A former volunteer has lifted the lid on one of the show’s biggest secrets which they broke on set.
The programme launched in 1979, fronted by Bruce Parker, and quickly became a huge hit with fans up and down the country.
It didn’t take long before the series spawned many international versions throughout Europe and North America, with thousands of fans travelling from all over to have their prized possessions appraised on the show.
Like the UK, the US version tours the country looking for the most interesting artifacts hidden in attics and basements, lost to time.
Now, a former volunteer from the show across the pond has opened up about what it was like to work on the show when it paid a visit to the small city of Boise in Idaho.
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Antiques Roadshow asks participants to follow one “golden rule” on the show (Image: PBS )
During an appearance on the Spill the Secret Sauce podcast with host Adam Monahan, executive producer Marsha Bemko revealed one of the main rules on the long-running programme.
She told listeners: “Don’t ask anybody about their items, it’s like the golden rule, don’t take away from the magic of the show. As Marsha says, it’s the secret sauce.
“What we know as producers is that footage is precious because part of the ethics on [Antiques] Roadshow is that when you’re watching the show, it’s not uncommon that the guests are learning what they’re hearing for the first time while you watch.
“So what they can’t do as a volunteer is say, ‘Wow! What an amazing lithograph you have’ because then all of a sudden, they’re telling the owners something they never knew – which is what we do.
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One guest Hendrikia brought in her father’s old war memorabilia (Image: PBS)
“Talk about what a great local sports team you have here, talk about anything else, but do not talk to the guests about their item. Every piece of footage matters so if a volunteer wrecks it for us, we’re perturbed.”
However, one volunteer named Jim Shapell accidentally broke the all-important rule and uncovered an incredible discovery following one brief interaction with a guest named Hendrikia.
Hendrika told the host: “On the day of the Roadshow at around noon, I got a phone call from the television station saying that they had tickets for me if I still wanted to come.
“So, I said yes and I bundled the stuff up which was war memorabilia that came from my dad and went down to the Roadshow.”
She had a surprising link to one of the volunteers at the show (Image: PBS)
It was at this point that she met the volunteer as she queued up with her two framed collages of memorabilia from her father’s service in his youth.
As she waited in line, Jim couldn’t help but ask her about her item after she spotted the All-American Airborne logo from the 82nd airborne division.
When he asked her about it, she revealed: “Yeah, my dad jumped with the 82nd airborne. He wasn’t with an infantry regiment, he was Dutch. He saved General Gavin’s life.”
It was at this point that Jim started to push her for more information after hearing a similar story from his family in the military. He went on: “I’m very suspicious because there’s a very well-known story about a Dutch army officer who jumped with them who saved his life.”
After learning his name, Jim confessed: “I know all about your father because I’m Jim Gavin’s grandson. It was like all the gears of chance in the universe clicked in together at that moment.
“And we could not believe it. It took a minute for us to work out the connection that we both had. To meet his daughter in Biose, Idaho, was just amazing.”
It was at this point that Marsha rushed over with the cameras and instructed Jim to stop talking so that they could capture as much of the genuine reaction on camera.
After listening to the heart-warming story between the pair, the military expert valued her collages at a staggering $10,000 (£7,999).