With its road trips and huge public events sidelined, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW has reinvented itself by launching new episodes that feature up-close visits with celebrities, who share their beloved items and possessions. In four episodes starting on May 3, the program’s appraisers will explore the personal stories and intriguing collections of well-known figures from the worlds of film, television, music, comedy, journalism, literature and sports.
The episodes air on GBH 2 at 8pm on May 3, 10, 17 and 24.
“They may be celebrities, but they are people just like you and me,” said Marsha Bemko, the series’ longtime executive producer. “They own everyday things that are meaningful to them.”
With that — and the premiere of ANTIQUE ROADSHOW Celebrity Edition in mind — GBH staff shared some of the treasures they have tucked away in their homes.
From sneakers to postcards to handmade stuffed animals, their prized possessions are impressive:
GBH 89.7 Host Henry Santoro’s rare Andy Warhol collection includes the only two Campbell Soup box drawings that the artist ever signed (see photo above).
In accumulating his ever-changing array of sneakers, Technology Specialist Tim McLellan has made friends around the world.
GBH 89.7 Acting Executive Editor Paul Singer has an impressive collections of classic old typewriters.
Basic Black host Callie Crossley shares her collection of Black Santas — some of them handcrafted by GBH fans — which now number more than 200.
Check out these GBH staff collections and learn about our people and their fascinating items.
GBH Staff Share Their Own Priceless Collections
Director of Editorial Resources Barbara Ayotte’s beloved 200-volume collection of documentary photography books come from all over the world. “I can hold them in my hands, savor the details and take in the smell of the ink and texture of the paper, the binding. Each book is a work of art.”
Barbara Ayotte
John Campopiano, who works with both FRONTLINE and GBH Archives, has always loved horror films and is the lucky owner of two screen-worn costumes worn by British actor Tim Curry in Stephen King’s It miniseries. He admits that his wife thinks they’re creepy!
John Campopiano
Fiona Clancy’s collection of tickets from classical music performances she has attended around the world evokes memories of her grandfather, who used to take her to BSO rehearsals at Tanglewood. Clancy, who has sat in concert halls from Boston to Moscow to Dublin, reflects: “As Oscar Wilde once said, ‘music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory,’ and this collection reminds me to always listen.”
Fiona Clancy
The newsroom’s Sean Corcoran has a small collection of books, photos, letters and newspaper articles related to the “somewhat obscure author/editor from the 1920s, Stanley Walker.” Walker was an editor at the New York Herald-Tribune and the New York Daily Mirror and wrote numerous books including The Night Club Era, Texas and Dewey: An American of this Century.
Sean Corcoran
Especially in this age of movie streaming, Eric Green from the Media Access Group is a pushover for the real deal — blu-rays, DVDs and VHS. “I like owning physical media of the movies I love, especially with so many movies that go in and out of print over time.”
Eric Green
Casey Davis Kaufman of GBH Archives has been collecting embroidered patches since she was about five. She has more than 600, from parks, historic sites, museums and even breweries. “Each one has a story that helps me stay connected with my past and with the history of the place it represents.”
Casey Davis Kaufman
Executive Director of Strategy Evie Kintzer has many collections, including these colorful Herend porcelain pieces made in Hungary. “I love how they’re hand-painted, and they remind me of my childhood.” She also has a set of dreidels, the spinning tops played at Chanukah, that come from around the world.
Evie Kintzer
Jessica Lin’s hobby of collecting screen-printed movie posters is “a perfect marriage of my appreciation for art and film. It’s so interesting to see all the different takes on classic properties by multiple artists.” Left to right, top, is Jaws and Rear Window; bottom row, Casablanca and The Graduate.
Jessica Lin
Gail Martin, from Financial Planning and Business Services, has an incomparable collection of hand-crafted animals from Steiff, the company that invented the Teddy bear in 1902. Some were gifts from her grandmother when she was a child. “Then other family members started to give them to me as well because I was so taken with them.”
Gail Martin
Director of Strategic Marketing Eileen Newman takes special care of her father’s collection of Kellogg Pep Cereal pins, from as far back as 1945. They depict characters from newspaper comics as well as U.S. Army squadrons. “I keep them in shadow box in my kitchen—near the cereal! I love seeing them every morning and knowing how special they were to him.”
Eileen Newman
FRONTLINE’s business manager Sue Tufts inherited a collection of about 100 postcards from the early 1900s. “Reading the messages is a reminder of how much communication has changed. People would leave on a train and arrive at their destination, then send a postcard or letter home to let their family know they arrived safely — so different from our instant and constant communication today.”
Sue Tufts
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