Hobbies & Games

Television Shows for Collectors

By Barbara Crews, About.com Guide

Over the years there have been numerous shows geared for collectors. With the advent of even more reality programing, these shows are becoming even more prolific. What are your favorites? Feel free to tell us about your favorite show and episodes by writing a review.

Picked Off

The newest offering from the HISTORY channel is Picked Off, a combination of The Amazing Race and Antiques Roadshow, with teams of contestants vying for the best buys. Winner of each episode wins a cool $10,000.

More Info

American Pickers

©HISTORY

Winner of the Readers' Choice Awards on About.

American Pickers on the History Channel is the one of America's favorite new shows, the weekly show chronicles two antique and collectible pickers, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, on their quest to rescue the treasures lost in old barns and junkyards, as well as give a glimpse of the real American Treasures, the collectors who have this stuff.

Shown on the History Channel

Learn more:
About American Pickers

Antiques Roadshow

Barb Crews

It's the grandfather of all these shows and will celebrate 16 seasons in 2011. It's another show that had the original roots in the UK, but quickly found a home on PBS. Antiques Roadshow travels around the country, as folks vie for tickets to show their treasures and see what they might actually be worth from the dozens of folks at appraisal stations throughout the auditorium.

Shown on PBS

Auction Hunters

©Spike TV

Only a few months old, the premise of the show is similar to a treasure hunt, Allen Haff and Ton Jones go to storage unit auctions. Basically sight unseen (except for a look from the doorway), they bid on the storage unit contents not knowing what they bought until after they've paid. Just looking at all those closed boxes appeals to the treasure hunter in all of us.

Shown on Spike TV

It's Worth What?

Although this show is not marketed as for collectors -- we do have a bit of edge when guessing the right answer. I have to admit it's kind of fun to match wits with hubby on this and usually wind up right.

No I'm not always right, far from it. I had no idea what a live elephant would be valued at, but in most of the categories I felt like there was a fighting chance to guess and answer correctly.

All in all, it's fun lighthearted show to watch on network TV.

Pawn Stars

Pawn Stars, another History Channel product, is in their third season of production. The show takes viewers inside a family-run pawn shop in Las Vegas, with lots of interesting family dynamics and story line going along with the pawning of interesting treasures. I obviously live a sheltered life, as I would never even think of taking some of these things (if I owned them) to a Pawn Shop. But watching is certainly has been an education for our family.

Shown on the HISTORY Channel

Auctioneer$

©TLC

What makes this show different than other auction and antique shows is that we get the whole story.

We find out who is selling, the history of the item, why they are selling, we get to watch the actual auction and then sometimes even get to meet the buyers.

What the Sell?

It's the newest kid on the block, a series that follows a three-generation family of master appraisers. The show takes viewers into their hectic days managing their extremely large antique store just outside of Chicago, Illinois.

Shown on TLC