Junk TV - Let Me Count Thy Programs

Was just thinking about how many "Junk TV" shows that have popped up in the last 2 years.

The most recent (at the time of my writing this) is "The Big American Auction", which I mentioned in my last posting.

Another new show called "Real Deal" aired Nov 27th on History Channel (USA).

Others that have aired in the last 2 years include (in no particular order):

American Pickers
Canadian Pickers
Cash & Cari
Pawn Stars
Hardcore Pawn
Picker Sisters
Storage Wars
Storage Wars: Texas 
Auction Hunters
Storage Hunters 

Born Dealers / Natural Born Dealers (retitled "Born Dealers" for Discovery TV of Canada)

Another recent spin-off of PAWN STARS is about to air, also. Surprise, surprise...not.

It is set in central Louisiana,  entitled.....wait for it.....CAJUN PAWN STARS ! Actually, I don't know if that is the official title.....

Damn, it IS the official title...! 

Oh well, guess it was the only natural choice.


Now, I am also waiting for an AMERICAN version of THIS show to arrive!

The blogger of that article calls it "Antiques Roadshow With A Sledgehammer!"

Personally, I think that would actually make a darn fine real name for the American version of the show....and I'd LOVE to host it!


As a dealer who is SO tired of repros, fakes, etc messing up the market place & values, and causing anguish among beginning collectors and long time collectors alike, not to mention us dealers...  it would be SO cool to see some of that crap get what it deserves!

 Imagine, smashing the crap out of fakes, repros, etc...a dream job for some dealers! Imagine the satisfaction you would get from your job!

Hmmm.....I think I am going to go now....I need to get my resume ready....and hone up on my sledgehammer swingin' skills....

Junk TV

Was just checking out the "stats" on the blog, and noticed that someone came across my blog by searching for (and I quote):

"canadian pickers" gone for good?

Not sure what the person doing that search is thinking....as far as I know, there is still season 2 coming out, and from what I have heard down the antiques biz grapevine is that Sheldon Smithens and Scott Cozens, the hosts from the first season of Canadian Pickers have been signed for a THIRD season.

I do think that is odd, considering the 2nd season hasn't even aired.....but, maybe the production company knows something we don't.

 What I do know is that there has been quite a bit of discontent from folks across the entire "junk biz" spectrum, as far as the current choice of hosts for "Canadian Pickers".   Comments from 99% of those folks have, well, lets just say they haven't exactly been very complimentary.

I don't want to relay anything here, as I know it will be perceived by some people out there as "sour grapes" on my part.

Meh.

 I'm not getting paid by any production companies to offer my expertise, market research, etc, and they obviously have no interest in what we all think, anyway.

By "we" I mean the the majority of people who make up the "junk business."

Reality TV production groups would be well advised to vet their ideas through a panel of TRUE veterans of this business before they make the decisions that have been made as to host choices, venues, etc, etc.   I suppose any eyes watching makes for profits, even if most of those viewer eyes are rolling constantly. Longevity of most of these shows is something that is obviously not in the production companies' plans.  These are not "British Antiques Roadshow" grade programs when it comes right down to it.

I do enjoy most of the shows, though on average, my eyes roll more than they would while watching the Antiques Roadshow (with the the exception being the Canadian version...it crashed and burned it seems...and for good reason).

I know too much...I'm educated in the business, so when I  hear prices of multi-hundreds being tossed around for an item I KNOW barely garners high double digits....well, I just shake my head.

There has been lots of trash to cash TV shows, and I am sure there are going to be many more. Any cheap & relatively easy to make (IE: reality TV) that feature "ordinary" people making money from other people's "junk" gives "fans/viewers" some "hope", especially when they are short on money (IE: the people who are recently unemployed, downsized, etc...all those things that happen during a recession) it all equals more money in the medias' pockets.

If  "Trash to Cash" happens to sound familiar, that was also the title of a series back in 2003...and has turned into a general term used regularly by a variety of bloggers, articles, etc, as a description of the genre of reality shows I fondly refer to as "Junk TV".

I gotta be different!

