A Sydney TV production company is casting its net out to the Blue Mountains as they search for hidden vintage treasures in attics and spare rooms.
A new Australian program called Road to Riches is hoping to start filming from this month in the region. It will give vintage lovers a chance to flip their treasures for cash. It will be broadcast on Australian and British TV.
TV host from Aussie Pickers (an Australian knock-off of American Pickers) Lucas Callaghan, 49, said after years of picking items for himself, he now wants to help every day Australians gain the best price for an overlooked item.
“My uncle was an antiques dealer, he used to use me as a roadie at 15. I remember watching this guy pay $5000 for a chair and thinking where can I find another one like that,” he told the Gazette laughing.
So began a four decade love affair with collecting and selling antiques, which led to him being chosen for the Aussie Pickers show.
Callaghan will “have a poke around homes”, find a few overlooked items – then bring them back to life and off to the auction house.
“It’s hard to say what we’re looking for, but we’ve got things like all sorts of wonderful treasure troves with the Victory Theatre, antique stores in Katoomba … a good Norman Lindsay would be good. There’s also a lot of ceramicists that lived in the area, some of the early Keith Rowe would be worth a bit of money. My parents’ generation that moved up to the Mountains to retire they took a lot of their early 70s pottery...
Callaghan said some high-end, family heirlooms that have passed down don’t have sentimental significance now but are worth plenty. He said auction houses often exploited those passing on their items after a death or divorce.
Callaghan said he sometimes “visits Vinnies and picks up 19,000 worth of pottery” or discovers rare ‘50s ceramic works that normally live in museums “that the kids have chucked it out”.
“It’s helping people out who might not have a good idea of what its worth … I’ll find out what the last one sold for, do the research for them.”
Callaghan has been a regular to the Mountains for many years. His 96-year-old grandmother still lives in Blackheath.
Another spokeswoman for the production company, Essential Media and Entertainment , Matilda Teenstra, said they were “searching for great items and even greater stories … from the smallest knick-knacks to the rarest collections, we want to hear the stories behind the stuff”.
Ms Teenstra has her own interest in filming in the Mountains. She grew up in Wentworth Falls with a mum with a keen eye for all things vintage. Her mother still has a stall –Feather your Zest – at Victory Theatre Antiques in Blackheath.
“I've really personally championed the show to consider filming in the Blue Mountains, as such, I truly hope we can find some vintage gems so the series can highlight the area.”
Get in contact at riches@essential.media with your name, location and a description and/or photos of your items.
This show is not about us making a profit, I’d rather help people out.
