Date: Fri 04-Sep-1998

Publication: Ant

Author: AMYD

Quick Words:

Fair

Full Text:

The Appraisal Fair Debuts Sept 29 On Home And Garden TV

By Susan and Al Bagdade

The Appraisal Fair, a new half-hour television series, will begin airing on

the Home and Garden Television Network on September 29. Leslie Hindman,

auctioneer and host of HGTV's At the Auction, will host this new show.

Seasoned professionals will provide appraisals -- for free -- during video

tapings on selected weekends on the plaza of the State of Illinois Building in

downtown Chicago. Specialists in furniture, glass, porcelain, pottery, silver,

jewelry, works of art, toys, dolls, and collectibles evaluate the treasures

brought in and provide on the spot appraisals.

Items that are most interesting or have an unusual story connected with them

will be taped for airing on the show. Everyone bringing in family heirlooms or

even pieces acquired from estate or garage sales want to know the same thing:

How old is it? Where did it come from? Who made it? And most important, how

much is it worth?

Phone reservations are required for appraisals at this fair. Three hundred

people are seen in groups of 100 each on appraisal days. Outdoor filming at

the State of Illinois Building attracts a lot of attention as passersby stop

to "watch the action" under the three striped tents set up in the plaza where

objects and owners join with the appropriate appraiser to find out what their

prized possessions are actually worth. Of course, the producers love that

shocked, spontaneous reaction from the participants if they discover they

truly have a valuable treasure that's worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Additional segments of the show will include tips from the appraisers. Leslie

Hindman handles "the weird find of the day" that is selected from the items

brought in. Reference books on antiques and collectibles also are discussed in

another feature of the show.

The Appraisal Fair is produced by Thea Flaum Productions, a Chicago company

headed by award-winning television producer Thea Flaum. This company also

produces At the Auction with Leslie Hindman that is now in its fifth season

and is shot on location during auctions at Sotheby's Chicago (previously

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers).

Thea Flaum is responsible for putting two Chicago film critics, Gene Siskel

and Roger Ebert, in a movie theatre balcony in 1976 that redefined the way

everyone learns about the movies. Thea's work has earned her nine Emmy Awards,

ten international film awards plus a host of other honors.

Thirty-five half-hour installments were taped this summer with the help of

Chicago area antiquers and collectors. The show will be aired twice each week

for the 40 million households that receive HGTV across the country.