Seems like many of the shows are spun off of "American Pickers"...have to wonder if Mike Wolfe is getting royalties! Kudos to him if he is! You may have noticed that the success of AP has caused spin-offs & copies, unsurprisingly. Sadly, the word "Picker" is in those titles for the sole misguided purpose of luring the AP viewership into watching. is one...Once I saw "Picker Sisters", I quickly decided that was not the name I would have choose. Some would even consider "Canadian Pickers" misnamed...the comment I hear is usually something like "Candian Antiquers" would far more accurate."    True, they do go to mainly antiques shops, antiques shows, collectors' collections, and occasionally "other" pickers' offerings. I can not see Scott nor Sheldon ever picking through the muddy basements, dust, dirt & pigeon crap filled attics, and the hay filled, mouse infested, sparrow poop spattered barn lofts that I commonly sift through.  Mis-casting is more the culprit in that case. The production company tried to replicate AP in Canada, but sadly, it is not what most Canadian "American Picker" viewers expected.

I really am not sure why the Canadian versions/spin-offs of US shows always seem to end up leaning towards "corn" factor.  Maybe the self-deprecating Canadian attitude is embedded in the producer's psyches.

The thing is, from everyone I have talked to on the subject, it is obvious that there IS a substantial audience out there that is getting quickly tired of the not-all-that-real Reality TV version of the "junk lifestyle."

When you live the lifestyle, seeing through the TV version is as easy as looking through a clean window.

Frankly, I give kudos to Mike, Frank and Danielle of AP. They are making more $ off the antiques biz than they ever would have in the traditional way.   Sure, I wish it was me making that big $ and getting recognition for the 20+ year long rocky road this business has dragged me over.

But, it is not. So, life goes on, per usual.

I was hoping the shows would garner more interest in antiques & collectibles than it has.

Wait, let me clarify that....

I was hoping the shows would garner more interest in the COLLECTING of antiques & collectibles than it has....

Every show out there right now seems go for the "look at the deal I got" and/or the "I will make lots of money on this" aspect that drive them.

People watch them as if they are "how to" videos .Oiy....they are so far from that...

I know what I am buying and I know what I am doing, so it has no real affect on me.
I might actually save some money by being outbid at auction on some piece of old junk that I really do not need.

If there were far more shows getting people interested in COLLECTING, driving people to COLLECT, and make the collecting end of things more appealing, giving the multitudes of reasons why people should collect this or that, making collecting something that you should do, highlight its importance to history conservation, etc, etc, then that may well create the upward spike in the junk MARKET.

More competition is something that I am sure most don't want. "Cost of goods" increases, which is being seen in the Storage Auction business, as Glendon Cameron of www.urbanpackrat.com has mentioned a fair bit in his video and blog entries. Same thing in the antiques biz, but we have a little different situation here.

Collecting old crap is not like needing a couch for the living room.

  Yes, competition drives up prices, which is fine, but if there is no end consumer that is willing to buy the goods the "dealers" fought over, is that item actually worth what is being paid?

Not likely.

There is a bit of a false market being created in this business by these shows, as there is starting to be a glut of "dealers" (or rather, wanna-be dealers/pickers) being created. More dealers than end buyers can hurt the market.

When you examine the way the market is at present, it starts to sounds a little like the fiasco the Banks pulled.

No worries, it will self correct itself, eventually.

The veterans of the business will be just fine. We know how to make it all work for us.
I do believe that a VERY small percentage of the "newbies" that have gotten into this business will survive, but the vast majority will end up with storage lockers full of crap...and many will end up loosing said lockers...allowing Storage Wars and Auction Hunters to go on forever!

SO, you better study up by reading and re-reading my blog, AND at Mr Cameron's site www.urbanpackrat.com in preparation to tackle the impending influx of abandoned storage lockers!

The Appraisal Game...Online Version.

Back in mid-October a helpful Facebook friend suggested a site for me to check out.

Why they suggested it, I suspect, was that they noticed that I tend to be helpful in giving advice on antiques & collectibles when people ask, and I have been...umm...griping about ways to make this online thing "pay"...and that I tend to give away my advice for free.

This particular site would allow me to be paid for my services. 

I thought that was just the kind of alternate money making opportunity I needed....!

I checked it out, and it seemed like it had some good potential.  I have over 20 years experience in this business, know my stuff, am a honest sort, have a good reputation, etc....so, what the heck, I'd go for it!

