English armor, presidential telegrams, and Tom Clancy memorabilia: MPT films Season 12 of ‘Chesapeake Collectibles’

It was all hands on deck at Maryland Public Television studios on a sunny Saturday afternoon in October, with staff and volunteers ready to handle the flow of hundreds of guests bringing their treasured artifacts for appraisal for the taping of the 12th season of MPT’s “Chesapeake Collectibles.”

After all, it’s not every day one sees armor from the 17^th century, or telegrams signed and sent by President Theodore Roosevelt.

“Chesapeake Collectibles” is an MPT program similar to “Antiques Roadshow” but for Marylanders. The guests and appraisers are Maryland-based, and many of the items are either Maryland-themed or of Maryland origin. The tapings take place over a two-day period, so over the course of the weekend the “Chesapeake Collectibles” team expected to see around 450 guests come through with around 1,500 items for appraisal. Each ticket holder was permitted to bring one guest, and each person could bring three items for appraisal.

While each item likely holds incalculable sentimental value for its owner, very few people learn their possessions hold life-changing monetary value. Patrick Keegan, executive producer for MPT and “Chesapeake Collectibles,” determines which people and pieces get filmed and ultimately which make it into an episode of the show. Keegan told Baltimore Fishbowl that over the course of the weekend, appraisers saw two items that were each worth in the vicinity of $250,000.

“They are both remarkable items of historical interest,” wrote Tom Williams, MPT’s senior managing director of communications. Naturally, they would not reveal what the items were — we will have to watch the series to find out.

When a guest arrives, they check in with an appraiser who takes a quick look at their item to determine into which category their items fall, like jewelry; pottery, porcelain, and glass; toys and amusements; generalist; drawings and paintings; furniture and decorative arts; rugs; books and manuscripts; memorabilia and ephemera; and more. The guest receives a ticket for that category, then sits in a waiting area until it’s time for the next group to enter the appraisal area.

The appraisal area is where the magic happens. Tables line the perimeter of the room with appraisers sitting in front of large banners announcing their categories of expertise. Guests find their tables, and (usually) must wait in line to learn about the item(s) they’ve brought in.

Marilyn brought her grandmother’s engagement ring to get assessed, but this was not her first time attending a “Chesapeake Collectibles” event. She’d come at least once before pre-COVID, before MPT had renovated their Owings Mills studios to be large enough to accommodate the show’s tapings. They’d held the tapings at Turf Valley before renovations.

John brought the aforementioned telegrams from President Theodore Roosevelt. His great-grandfather was head of the telegram office in St. Thomas, and Roosevelt sent the telegrams in 1906. There were some of personal nature and others that were on matters of official government business.

Other items of note included the upper portion of a suit of armor Keegan surmised was from the 17^th century, likely from the English Civil Wars. The Royalists loyal to King Charles I were known as the Cavaliers, and the Parliamentarians loyal to the Westminster Parliament were known as the Roundheads. They fought in the first major battle on English soil in October 1642. This piece of armor appears to have belonged to a member of the Roundheads.

Another gentleman brought in Tom Clancy memorabilia, but the items were not the only things of interest to Keegan.

“The people who own the items we see are often just as interesting as the items themselves,” Keegan wrote in an email to Fishbowl. “One such example was a collection of correspondence, first editions, and movie memorabilia related to Baltimore native, Tom Clancy.”

Keegan continued, “Clancy’s novels are acclaimed for their technical accuracy, and among Clancy’s technical advisors was Craig, a physician from Calvert County in southern Maryland. Craig discussed his collection of Clancy memorabilia with Chesapeake Collectibles’ books and manuscripts appraiser, Allan Stypeck, who coincidentally handled Tom Clancy’s estate following his death in 2013.”

Around 5% of the items get filmed for segments, though not all segments filmed make the final cut of episodes for the season. And as on “Antiques Roadshow,” when a person and their item is chosen for filming, they aren’t told what the value of their possession is until the filming itself. Their reactions that television audiences see in the episodes are completely real and genuine. They are watching the people on the show truly learn about the value for the first time.

After a guest has received their appraisal, whether they were filmed or not, they are invited to answer questions on camera about their experience. This takes place in the Testimonial Studio in Studio B, which is in the original part of MPT studios. Guests are asked about their experience from start to finish about the show, and they have the chance to talk about what they enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about the process.

“Studio B mostly is used as our on-air fundraising or pledge set,” said Ethan Staple, assistant producer at MPT. “So, four times a year, we have our on-air fundraising drives, where we raise money for the station. On the right is our phones and our computers, where our volunteers sit, and then we have the actual pledge set, where our talent stands.”

Studio B is also where they film “MPT and Your Community” and “MPT Arts Minute.” They also bring in people for interviews. They had a project called “The Maryland Oral History Project” where famous Marylanders were interviewed, sometimes by other famous Marylanders. Staple is especially proud of getting former Senator Barbara Mikulski to be interviewed for the project in 2023.

Incidentally, these are all areas visitors can see on tours offered by MPT for individuals and groups. Studio B, the sets, control rooms, and more are available free of charge with proper advanced notice and arrangement, though donations are appreciated. On MPT’s website, click on “Community” and find the “Station Tours” section for more information.

As for Chesapeake Collectibles, Patrick Keegan and his team have their work cut out for them. They must now cull approximately 80 segments they filmed down to around 40, and from that, piece the remaining together into 13 fluid episodes that make it onto our TVs and streaming devices for audiences to enjoy.

While taping for Season 12 of Chesapeake Collectibles is over, there is always next year! Keep current on news of when Season 12 will premiere, and when taping will take place for Season 13 on MPT’s Chesapeake Collectibles page by clicking this link.