News & Notes
President ’ s Message
By Pamela Baird MVHA President
On a hot day this past June my husband and I did something we ’ ve never done before — we attended the appraisal and taping event of PBS ’ s popular Antiques Roadshow at Filoli in Woodside .
This newsletter is published four times a year by the MOUNTAIN VIEW HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION P . O . Box 252 , Mountain View , CA 94042 www . mountainviewhistorical . org
MVHA Board of Directors
President : Pamela Baird Vice-President : Robert Cox Secretary : Jamil Shaikh Treasurer : Emily Ramos Past President : Nicholas Perry Historical Data : Candace Bowers Publicity : Marina Marinovich Membership : IdaRose Sylvester Newsletter : John Cortez Ways & Means : Mark Perry Director-at-Large : Lisa Garcia Director-at-Large : Gil Lane
Email : info @ mountainviewhistorical . org
Over the summer the Antiques Roadshow held five events across the country . A friend gave us the tickets — her email was a welcome surprise . I was unaware that Filoli had been selected as a location , so the email was a double surprise . My husband and I discussed what we should bring . He decided on a beautiful gold watch and chain that belonged to his paternal grandmother .
Pamela Baird I selected a signed Loetz glass vase that my paternal grandparents received as a gift in the 1930s .
We were instructed to arrive 30 minutes prior to the allotted entrance time ( which were scheduled from 7:30 a . m . – 4:30 p . m .). Our entrance time was 12:30 p . m . To our amazement , as we approached Filoli on Canada Road we saw a huge back up of cars trying to get into the property . We worried that we wouldn ’ t make the allotted time , but quickly realized that everyone in front of us , and probably many behind , us were also trying to make the 12:30 entrance time . The long line ( it took us almost an hour waiting in the car ) is an indicator of the popularity of the program .
Once we got in and parked the registration was easy . A proof of COVID vaccination and ID was need for entering the grounds . A wrist band validated our qualifications . We were given a brochure with a map of Filoli and the 23 appraisal locations . We waited only about five minutes ( in 90 degree heat !) to begin the process . With the wave of a volunteer ’ s hand off we went on our adventure .
The first stop was the “ Triage ” tent . In there , volunteers viewed people ’ s treasures to determine the proper category . Once determined , we walked to the appraisal tents , which were scattered over the property behind the house . We walked by a filming tent and watched as an owner and appraiser discussed three baseball bats mounted to a framed panel .
The area swarmed with visitors , volunteers , film crews and appraisers , some of which I recognized from watching the PBS program . We stopped first at the watch tent . My husband showed the appraiser a photograph of his grandmother from about 1910 wearing the watch . He wasn ’ t impressed and told us that the real value was in the gold chain . It was a disappointing evaluation .
We next went to the glass tent . There we received a more careful assessment from the appraiser . She valued the Loetz vase at about 40 % higher than I anticipated .
Afterwards we walked around , looking at the various tents and the treasures people brought with them . We watched several more filming sessions , only one of which could we get close enough to hear what was discussed . We wondered if any of the items people were holding would be considered a “ hidden treasure ”.
Newsletter Design & Layout by Nicholas Perry
Even though we didn ’ t get selected for a taping session , we had a great afternoon of people watching and being behind the scenes of a very popular program . I can ’ t wait to watch the upcoming season starting in January 2023 . Will anything that we saw be included in the Filoli episode ? What item would you have brought ?
— Pamela
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