might have been painted by a prominent artist named Ralph Earl. If so, “Jim” could be worth $50,000.

Appraisals in St. Louis (Part 2 of three) include a Budweiser-beer tin, a toy bear and an 18th-century silk-needlepoint picture. Also: host Dan Elias tours an 1880 St. Louis mansion built by a merchant-shipping magnate named Samuel Cupples.

A three-show sojourn in St. Louis concludes with a visit to the St. Louis Mercantile Library, which was founded in 1846. Also: appraisals include a repeater rifle; a 100-year-old medicine chest with tins for 288 herbs; and ribbonwork clothing made by Native Americans from Indiana.

The treasures of Tucson's attics are on display. Items appraised during the hour (the first of three in Tucson) include some that are unusually valuable, including a 1790s sideboard and a Western landscape by Edgar Payne. Then there's a 150-year-old Navajo weaved blanket. Appraiser Donald Ellis calls it “a national treasure.” Taped in June 2001 at the City of Tucson Convention Center. Host: Dan Elias.

Items appraised in Tucson (Part 2 of three) include 18th-century leather fire buckets and an art-deco bronze sculpture. Also: host Dan Elias visits an 18th-century mission church, San Xavier del Bac, which is known as “the white dove of the desert.”

A three-program stop in Tucson concludes. Appraised: an 1890s silver service; two season passes for the 19th-century baseball team the Cincinnati Red Stockings; and a 19th-century Persion rug. Also: host Dan Elias visits a Tucson resort hotel founded in 1930 by Arizona's first congresswoman, Isabella Greenway.

Items appraised in Albuquerque (Part 1 of three) include an 1870s Navajo blanket and a marble lion from Tang Dynasty China (6th-9th centuries) that leaves appraiser Lark Mason Jr. choked up, but not speechless. “It's fantastic,” he marvels. “It's among the finest examples of Chinese art I have ever seen on the 'Roadshow'.” Also: host Dan Elias explores attractions along the “Turquoise Trail” between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Part 2. Items appraised in Albuquerque include a Revolutionary War-era canteen and a diary account of the war written by an ancester of the diary's owner; and a 1908 illustration by British children's book illustrator Arthur Rackham. Also: host Dan Elias visits New Mexico's Petroglyph National Park, where he finds 3000-year-old Pueblo carvings, and Ghost Ranch, near Albuquerque, where he examines dinosaur fossils.

Conclusion. Appraisals in Albuquerque include portrait miniatures with cases and engravings designed by Paul Revere; a 19th-century New England grandfather clock; and two landscapes by Hudson River School painter James Hope (1819-92). Also: host Dan Elias tours Albuquerque's Old Town.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW breezed into its eighth season in Chicago, Illinois — "The Windy City" — with host Lara Spencer.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW breezed into its eighth season in Chicago, Illinois — "The Windy City" — with host Lara Spencer.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW breezed into its eighth season in Chicago, Illinois — "The Windy City" — with host Lara Spencer.

In ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's 2005 season opener from St. Paul, Minnesota — the land of 10,000 lakes — former host Lara Spencer and appraisers were awash in a sea of antiques and collectibles.

In ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's 2005 season opener from St. Paul, Minnesota — the land of 10,000 lakes — former host Lara Spencer and appraisers were awash in a sea of antiques and collectibles.

In ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's 2005 season opener from St. Paul, Minnesota — the land of 10,000 lakes — former host Lara Spencer and appraisers were awash in a sea of antiques and collectibles.

"So Is It a Buttersworth?" (Actually, No.) After further research, a handsome marine painting initially attributed to 19th-century artist James E. Buttersworth is found instead to be the work of Antonio Jacobsen

Seed Pearl Jewelry: Jewelry appraiser Jeanenne Bell explains "seed pearls."

Pietra Dura: "Rock Art". This stunning work of stone inlay is so intricate, at first the expert mistook it for a painting. More on the history of this impressive technique.

Why Hawaiian Quilts?: Hawaii's quilt-making tradition is as unique as the Pacific island culture it comes from.

ROADSHOW Visits Hawaii (Finally): Learn what it took to get ANTIQUES ROADSHOW to Honolulu.

A Real Andy Warhol? Are butterflies hand-drawn on a dinner napkin really the work of Andy Warhol? The verdict is in ...

Part 1 of 3 from Louisville. Items include original cover art for the Saturday Evening Post; a 19th-century embroidered silk picture; and an heirloom mint-julep cup.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, with host Mark L. Walberg, opened its lucky 13th season in Palm Springs, California, with a mix of great good fortune and an equally staggering loss.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, with host Mark L. Walberg, opened its lucky 13th season in Palm Springs, California, with a mix of great good fortune and an equally staggering loss.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, with host Mark L. Walberg, opened its lucky 13th season in Palm Springs, California, with a mix of great good fortune and an equally staggering loss.

