Smithsonian Guns For Series ‘Treasures’
New Shows Examines Worlds Of Antique Arms, Militaria
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 12/14/2007 7:43:00 AM
Smithsonian Channel has added Hidden Armour, Found Treasures to its series lineup.
Examining the worlds of antique arms, armor and other militaria, the series will run throughout December and January, according to officials at the network, which has carriage on DirecTV and select Charter systems.
The three, half-hour shows feature Greg Martin, a nationally-known antique weapons specialist and collector, TV personality and author who heads the San Francisco antique arms and armor auction house that bears his name, as the main host. He is joined by two-time Emmy Award winner Malou Nubla.
Produced by Michael Hoff Productions, the show features four key elements: appraisals, where guests bring their potential treasures to be valued by the experts; home visits, so viewers can see the items in context of a person’s home; demonstrations that delve into the mechanics of weapons and show how they work; and the actual sales of some items at auction, so viewers can follow the process and see what happens when these items actually come to market.
The program not only focuses on such weaponry as guns, swords and knives, but military characters and history and treasure hunting and money.
“Like searching for Easter eggs, this show captures the thrill of the hunt,” Martin said in a statement. “We think a program that combines human interest, history, discovery and profit is an authentic reality show that will intrigue many people – and given the subject matter, men in particular.”
