Burfordville man shares militaria expertise on PBS's 'Antiques Roadshow'

Jeff Shrader owns Advance Guard Militaria in Burfordville, and appears on "Antiques Roadshow," a PBS television show produced by WGBH in Boston that's filmed all over the United States. He appeared on an episode last week, and has shared his expertise with people hopeful to learn more about their treasures for 11 seasons.

Shrader didn't set out to work for "Antiques Roadshow," but it's a path he's glad he's taken.

Shrader, who studied at Southeast Missouri State University, worked for several years at an open-air agricultural museum in Tennessee, but after a downturn in funding, was out of a job.

"Getting fired is a scary thing no one wants to do, but it can also be a really good thing -- it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me," Shrader said.

Shrader was already a collector of military artifacts, he said, but selling was a bit traumatic.

"I enjoy hunting the pieces," Shrader said. "To put it on your own shelf is one thing, but put it on somebody else's shelf, it's a self-sustaining deal."

Shrader said one of the defining characteristics of "Roadshow" is relentless adherence to a set of ethics. The experts are called appraisers, he said, but that's a bit dangerous.

"I am not allowed to tell the guests, 'I want to buy this piece,'" Shrader said.

Experts are allowed to leave business cards on the table as the guests exit, Shrader said, "but we are not allowed to do deals there at the show. What we're there to do is to give them historical context if we can, and a verbal approximation of value."

The show's producers select who appears on the show, Shrader said, but the experts first hear the guest's story about the item.

"If it becomes apparent that this will be good for television, I will stop them ... and put their name on a list for the producer," Shrader said. If the item and its story fits the show's objectives, Shrader said, the producer might say "yes."

The show's methods create a sense of authenticity, Shrader said, and he appreciates it.

Another element of the show he enjoys is the relationship with people who watch the show.

"It is absolutely like a big family reunion," Shrader said. "Folks stand in line all day. It's hot. But when they come up to your table, they have the biggest smile and are so happy to be there -- and we're grateful to have them."

Some people travel halfway across the country to appear on the show, Shrader said, and that's incredible to watch.

Beyond the guests and appraisers, there's a crackerjack crew, and wonderful volunteers who work long days to keep the action running smoothly, Shrader said.

"It works," he said, simply.

Shrader said he's not guaranteed an item to review.

"I deal exclusively in military pieces, mostly 20th century," he said. Other experts deal in Revolutionary War or Civil War items, he said, and the appraisers try to work together so the one whose expertise aligns most closely is the expert reviewing the item.

"We don't know who's coming in," Shrader said. "Generally three or four people are there with a military item. The vast majority won't make it on air, but I'm still happy to see it."

The most recent episode saw Shrader discussing some World War II-era pieces from the WASPs, or Women Airforce Service Pilots. The guest's mother had been secretary to the WASP founder, Jacqueline Cochran, and the pieces were two signed photographs of Cochran and a pair of the group's "wings" -- a small decorative medal -- engraved to the guest's mother.

"You have a very good item, and the story, I think, is a wonderful one to tell," Shrader said.

By and large, when someone comes in with an item they've thoroughly researched, that doesn't make for great television, Shrader said, but this guest knew she had something interesting and wanted to learn more.

Since Shrader deals in 20th century militaria, sometimes the driving factor isn't monetary, but uncovering more family history.

"Typically, historical context is more important than value," Shrader said. "The item is often not something they're contemplating selling."

Shrader said some items, such as World War II-era ration books, have next to no monetary value for collectors, but are a big part of people's ancestors' lived experience.

"As the appraiser, it's on us to find something to latch onto for a good 'Roadshow' experience," Shrader said. "For us, it's easy, because if an item is related to a historical event, it has value to you because it represents what your parents or grandparents went through in the war."

He added, "People come for validation as much as anything else. Artifacts have a lot of power beyond just monetary value."

Shrader said it's important to remember some people believe it's disrespectful to put a monetary value on certain items, such as military medals.

But, even if a museum has infinite resources and storage -- which is not the case -- they'd be hard pressed to curate and properly maintain a collection including even, say, all of the Purple Hearts awarded since 1932. That's more than 2 million pieces, Shrader said.

"If not for people collecting artifacts, spending money to pay for the privilege of being the temporary curator of these items, they would be gone," Shrader said.

There's quite a bit of education that goes into what he does, Shrader said.

"People tend to keep items they recognize," he said. "They perceive typically that some association with a famous person is what makes something valuable."

That's not always the case, though, he said.

"If you don't know what an item is, investigate before you throw it away," Shrader said.

You can watch last week's episode online at pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/watch/episode/2410-phoenix-hour-1. Shrader appears at about the 32-minute mark.

More of Shrader's appraisals are at pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/appraisers/jeff-shrader.