So, I tried to sign up....

However, they had requirements...which is to be expected.  However, one of the things they required was an "antique appraiser's certificate...."

Wait a minute....you mean a certificate from an "appraisal school" where you pay, they teach you how to "appraise" and turn you loose on the unsuspecting public, who are unaware you need not have any knowledge about the items you are appraising?

And you can even get these certificates via a HOME COURSE ordered online?

Don't get me wrong, some appraisers can be very, very good, and immensely qualified...

....but some can be REALLY bad.

As a dealer I have gone to view items that had been appraised by a "licensed appraiser", and could do nothing but allow my eyes to roll uncontrollably....

Sometimes you are invited to buy, or rather, make offers, on someones "antiques", and you find they have been appraised at 10 times market value by a "trained licensed appraiser."  You will look like a fool in the eyes of the owner, no matter how reasonable an offer you make....you could even offer full-bore-retail-on-an-ideal-perfect-sunny-day and still look like an idiot or rip-off artist.

Works the other way, also. If you are going to hire an appraiser to appraise your grandmother's oak dining room suite, make sure they are actually familiar with what they are appraising.

Scenario:

You tell the well dressed appraiser the suite is Stickley.

They then walk up to it, touch the table top in a soft, caressing fashion.

You think: "My, they sure do appreciate quality furniture....I made a good choice!"

But, little do you know, they are thinking:

"Hmmm, weird, doesn't seem sticky to me."

So, an appraiser is really only as good as their knowledge, or their sources of knowledge. A dealer friend and her daughter both got their appraisers certificates after attending an out of province course.  Given their excellent reputation in the business, they were asked to appraise antiques, estates, etc, a fair bit. I also happily recommended them in my list of appraisers I felt were qualified, when people asked for a recommendation of an appraiser.

But, I knew they did their research, and did not try to assess items from areas they were not familiar with. They could easily and were quite qualified to appraise china, formal antique furniture, glassware, etc...but, if they came across vintage toys, advertising items, nostalgia-type things, I'd get a call for assistance and/or advice.

Other appraisers tend to...well, "wing it."

So, when I came across the "appraiser certificate" requirement on the site, I thought, well, ok, you need to filter out people who are not all that knowledgeable...but, it is well known in this business that a "certificate" doesn't mean much in many cases.  Plus, their little requirement makes my credentials worthless....over 20 years experience means NADA in their eyes.

So, I delved deeper into the site....

And I found experts in such fields as Animal Care, Plumbing, Health, etc appraising antiques...!

So, I wrote the operators of the site a "brief" email...thus:

I am an antiques & collectibles dealer with over 20 years experience in the field. I was going to register on your site as an expert. However, I see your "qualifications" include having a "antique appraiser" certificate.


In this business, it is well known among dealers that having a certificate to appraise does not actually make you truly QUALIFIED to appraise antiques in general, especially when the objects require specialized knowledge.


ANYONE who wishes to pay a fee and attend a brief course can get an antiques appraiser certificate.


Not everyone has a lifetime of experience, vast libraries of reference books accumulated over years, which trumps any certificates. I am one of the people those same "appraisers" approach for advice. Eliminating those of us with true experience, and a wealth of knowledge is eliminating the majority of those who you should have doing assessments of items on your site. I have already seen inaccurate answers here. Also, those answering antiques questions DO NOT have antiques appraisers certificates, but are experts in some OTHER field totally unrelated to the antiques business....this is akin to having a plumber do your electrical work... But, yet you keep the real experts out of the picture....I'm confused as to the requirements of an antiques appraisers certificate, when you allow someone with certification in a totally unrelated field do assessments of items...

And their reply?

Hi,
Thanks very much for your valuable feedback. I'll be sure to pass it along to our product development team. Please be sure to check back again in the future to see if any changes are made to the credential requirements for the Antiques category.


Best wishes,

(and yes, it was unsigned....no name...just "Best wishes,")

So, that was Oct 15th....

Shall we check out the current requirements?  I do need to see if I should go get a dog groomer's certificate and do some antiques appraising and give medical advice....

So, I selected my category, "antiques"....

Filled out all my info...

Messed around a bit...AH, ok, here we go...

