Like Antiques and Collectibles?

By Janet Dodrill

Coca-Cola crate and Coke glasses.

Have the antiques and collectibles bug? You are not alone. With the downturn of the economy and people looking for extra income, it has become more common for people to try to sell their possessions on Craigslist, eBay, and by auction house. I have been brought up with an appreciation for antiques since many items have been passed down generations in our family, and I have collections going back to my childhood, being told that one day they might be valuable. The average person is becoming more educated on the subject, and many have become amateur ‘pickers’, going to garage sales, flea markets, and antique stores and finding items to add value to their collections or to resell for a profit. With a computer and time on your hands, it is not difficult to perform basic research on an item and discover its current worth.

According to Kovels’ Antiques Inc., information publishing firm and local authority on antiques and collectibles, there are currently more than 20 antiques-related realty TV shows (that can be watched on network TV, cable, and some online at their web sites and on Netflix streaming). They’ve listed them in their free weekly Ezine, Kovels Komments, September 28, 2011 issue, and they are:

American Pickers, Mondays 9 p.m., History
American Restoration, Fridays 10 p.m., History
American Treasures, Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Discovery
Antiques Roadshow, Mondays 8 p.m. (check local listings), PBS
Antiques Roadshow UK, day varies, 11 p.m. (reruns), BBC
Antique Warriors, in production, Network TBD
Auctioneer$, Saturdays 10 p.m., TLC
Auction Hunters, Tuesdays 10 p.m., Spike
Auction Kings, Tuesdays 10 p.m., Discovery

Auction Packed, Tuesdays 8 p.m., National Geographic
Buried Treasure, Wednesdays 8 p.m., Fox
Cash & Cari, Sundays 7:30 p.m., HGTV

Cash in the Attic, Wednesdays 8 p.m., HGTV
Hardcore Pawn, Tuesdays 9 p.m., Tru TV
History Detectives, Tuesdays 8 p.m. (check local listings), PBS
Hollywood Treasure, Wednesdays 10 p.m., Syfy
It’s Worth What?! Tuesdays 8 p.m., NBC
My Collection Obsession, in production, TLC
Oddities, Thursdays 10:30 p.m., Discovery

Pawn Stars, Mondays 10 p.m., History
Picker Sisters, Tuesdays 10 p.m., Lifetime
Storage Wars, Wednesdays 10 p.m., A & E
The Great Big American Auction, in production, ABC

I personally, have enjoyed watching Antiques Roadshow on network TV and online, American Pickers via Netflix streaming, Pawn Stars online, Auction Hunters online, and Buried Treasure on network TV and online. Additionally, I learn things on the subject by subscribing to Kovels’ enewsletter, which anyone can sign-up for at Kovels.com.

Kovels has also just begun informal YouTube segments on collecting advice and tips, with Terry Kovel at Youtube.com/KovelsAntiques. You can subscribe, and be informed of new videos published to this online channel. Keep collecting!