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Joyce Kosofsky

Details

Brattle Book Shop
Boston, MA
Toured In
10, 11, 12, 13
Phone
800-447-9595

As Queen of All Things at the Brattle Book Shop, Joyce Kosofsky oversees the daily operations of one of America's oldest and largest antiquarian bookshops.

Joyce Kosofsky began her career as an antiquarian bookseller when she accepted a job offer from Ken Gloss at the Brattle in 1978 because "it seemed like a good idea at the time." George Gloss, the proprietor of the Brattle, noticed that she had a good eye for rare and unusual items when she found a stash of autographs under a pile of old newspapers in his briefcase and suggested that they'd be better off offered for sale. Since then, she has seen, bought, and sold all types of books, from secondhand best-seller novels, to a full set of Edward Curtis' photographic folio series The North American Indian.

Joyce is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a degree in journalism. She has written many articles on the subject of books and the book-collecting market for the Boston Globe, Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Insider. Joyce has also been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and Yankee Magazine, to name-drop a few.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is an antiques appraisal event and television production; we do not buy or sell objects, and conducting any business with an appraiser at the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW event is strictly forbidden.

If you decide to do business with an appraiser who has appeared on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, please keep in mind these tips before consigning or selling an item:

  • Get more than one referral and check references
  • Get valuations of your item from more than once source
  • Compare options between different types of sellers, i.e., a dealer versus an auction house
  • If you are considering consigning an object for auction, be sure to inquire how the item will be priced, the size of the fee, and the expected amount of time the process may take. Find out what will happen if it doesn't sell.
  • Check the appraiser's professional associations (such as International Society of Appraisers, American Appraisers Association, National Auctioneers Association)
  • Consult an attorney before signing a contract
  • Whatever kind of transaction you decide to enter into, always get a detailed written receipt for your records

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s pool of experts are professionals with a wide range of experience in the antiques, fine art and collectibles community, and they are from a diverse background of auctioneers, dealers and appraisers.

All ROADSHOW appraisers are independent volunteers who donate their time and expertise to PBS and who pay their own expenses to be on the show. All business transactions are independent from ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.