I am now an EXPERT at...well, before I reveal the site, let's make sure I AM registered as one of their "experts."

BUT, it does seem they changed that "appraiser certificate" requirement!  Got to give them credit for that!

I'm impressed!

Oh, wait...jumped the gun....looks like I am still waiting for my "profile" to activate...so we might still hit a snag...

*yawn*
Now am still waiting for a photo for my "avatar" to upload...

Yes, of course it is going to be my neon sign...cool, ain't it?

Still waiting...not sure if this issue is my Internet connection, computer or the site itself...

I need a thumb twiddling graphic of GIF about now....

Ok, got an "error" page...trying again....

Guess what I found....

HEY, finally!

Ok, so now I need to verify my identity....

Filled out the stuff.....submitted...

.....and now it wants some of my Passport info???

You have to be kidding...!

Here is what it asks for:

"Starts with P, is 44 characters long"


"Passport line 2: (44 characters long)"

And THIS is what it all means...

Yeah, right, I am going to go give them my passport info? Got 2 answers for this one..

(a) No, I will not.

(b) I don't have one right now ANYWAY.

Ok, so if I skip that and answer the "4 questions" they ask as "qualifiers"...

Four questions at which I roll my eyes as I read them ---ooooooohh geeze......I'm getting dizzy now......

Got to stop that eye rolling....whew...

All the answers are available to you with no effort (IE:Google), I might add, if you didn't already know them. They are also questions which I'd suggest are not exactly what I'd say are qualifiers as to being an "expert" in antiques.  All stuff you may or may not have learned over the years...depending on what areas of interest you have, items you have dealt in, etc.  It is possible that you could not know any of the answers, but have been in the business for 50 years, and more qualified than most of the dealers out there.

So, in any case, I answered the questions....I guess they still need to "check" my answers....you;d think it would be an instantaneous "pass or fail"...not hard to program that into the system. Oh well, just have to wait.

But, I think I may also be able to get by the "passport" requirement....which shows up only because I put in CA instead of leaving the default "US" for country....

Nope...got my hopes up....as it turns out I end up getting: "First Name / Last Name, Address, Date of Birth do not identify you enough to proceed"

So much for that. 

Oh, an email popped up to inquire about other ways of ID verification...ok, will inquire via that....

Will let you know what happens....So far this has been, well...

ANNOYING...

And, really, EXTRA annoying....seeing as once I had reviewed the questions (and amounts people are willing to pay for the answer)....I could have made easily $100 by now giving some of those people their answers...

But, at least I did get a blog post out of it!

That Damn Clock!

Back at it...researching that clock...

Welcome to the world of picking antiques! Not always fun and games.....lots of homework, too!

So, THE CLOCK:

Well, let's head back to this site.

And hit "Identifying the Maker".

And then: USING TRADEMARKS AND NAMES

Hmmm...well, we know we have the "Bailey" & "18 Chapel St" scratched on the back...

...and that hand written numbered label, but that is it...unless there is something on the back of the movement....which is a distinct possibility.

SO, got to take it apart & take out the movement...carefully!

Will go do that!  If you hear cursing, you'll know I broke something....back in a bit!

And, get out the ointment and bandages, just in case....

*******************************************

Well, no real news to report...not really much farther than before I took it apart...other than it is now apart. I have placed the little bits in a small zip lock bag (always advisable, seeing as parts can disappear easily, and it can he absolute hell trying to find a replacement for some things, even little screws. Save yourself the hassle, bag 'em ASAP.

Why not put it back together? Well, if I want to examine the movement for other clues, I don't want to have to risk damaging it by taking it apart yet again.

I did see more varnish, and did notice that it doesn't have wood stain on the upper sides inside, which is a good sign.

 The back board still seems to be original, but the additional splashes of varnish confirm that it has had some touch up done in the past, and possibly even fairly recent past.

I did notice a worn spot at the bottom of the case, where the bottom of the door rubs, which was stained, and shouldn't have been. (bottom left of photo) 

Sometimes this gets done in a antique shop, before an auction (etc) with scratch cover, but in a case of a piece this old, it is best to leave those true signs of age as they are. You will note the heavy wear on the door's one pillar, down through the original gold coloration, down to the gesso, where someone's fingers has touched that spot over and over, for many years, opening and closing the door, in order to wind the clock.

