by Anastasia Andrzejewski
Who says TV can’t be educational? There are a plethora of television shows out there that sometimes provide useful food for thought for when you go out antiquing, picking, thrifting, garage saling or whatever you want to call it.
Yes, sometimes the shows are staged. And, yes, sometimes the people on the shows provide incorrect information. And, yes, the hyped up drama can sometimes be too much. But, for me, that’s not the point. What I enjoy about these programs is that they are talking about a passion of mine–treasure hunting–and often help open my eyes to new treasures to be on the lookout for.
So, here is a rundown of some shows I’ve been known to watch:
- Thrift Hunters on Spike (incidentally, I met these two guys at the ebay Radio Party & Conference in 2013 and they are great, as is the party & conference!)
- Antiques Roadshow on PBS (this is the mothership)
- Storage Wars on A&E (I’m a Barry Weiss fan)
- Pawn Stars on History (You’ve gotta love Chumlee)
- Auction Kings on Discovery (I wish I went to an auction there when I was down in Atlanta…next time)
- American Pickers on History
- Auction Hunters on Spike
- Flea Market Flip on HGTV (yours truly saw some of the episode at the Stormville Flea Market being taped–at the time, I was more interested in finding treasures though than watching a television show be filmed)
- Hardcore Pawn (I’m a little hesitant to put this one of the list because I don’t like how they treat their customers and portray the people of Detroit, however I do still occasionally watch it)
And, there are a bunch of other shows out there, although I don’t really tune into those, so I won’t give them a direct mention here.
And, TV is not the only medium for getting some great info and ideas for when you are out thrifting. Good ole radio, has something for us treasure hunters, too. Check out ebay Radio!