HOST: The Miami area is a great place to hunt for 20th-century treasures. Miami Beach is an Art Deco Mecca and the national trend toward midcentury modern design has made a big comeback here... if it ever really left. We asked ROADSHOW expert Karen Keane to be our guide as we explored a variety of shops for great vintage finds.
HOST: Karen, there is so much to see here, and, boy, you really need a trained eye because everything looks fabulous to me. I wouldn't know what to pick.
APPRAISER: I found some good things. Should we check it out?
HOST: You bet.
APPRAISER: Check this chair out.
GUEST: Yeah, I noticed that when we first walked in. And, I'm like, that can't really be cardboard, can it? And it is. Corrugated cardboard.
APPRAISER: I know. This is awesome. And it is absolutely authentic. It's a vintage Frank Gehry chair. And you know what I love is the shape of it. This sort of undulating form. It's so classy. I just... it's wonderful.
HOST: And what are they asking for it?
APPRAISER: Well, $350 is what they were asking, but I'd pay twice that. I mean, it's just terrific.
HOST: I wouldn't tell them that.
APPRAISER: Okay, you're right, you're right.
HOST: That's between you and I.
APPRAISER: Check this out. How cute is it?
HOST: A welcome pelican.
APPRAISER: I know, he's great.
HOST: He's great.
APPRAISER: Thank you. Mark, I have to show you my favorites. Okay, they're a little tacky, but they are so stylish.
HOST: You've got to really look to find the good stuff back here.
APPRAISER: I know. (laughs)
HOST: Wow, look at these.
APPRAISER: Remember, when you're in one of these shops, leave no stone unturned.
HOST: What do you think this is?
APPRAISER: Well, Sabina, the owner of the store, thinks that they're from a yacht, perhaps.
HOST: Makes sense.
APPRAISER: It does. Actually, this has this porthole light look to it. But I think that, you know, either Sammy Davis Jr. or Dean Martin is going to step out of the state-room any minute with these things. It has such a Rat Pack quality to it. I mean, they are covered with plush. And it's in... for my taste, in okay condition. I wouldn't change this plush for the world.
HOST: I think this is what you buy it for, is the plush.
APPRAISER: Exactly. And, you know, she had it priced at $850. I think these are a bargain.
HOST: For the pair, $850?
APPRAISER: Yes, yes, yeah. You're good. So, we found it, Mark. I mean, look at this. It is a Lucite, I don't know, wastebasket or magazine holder. Feel how heavy it is.
HOST: Wow. Really heavy, but Karen, I've got to tell you, I would've never looked at this and said, "That's the item." What's special about this?
APPRAISER: It's Lucite, it's from probably the 1940s, '50s, just given the findings on this thing. But it's priced at $15. I mean, this would have been in another shop, just... I don't know, $250, $350.
HOST: Really?
APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER: It's great. It's wonderful. What I like about a thrift shop is that you see things out of context. When you go to a fancy antique shop, you're expecting to see wonderful things, and there's a lot of wonderful things around, and the price point is usually at a higher level. But in a place like this, it really is... you can find things that might have been overlooked by someone.
HOST: Sort of like raw materials.
APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah. It's like a treasure hunt.
HOST: Right, it's kind of fun. It's fun with you because you know what you're doing.
