Dude knows his stuff. Near a front corner of the teeming ballroom, Beatles fans crowd around his black-draped table, watching his eyes and hands move along whatever object they’ve presented. A confirmation means they’ve got something of value, something authentic. Them and The Beatles, they’re linked.
Antiques Roadshow's Gary Sohmers with John Lennon's collarless jacket from 1963 (estimated to sell for $30,000-$45,000), Lennon's jacket from the Life magazine cover ($300,000-$500,000), Beatles lunchbox ($300), and John Lennon Remco doll ($500 for a complete set of four).
It’s Day 1 of the first-ever Vegas incarnation of The Fest for Beatles Fans, a New York-based gathering currently spilling out of the Mirage’s Convention Center. Side rooms house art, videos and a trivia contest; one main ballroom features a sprawling setup for speakers and musical performers; the other a bazaar of Mop Top merchandise. It’s in this second expanse that Antiques Roadshow’s white-ponytailed Gary Sohmers holds court in a fiery Hawaiian shirt and orange All Stars. “Aloha! How you doing?” he greets strangers and familiar faces from the collectibles circuit alike.
A woman approaches with a holiday card bearing an Apple logo and a dozen signatures. “Were you standing right there when each of the Beatles signed it?” he queries. “Well ... no,” she admits. “Ah, well now we’ve introduced reasonable doubt. It’s worth a million dollars ... in emotional value.” Turns out her husband worked as a sound technician in London, and Sohmers eventually advises she insure it for $1500 to $2000. And transfer it to an acid-free binder immediately.
“Ninety percent of all Beatles autographs are fake,” Sohmers cautions. “And [so are] 99 percent of the ones you’ll see on eBay.” Seems everyone could approach The Beatles in their early days, but as their popularity grew, their roadies became extremely good at signing their names. Then the fan club presidents and the secretaries and so on, right down to Internet scammers looking to make a quick buck.
“You’re the guy from the Antiques Roadshow!” the next guy notices, even though Sohmers’ identifying banners and typical setup were lost in the mail three days ago. “I watch you all the time!” The two discuss Pete Best and the items up for the ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com auction Sohmers hosts on-site Tuesday. Among the top items: a signed “Penny Lane” prop champagne bottle, John Lennon’s iconic round glasses and the military jacket Lennon wore hailing the Sgt. Pepper’s era in Life magazine.
“Aloha! How you doing?” he asks a man bearing a Hard Day’s Night lobby card. “This means this was the 261st film made in 1964,” he notes of the lower right-hand’s numeration. “These have been reproduced to where the small print gets blurry.” He tilts the surface against the light. “Sometimes the inks almost have a sheen, when the newer paper didn’t suck up the ink the same. How much did you pay for this?” “A buck and a quarter.” “It’s authentic. Worth a hundred.”
“Everybody comes for different reasons,” he muses. “It’s not always about price. ‘What is this thing? Where did it come from? Why do I have this?’ The psychology is a big part of it ...
“Hey Tom! Hey Skip! Aloha!”