There is also varnish OVER the wear on that pillar....another sign someone has been "messing" with it, and an indicator to look closer.  This happens to furniture of all sorts, being varnished and re-varnished over its lifetime, but fairly fresh varnish on a very old piece should raise a red flag for you.

Now, this might be a good time to mention a repair that this clock has had done....I am well aware of it, and have been even prior to purchase. In this case, we are fortunate to have been given a "heads-up"....it was mentioned on that post-it-note that came with it! But, I have taken pics of it, as it is something that you may miss if you are not looking for it....good time to learn!

The bottom corner trim on the door was either damaged or missing, and has been replaced.

From the underside, you will notice the lightness of the wood, the lack of "air burn" on comparison to the other portion. The flash really makes this detail prominent, which actully isn't all that noticable in "real life"...not a bad job, but not done by a professional restorer...maybe a clock repair person, but not an antiques restorer.

And, the obvious sign is in the edge....

See the problem? No, no, not the fact the varnish doesn't really match...the flash actually brought that detail out....in regular light it looks darn close to a match. (NOTE: That is a veiled tip....taking a flash photo(s) of an item can bring out flaws, repairs, etc on an item...flaws and repairs you might not have noticed before...!)

So, did you see the other problem?

No?

How about if we compare it with the other side....?

Yep, whoever repaired it, didn't bother (or perhaps lacked the skill or expertise) to replicate the fine carved looping.

I know people who repair vintage items professionally, and if they don't hand carve such an important feature themselves (or have it done by someone else), they may replicated by use of a MOLD, using resin or plaster. They take a rubber copy of an adjacent piece, cast it, then painted/color it to match the other portions.

Watch for that, also!

So, we are not really that far ahead of where we started at the beginning of this post...though you may have learned a few things!

One thing I do want to do a quick Google search for the keywords: "pine case" and american mantle clock.

Yep, figure out what wood it is made of...that will help!

What did I find?

This site: http://www.peterriouxclocks.com/index.html

No, nothing pertaining to this clock...but, he had a link to this site:

http://www.timesavers.com/

Where I am going to see if they have a reproduction movement for this one...and see what it looks like...and it will quite possibly give me some information of what clocks they were used in!

Hmmm..this movement looks familiar....here is ours (back view, as well as another view):

But certainly not identical...and ours IS older, for sure....but, I still am a little suspicious of it....Maybe an old repro? 1950s - 1970s?  And, in reality, the newer one is quite different.

The more I look at ours I think it is an older repro. Guess we'll see. Hope not, but we need to be realistic. Its appearance, construction etc, just doesn't seem to jive with the age of the main parts of the case.

If you do come across old (1950s/60s/70s/80s) catalogs that show reproduction parts for antiques, as well as whole reproductions of antiques that were sold in those years, snag them for your research library! They may turn out very, very handy for identifying replaced parts, naturally aged reproductions, outright faked items, etc that you come across!  I already am seeing reproduction signs from the early 1980s popping up on the market with regularity. They appear on sites like eBay, in live antique auctions, flea markets, restaurant liquidations, even estate sales, etc, but are being represented as antiques, usually by the unaware. This occurs simply because the signs have been nailed to a fence outside in someone's yard for the last 25 years...and gotten faded and rusty. 

Rust, fading, scuffs, scratches, bird crap, paint spatters (etc) doesn't make something any less of a reproduction!

Back to our clock....

I'm wondering if there is anything to be seen on the back of the dial, the area obscured under the wood.

Looking at it, I spot another potential problem...yes, the nails are wrong, I already knew that....but the dial seems off center...

Notice the face is off center of the opening...hmmmm.

Now I REALLY need to take the face off of it... *sigh*

Junk TV....better than junk food!

First Pawn Stars....

Then American Pickers....and Canadian Pickers is on the horizon....*SIGH*....the concept I should have pursued heavier than I did several years ago...I always seem to be too far ahead of the curve. Oh well...

Then Auction Kings was a recent addition to the Discovery Channel's offerings....

And the most recent addition to hit the air was American Restoration. (PS, AP and AR are all on the History Channel, BTW.)

