Whenever I think “Antiques Roadshow” the “Will & Grace” episode where Grace and Jack decide to go to a roadshow for reasons that don’t have to do with antiques comes to mind. They went to see something they call “The Face,” when a person awaits the value of the piece they thought would be a lot and then are ultimately let down. I must say, I didn’t see “The Face” make an appearance at any time. Almost everyone was in high spirits, having fun and were really interested in talking about their piece with me or with their line mates.

One such person was Peggy from Wauwatosa. She brought a 1920s table to get evaluated. Although her table wasn’t very valuable at $150, since it was manufactured rather than handmade, she was happy to bring it to the “Roadshow.” She noted that the crowd admired it highly.

Peggy was also sure to let me know that she got the Keno twins -- Leigh and Leslie Keno of Leigh Keno American Antiques and Sotheby’s respectively -- to appraise the table. She says it was a highlight for her.

She wasn’t the only one. I caught glimpses of the twins flitting around large pieces of furniture throughout the morning. I had my camera with me for these blogs and had been trying to snap photos of appraisers at work. A lady ran up to me and told me she wished she could have brought a camera -- no one but press was allowed -- just so she could take a photo of the twins. However, as I was reviewing my photos, the twins always seemed a bit blurry. No worries though.

Also running around the set was “Roadshow’s” new host Mark L. Walberg, known for hosting shows like “Temptation Island.” He didn’t stay in one place long enough for me to really get to see and talk to him.

The one surprise of the “Antiques Roadshow,” uttered by several people including myself, was size of the appraisal area. In no way did it take up an entire ballroom or even half the ballroom. The blue set was small to make it look crowded, although in reality it was crowded. It was hard to maneuver through the lines to the designated areas especially with the large pieces coming through. TV makes the set seem immense when it’s really not. I was told that the set actually took the entirety of Friday to put together.

The crew was extremely helpful. My press escort for the day, Theo Veresses of MPTV Channel 10, was helpful pointing items out and explaining how the process for the day was to go. The event had 150 regular cast and crew along with 100 volunteers who kept the show rolling along in an organized fashion. I also had a run in with Ron, a crew member, who decided to play a small joke on me by saying he interviews the press for his own behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes. A funny and nice guy, but he almost gave me a heart attack when he closed off his fake interview with "You're on Candid Camera." I forgive him, of course.

As for the highly coveted three tables at the center of the set, I spoke to Kris from Rio, Wis. who was one of the first antiques owners I saw getting one-on-one time. She brought in an ad for De Laval Cream Separators. It was a large piece in a gold frame. She explained that her mother-in-law had found it in a hardware store and bought it for $10. The appraiser put the value at $3,500 to $4,000 and had said he had never seen an undamaged piece like it. It was a really beautiful and interesting find.

I also got to speak to Jody Wilke of Christie’s in New York. She had just appraised an elaborate vase and said what drew her to the piece was “the styling, the direction.” She says “the shape screamed Mison, which is one of the top German manufacturers, but the styling on it was completely something done in Vienna.” Which she says isn’t something usually found on Mison blanks. She valued the piece, at auction, around $2,500 to $3,500, but if the piece had been done completely at a Mison factory, it could have been four times that price.

People came from all over to visit this “Antiques Roadshow,” I found Anastasia who was from Australia -- she's currently studying at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha campus -- and she brought a silver christening cup that dated back to 1775. Every time a girl is christened with a certain name, the cup receives an engraving and gets passed down the family line. She was at the “Roadshow” to figure out whether or not the cup was actually dated 1775. In the end, it was an original and there is still one space left on the cup for another engraving.

In the holding area, there were people already queuing for the 2 p.m. including Katharine from Mystic, Conn. and her husband -- who brought old children’s books and a book full of political memorabilia like delegate pins -- who had been there since 11:30 a.m. after driving from Chicago. Also in line, Mary and Ron from Toledo, Ohio, with a large wooden box containing a wall mirror they’ve had for three years. The two joked about selling and keeping the piece once they found out how much it was worth; Mary said she’d keep it while Ron said he was planning on selling it.

There were also people who had been to the last “Antiques Roadshow” when it was in town in 1998. The overall feeling was that this time around it was organized much better with the specific times and directions. Pamela from Aurora, Wis. was at the last show and she was happy with how well her time inside the “Roadshow” went this time around.

By far the most interesting and the highest valued piece I heard about belonged to Dave from Aurora, Wis. (pictured above) who brought in a Spanish cannon captured by American Capt. Leonard Furlong in the Jungle Wars that dated back to the 1600s. The canon’s value was estimated at $3,000 to $5,000, although he thinks more research will raise that price. Dave says that he’s had the canon for 15 years and plans to keep it for now.

“The Antiques Roadshow” turned out to be a major observation event, since I didn’t know much about what people might have in their possession that would be of value. The appraisers treated those in attendance very well, giving as much information as they could and explaining their appraisals if there were questions. The whole event was a flurry of activity and it was hard to take everything in since there was so much there. Tune into MPTV Channel 10 in January to see Milwaukee’s finest antiques.

You can check out more of my coverage of “The Antiques Roadshow” by reading “The Antiques Roadshow rolls into town.”