Highlights include an archive of correspondence and photos, circa 1965, marking the friendship between a cigar-loving Winston Churchill and the guest’s Cuban great aunt and uncle; a stunning 1908 example of New Orleans’ Newcomb College pottery; and an heirloom collection of vintage diamond rings and a necklace, estimated to be worth $80,000 to $100,000.

Highlights include an archive of correspondence and photos, circa 1965, marking the friendship between a cigar-loving Winston Churchill and the guest’s Cuban great aunt and uncle; a stunning 1908 example of New Orleans’ Newcomb College pottery; and an heirloom collection of vintage diamond rings and a necklace, estimated to be worth $80,000 to $100,000.

Highlights include an archive of correspondence and photos, circa 1965, marking the friendship between a cigar-loving Winston Churchill and the guest’s Cuban great aunt and uncle; a stunning 1908 example of New Orleans’ Newcomb College pottery; and an heirloom collection of vintage diamond rings and a necklace, estimated to be worth $80,000 to $100,000.

Part 1 of 3. Season 16 begins in Tulsa, where items include a signed note from Mother Teresa; an 1894 Winchester rifle; and a collection of late 17th-, early 18th-century Chinese rhinoceros horn cups that are valued at more than a million dollars. Also: a visit to the Pawnee Bill Ranch highlights show-stopping Wild West posters.

Part 2 of 3 in Tulsa features a 1960 first edition of "To Kill a Mockingbird" inscribed by author Harper Lee; a collection of bronzes that may or may not be Remingtons and Russells; and a 1924 Gibson F-5 "Lloyd Loar" mandolin valued at $175,000. Also: a visit to the Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve highlights vintage petroliana collectibles.

Conclusion. In Tulsa, items include an 1826 English gadget cane that's equipped with both a pistol and a telescope; a 1931 Oscar Mayer in-store display; and a circa 1600 Ming Dynasty cast bronze guardian figure. Also: a visit to the Philbrook Museum of Art highlights housewares, appliances and electronics that were turned into functional art by 20th-century industrial designers.

Part 1 of 3. Season 17 begins in Corpus Christi, Texas, where a million-dollar discovery is made: an oil painting created by an 18-year-old Diego Rivera in 1904. Other items include a 1967 painting by Alexander Calder; a Japanese bronze of a mythical figure; and a giant Fisk "Tire Boy" sign.

Part 2 of 3 in Corpus Christi, Texas, features an individual who scored John Lennon's autograph after meeting the Beatles; and a person who received a book inscribed by Salvador Dalí from the artist himself. Also: Vintage flash art is investigated at an area tattoo parlor.

Conclusion. In Corpus Christi, Texas, items include a 1912 portrait by Charles Courtney Curran; a Porfirio Salinas bluebonnet oil painting; and a 1983 Helen Frankenthaler lithograph that's valued at $15,000. Also: Antique mourning jewelry is discussed.

Part 1 of 3. Season 18 opens in Boise, Idaho. Items include a first edition of the Book of Mormon; a 1955 Madoura plate designed by Picasso; and an 1858 oil painting by Hudson River artist Sanford Robinson Gifford that's valued at $300,000.

Part 2 of 3 in Boise, Idaho, features a mid-century pinup painting by Earl Moran; a set of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" lobby cards; and an a 1922 Edward Hopper etching titled "The Cat Boat" that's valued at $250,000. Also: law-enforcement collectibles are discussed during a visit to the Old Idaho State Penitentiary.

Conclusion. In Boise, Idaho, items include an 1822 letter from Thomas Jefferson; a Babe Ruth Candy Club membership card; and a ruby-and-diamond necklace. Also: the work of artist James Castle is discussed during a visit to the Boise Art Museum.

An unpublished Art Spiegelman book proposal circa 1974; headboard from the set of 'The Godfather: Part II'; rare photographic baseball cards with a handwritten letter from the 1871-1872 Boston Red Stockings. Frèdèric Auguste Bartholdi Statue of Liberty statuettes are discussed during a visit to the New York Historical Society.

A Tiffany Studios mosaic inkwell circa 1905; a show run from the Beatles' first appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' along with an autographed photo of the band; Joseph Kleitsch oil painting circa 1925.

In New York City, items include a Tiffany presentation watch; a 1943 Irving Berlin manuscript; and a collection of rare 1903 American Beauty-backed tobacco baseball cards. Porcelain mugs are discussed at the Salmagundi Club.