A frosty view of Boothbay under the Jan. 13 full moon. Courtesy of Balmy Day Cruises

As PBS’s most-watched series, “Antiques Roadshow,” embarks on its 30th-anniversary tour, it hopes to draw out flea market finds and heirloom items Mainers have stowed away for generations. 

The show’s premise is simple: People bring antiques to the show, where volunteer appraisers dig into each object’s story and family lineage. 

On June 18, the production will stop in Boothbay, one of the five sites slated to host three episodes each. 

“I own a lot of items from Maine,” said Marsha Bemko, the show’s executive producer. “I’m excited to see what we find.” 

Maine and Wyoming are the only states that have never hosted the program. 

“Being a town of many generations, we know it’s full of antiques,” said Jim Peavey, president of the Friends of Reid State Park. “And I don’t just mean the residents.” 

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Just in time, a new Boothbay antiques shop is set to open

Finest Kind, Enchantments and Iron Horse Antiques are the most popular among the many antique shops in Boothbay. However, East Boothbay Trading Company will soon emerge.

Over the years, Tony and Laura de Haas have accumulated a collection of rare goods, which they have offered at their Wiscasset and Fairfield Antiques Mall rental spaces. This spring, they are opening a coastal shop of their own. 

In the parlor of his Damariscotta home, antiquarian Ed Oestreich beholds a collection of rare English “Salopian ware.” Laura Sitterly / The Times Record file photo

Dan Miller, the owner of Ocean Point Marina, sought to change the use of the former East Boothbay post office. The de Haas, who had been eying the property from their waterfront home, quickly swooped in.

The soon-to-be gallery will focus on marine-themed art and antiques. 

“My wife and daughter have already applied for tickets to the roadshow,” Tony said. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the timing of the visit, especially since the shop will be open by then.” 

Having managed the late Linda Bean’s heirlooms showcase in Freeport, the couple has a hand on the pulse of the New England antiques scene. They predict the “Antiques Roadshow” will attract 18th- to 19th-century marine artwork, whale scrimshaw and grandfather clocks made by Augusta, Brunswick and Kennebunk craftsmen. 

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Tony noted that three of the nation’s most prominent shipbuilders once lived in Thomaston, implying that an abundance of high-end North Shore furniture and nautical-related instruments — ship wheels and navigation tools — will likely appear from that region. 

Enthusiastically, he drew attention to the Thomaston auction house, which last fall sold a 17th-century “Portrait of Girl,” believed to be the work of Rembrandt, for $1.4 million. 

“The number of known paintings by Rembrandt is so small,” Tony said. “That’s what makes his work so rare. The painting was not signed, which isn’t entirely unusual, but still, pretty cool.” 

An illustration Isabel Bishop gifted to Peggy Bacon in the late 1930s was found in antiquarian Ed Oestreich’s home library in Damariscotta. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record file photo

Embracing Maine as a roadshow stop

As Bemko explained, GBH, a Boston-based station, has always had a “special affection” for Maine but could not take productions there in the past because they were traditionally held in convention centers. 

Moving the venue outdoors has opened the door to new possibilities. 

“We’re still finishing the contract with the Boothbay location,” Bemko said. “But people have been guessing correctly … ” 

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Reflecting on her first experience attending the show in person, Bemko described the joy of asking experts questions, deepening one’s understanding of material culture and connecting with the participants to hear stories that don’t get streamed. 

“An appraiser once taught me that ‘good stuff has feet,'” Bemko said. “Valuable items tend to shuffle around. Whereas emotionally valuable ones stay put, passed down through generations.” 

While Bemko hopes another Rembrandt crawls out of the woodworks, she’s assured what will be featured will be interesting, regardless. 

“Antiques Roadshow” anticipates attracting 2,500–5,000 individuals with two items each. 

Tickets are available through a sweepstakes that runs through March 24 and a separate social media sweepstakes that ends Feb. 13.

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