The twelfth season for taping Antiques Roadshow (see the story in "Texas Living" in the January issue of Southern Living) comes to Texas this summer, when it turns its cameras on San Antonio in July. If you plan on attending this or other events, there are some things you should know.

You will need a ticket to attend. They are free, but the show randomly selects only 3,400 ticket requests for each city event. There are two ways to apply: online at www.pbs.org
/antiques or by postcard. (Call 1-888-762-3749 for additional details.)

Get to the site early, especially if you're lugging a large item or two. Remember you have to hold what you bring throughout the day. If you intend to bring a very large piece of furniture you can't carry, submit a photograph of it to Antiques Roadshow. A panel of furniture appraisers will select several of such large items for evaluation. A bonded carrier will transport them to and from the site.

First Comes Triage
On the date itself, you may stand in line two or more hours before reaching an appraiser's table. But they're not taking their own sweet time while you cool your heels. As many as 80 appraisers meet with some 700 persons and evaluate about 1,400 objects per hour.

To see an appraiser, you'll first be ushered to a "triage" area. There someone will inspect your item, then give you a ticket with the name of the item's appropriate category, such as furniture or photography. Then you'll proceed to the appropriate table of experts who will give you a free, verbal estimate of your item's worth.

In the middle of this circle of experts you'll recognize small television "sets," areas where cameras tape segments for the show. Appraisers, who think the stories of owners and their artifacts might play well on television, will pitch the idea to a producer. Be forewarned: Chances are you won't get on television. Only about 55 objects appear on three episodes taped in each city.

Meet the Texas Appraisers
Whether you go to the show in San Antonio or the other cities, you may meet some of the veteran Texas appraisers, who are busy at other times of the year in their own work with antiques.

John A. Buxton works in Dallas, where he founded Art Trak, Inc., an art services computer network. He also founded Buxton Appraisal, Authentication & Consulting Services. He is a Certified Appraiser of Personal Property with the International Society of Appraisers. For more information see www.arttrak.com.

David Lackey owns David Lackey Antiques & Art in Houston, specializing in 18th- and 19th-century antiques. He also founded a china- and crystal-matching service, which later merged with partners to form eDish, which is quartered in showrooms in Houston and Salt Lake City, Utah. It's an excellent service that matches pre-owned and discontinued fine china, pottery, and crystal. Visit www.edish.com.

Bruce Shackelford works in several fields, including curating, consulting, and writing, mostly on the American West and North American Indian culture and art. Recently he curated "A Wild and Vivid Land: Stories of South Texas," at the Witte Museum through March 29, 2007. He is a contributing editor to the recently published Texas Women on the Cattle Trails (Texas A&M University Press, $29.95; see Southern Living Texas Book Club.) For more information see www.bshack.com.

Beth Szescila appraises fine art and antiques as owner of Szescila Appraisal Service in Houston. She also teaches "Appraisal Tips for the Savvy Collector" at Rice University and is a frequent speaker around the country. She is a double Certified Appraiser of Personal Property with the International Society of Appraisers, being certified in Fine Arts as well as in Antiques and Residential Contents. For more information, see www.houstonappraiser.net.

"Attend an Antiques Roadshow" is a web-exclusive feature from the January 2007 issue of Texas Living: People & Places, a special section for our Texas readers.