Local appraiser Shyanne Beatty stood behind a folding table under a tent at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage on Tuesday discussing an attendee’s finely-detailed Indigenous footwear laid out on its wrapping.
The woman told her they were a gift from a friend.
“I’d say that you have a really nice friend,” Beatty said laughing.
Beatty was one of dozens of people appraising items at the filming of the PBS show “Antiques Roadshow.” It was the first time the popular show visited Alaska — and fans claimed tickets quickly. Nearly 2,500 people showed up throughout the day Tuesday with pieces to be evaluated, some wheeled in carts, others carried in their arms.
Beatty, who worked at the tribal arts booth, said some of her favorite items were a carved killer whale tooth from King Island, a seal gut doll and a Yup’ik basket adorned with goose feathers and feet.
She said she’s watched the show for years and was glad to be a part of it.
“It’s so validating, I think, for a lot of locals to have the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ to come to Alaska,” she said.
The longest line was consistently for the tribal arts booth. People brought everything from family heirlooms to garage sale finds.
One guest named Brenda brought her grandfather’s teddy bear she thought could be worth something because it was from a valuable toy maker. Her bear looked beyond well-loved and was tattered and worn. While the bear did turn out to be genuine, she found out the overall-wearing bear was hiding a secret.
“Apparently he’s Franken-bear. His head was decapitated and put on backwards. He’s just – he’s my sweetheart. So 1910. He’s old and well-loved. So that’s Teddy,” said Brenda.
(“Antiques Roadshow” doesn’t allow the disclosure of last names to protect people with high-value items and to keep the upcoming show a surprise.)
Other people brought things like musical instruments, paintings, furniture or jewelry.
They were bussed to the heritage center from Bartlett High School and then had to go through a process the show referred to as “triage.” Staff and volunteers ushered them to various locations depending on what they brought to get appraised. Everyone could bring up to two items.
Senior producer Sam Farrell said you never know what people will have in any given region.
“As someone once said, you know, you can see a Hawaiian bowl in Boston and a Boston chest in Hawaii,” he said.
Alaska is the last filming stop of five cities for the upcoming 28th season of “Antiques Roadshow.” For years, the added logistics to shoot in and travel to Alaska prevented the show from coming to the state, according to Farrell. This year, TOTE Maritime donated their shipping services, which allowed the show to get two semi-trucks’ worth of specialized gear to Anchorage.
The Anchorage filming will air as three episodes in the first half of 2024.The appraisers and producers will work together to determine which combinations of people and their objects will make the final cut. Only a very small percentage of the more than 2,000 attendees will be on air.
The episodes are expected to draw a big audience — the long-running “Antiques Roadshow” is the most-watched show on public television. Executive producer Marsha Bemko said she thinks its success stems from being smart reality television.
“So I think that’s the ultimate secret sauce is that people like learning in a way that they don’t even notice, it feels like eating ice cream,” said Bemko.
She has been the executive producer of “Antiques Roadshow” since 2003 and said that when you boil it down, the show tells people about what they own, appraises it and makes TV from it. It’s a simple formula, she said, but it’s not just about the items.
“Ultimately behind those things are people. And when you do this show like that over the years, you really get touched by people and the humanity of people and how we’re all the same,” she said. “We all care about the same things. And I like that.”
Editor’s note: Alaska Public Media is a PBS member station and broadcasts “Antiques Roadshow.”
Ammon Swenson is Alaska Public Media’s Audio Media Content Producer. He was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. He graduated from UAA in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and integrated media. He’s previously worked for KRUA radio, the Anchorage Press, and The Northern Light.