Wow, junk is getting popular....though that is something I have been involved with for pretty much 98% of my life..and mainly by choice! You'd think I'd have been be on TV by now, eh?

I think it is a good thing that it ("buying and selling junk") is being recognized as a legitimate business. Though my mother, despite my over 20 years of being immersed in the junk business, seems to be a still somewhat of the mind that it is not a "real job."  She cares for my well being, which is the basis of her concern. But, I'd would not be happy doing a 9 to 5 job at some government desk jockey position, holding a sign on a highway for some work crew, driving a transport truck, doing someones accounting, etc, etc.

Maybe these programs will change her mind about what I do...legitimize it in her mind.  Maybe these programs will change the minds of all our relatives and friends...all those folks who have been telling us to "get a real job."

Hey, guess what, people? It IS a real job! 

I have been involved in all sorts of "junk" and recycling efforts. I'm a recycler overall, even when it comes to non-vintage junk. Part to make cash,  partly because it assists in satisfying my creative bend, and partly because I think we waste WAY too much good "stuff".  I have (and still do) attended government surplus auctions, submitted bids for government surplus online, gone to many a bankruptcy auction, worked with/along side demolition crews doing salvage, bought salvage rights to properties, cleaned out buildings ranging from little sheds to 30,000 sqr foot warehouses,  hauled van loads of reusable packing materials from factories, and on and on and on....Yeah, I love junk, what can I say?

Well, a new show has hit the airwaves, this time via SPIKE.   And, it again is something that I've done, in a way. I'd do it the same way these guys seem to be doing it, as I have done pretty much everything else...

What do they do?

 They buy storage locker contents.

 You see, when people default on the rent of their storage lockers, the storage companies end up with the legal ownership of the contents. Seeing as the big storage companies aren't in the "junk liquidation" business, they call in an auction company to auction off the contents of those lockers.

Ok, some of you are thinking "Oh yuck, someones old moldy couch and crap."

Sure, there is some of that....but, there can be hidden treasure, just like when you are picking. You just need to know what you are doing...and have a strong back....or at least a partner with a strong back!

I've bought "blind" in a similar way...there are many auctions I attend that sold lots by the boxful, just as they were pulled out of attics, storage lockers, etc.  The auction companies in Manitoba generally now try to maximize the returns on the sales of the contents of lockers, so it all gets put out, and sold bit by bit.   These guys on Spike's  "AUCTION HUNTERS" buy the whole contents of the lockers, sort of sight unseen, though they might be able to see into the lockers, but the stuff isn't pulled out, just the door opened...a bit of a tease as to what is inside. Could be a bunch of boxes, but, what do they contain? Clothes? Coins? Gold? Last year's newspapers?

 My knowledge base and "trained eyes" help me to recognize many things that can be hidden in the midst of run-of-the-mill stuff.....seeing treasure shining amongst the trash where others see only trash. But, unfortunately, when it comes to storage lockers, things are done differently in Manitoba. Auctioneers haul it all out, and sell the stuff bit by bit. They are hoping to maximize their profits as well as helping the locker companies' recoup more of their back rent.

Still, I have bought enough "site unseen" type of lots to know exactly what it is like!
But, for those of you who have not experienced the "rush" (and the disappointment, too!) this show seems to promise a first hand view...or at least an over the shoulder view.

Will be an interesting show...'cause I know how interesting my life in the junk biz has been!  We junkers are an unconventional sort!

Here is a brief description of the show, as per Spike:

Every day in America, there are over ten thousand abandoned storage units that are put up for public auction. Each unit has the potential to be a goldmine or a bust for those who make their living hunting unclaimed property. This eight half-hour episode series follows two of the best prospectors in the business, Clinton "Ton" Jones and Allen Haff, in their quest to win auctions, acquire treasure and sell it for profit.


Here are some teaser videos to whet your junkin' appetite!

Auction Hunters Trailer | SpikeTV | SPIKE.com

Meet "Ton" and Allen | SpikeTV | SPIKE.com

Our Hunters Reveal Their Most Awesome Finds | SpikeTV | SPIKE.com

What is Auction Hunting? | SpikeTV | SPIKE.com

How to Hunt | SpikeTV | SPIKE.com

For more on Auction Hunters, hit SPIKE!