~photo courtesy of www.pbs.org

I love Antiques Roadshow!  The American version of a similar show in Britian, Antiques Roadshow is based on a simple premise.  People are invited to bring whatever antiques they might own to then be appraised.   The more unique and costly antiques are then featured in an hour long broadcast, which lends itself to a hour filled with surprises, education and amazement.  

The American version of Roadshow originates  from various cities throughout the country.  Judging by the thousands of people who bring their antiques to be appraised and Antiques Roadshow's longevity, I share my enthusiasm for the Public Broadcasting System's hit with a large audience.

However, I have one bone to pick with both Antiques Roadshow and with the world of Antiques collecting in general.  The subject of my irritation involves flaws.  Flaws are not allowed.

Here is how it works.  The more pristine the antique the higher the value.  For instance, I collect Arts and Crafts Pottery.  Find a piece with a crack, chip or blemish and the value goes down.  Never mind that I might love the particular piece I want to purchase, if that piece is flawed in any way, I am not going to get nearly as much for it.  Pristine pottery equals highest price.

Let's take another example - furniture.  If that wonderfully crafted piece of Chippendale furniture, circa 1700's, has been refinished, then, the value drops dramatically.  Only pieces with their original petina hold the highest regard by collectors.  If the orginal hardware has been replaced, then the price goes down.  Find a crack or a chip and that, too, weakens the resell value.

In antiques, it seems, perfect sells.  Big.  Flaws don't.

True, no one wants a really busted up piece of early New England furniture.  But, if it is one thing I have learned from Antiques Roadshow it is that the more pristine or perfect the antique is, the more value in the marketplace the piece commands.

When I first began to collect Arts and Crafts pottery, I followed this "no-flaw" rule.  I would only purchase blemish free pots.  However, this became problematic.  I would also find pots which captured my interest, yet, were cracked, chipped or less than perfect.  I loved them.  Yet, I kept hearing those antiques experts whisper in my ear, "Don't buy it!  It is flawed!"

Then, I started to question the rule.  First, where in the world is anything perfect?  And who said perfect is worth aspiring to?  Perfection was highly overrated.

Secondly, I thought about all the wonderful characters I have encountered in movies, books and life.  The more fascinating ones are flawed.  In fact, it is their flaws that draws me.  The drama occurs as they wrestle with their own imperfections.  In addition, how they triumph over those imperfections - over their own demons - is what makes their stories so damned interesting.

There are so many examples of this.  For instance, in my odds-on favorite sports movies of all time, Hoosiers, people overcome thier own fears, mistakes and limitations as a small Indiana high school basketball team accomplishes the seemingly impossible - winning the Indiana State Basketball championship.

There is the coach, Norman Dale, who triumphs over a terrible incident in which he struck one of his college players.  There is "Shooter" whose alcoholism is an embarrasment to his son, his community and to himself.  Barbara Hershey plays Myra, a teacher at the high school who has come back to the small town of Hickory to be with her widowed mother not only to be with her, but to also get away from her own heartbreak.  Then, there are the high school players themselves, wrestling with their own fears and their disbelief.  

What makes all these characters so damned fascinating is precisely their cracks, chips and brokenness.

Lastly, I realized we are all broken vessels.  Further, none of us lives long enough to resolve all our issues, fix all our mistakes, overcome all our limitations, or achieve some illusion of perfection.

If anything, the best we can achieve, I suppose, is coming to some kind of peace about it all.  Because really, it is all that imperfection that makes our stories so fascinating, colorful and real.

So, while having pristine, perfect antiques may be good for their value, it is their stories that really matter to me.  A cracked, chipped or flawed pot tells a story.  We may never know precisely what that story is, but, the fun is in imagining the road any antique has traveled.

So, now, if I see a piece of pottery I like, no matter its condition, I  seriously considering buying it.  To my delight, several less-than-perfect pots now grace my apartment shelves.

I couldn't be happier.

If I were to bring one of these beautiful pieces to the Antiques Roadshow, I would not be invited to sit with an expert on camera. I don't care.  If you were to come visit me, I would be still proud to tell you how I got them.

Then, we could speculate as to where each piece may have been.  And this is a value worth far more than money.