Best TV Show of the Week
Buried Treasure
on Fox
By catherine Nailog
For those in search of a heartwarming television show ideal for the whole
family, the September 14th episode of Fox’s
Buried Treasure
(8:00 p.m. ET) certainly fit the bill, earning the title of
Best TV Show of the Week.
Twin brothers Leigh and Leslie Keno are experts on antique
collectibles (famous from their appearances on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow),
who journey throughout the nation hoping to find treasures in American homes.
In this episode, the Kenos traveled to Andes, New York to view Bill Tosi’s
Native American collection. Bill Tosi started collecting Native American
articles at the age of thirteen. Sadly, he was diagnosed with cancer of the
colon, lungs and liver, and wanted to provide some security for his kids. Leigh
and Leslie took some of his items to a Native American expert in New York to
find out their true value.
Leigh and Leslie also traveled to Trenton, New Jersey to visit Joe Vannozzi and
his family. Joe was interested in selling his antique car, a Mercer Raceabout.
The Mercer was America’s first sports car, and fewer than 130 still exist. To
Joe, the Mercer has sentimental value because it had been in the family since
1932, and he and his father restored it together. Joe had been unemployed for
two years and had recently undergone heart surgery while his daughter, Michelle,
had brain surgery, and selling the Mercer would help the Vannozzis financially.
The Kenos brought in two bidders for the Mercer. One bidder was Mark Hyman, a
popular antique car collector. The other was a phone-in bidder. Mark won
against the phone-in bidder at $220,000, but Joe expected more. Mark offered
$250,000, but Joe rejected the offer. Mark respected Joe for liking the car
more than the money.
Leigh and Leslie then traveled to Blairsville, Georgia to see Hunter Von Hof, an
unemployed construction worker and his family. Hunter’s mother died this year,
and she had owned an antique store in Franklin, Tennessee. Hunter found it
difficult to part with his mother’s collection because it reminded him of her.
Leigh and Leslie were interested in a rare glass bank, a flask, and a sugar
chest all valued at $30,000. Knowing that the money would help his family,
Hunter agreed to sell his mother’s items.
Finally, the Kenos met with Don Ellis, a Native American expert, to assess Bill
Tosi’s collection of a Native American raven rattle, a shaman bag, a drawing of
a courting scene, a pair of moccasins, a tobacco bag, and a totem. Don
appraised the items at $65,000. Bill was surprised at the value of his
investments. Furthermore, he was happy that he could give the money to his son,
Jesse, so that he could provide a better future for his family.
What made this show special was the happiness and sentimental value that people
have placed on items collected throughout their lives. The Mercer Raceabout
meant more to Joe than the money that was offered to him. Hunter loved his
mother dearly, but he knew he had to overcome his grief and loss by parting with
some of her things so that his family could survive during tough economic
times. For Bill, it pleased him that his passion for Native American items
resulted into financially providing a better future for his son. This show
conveyed that material items could easily come and go, but the memories placed
on such items could never be taken away.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
