The lure of a treasure hunt comes in many manifestations.
The luck of finding a long lost treasure or forgotten gem in the attic or basement is a real and wonderful thing for many families. Shows like "Antiques Roadshow," "Hollywood Treasure" and even "Storage Wars," where average Joes bid on abandoned storage units, is big TV ratings business.
Enter the handsome twins Keno brothers, two well-schooled experts at the helm of their own reality series "Buried Treasure" (FOX).
Leigh and Leslie Keno ("Antiques Roadshow") travel across the country to help ordinary people discover the unknown treasures in their homes. The Keno brothers are world-renowned antique experts and appraisers who have helped people all over the world sell more than $1 billion worth of collectibles.
From one-of-a-kind comics to a 300-year-old violin, these brothers travel the country to uncover age-old mysteries and change people's lives forever.
In each episode, the Kenos will arrive at participants' houses and immediately begin their hunt for hidden gems. Leigh and Leslie have their eyes set on a new type of prize—long-lost treasures literally buried inside people's homes.
Not every hunt yields a pot of gold. Some people will have treasures, while others will have trash.
The brothers will investigate items of interest using cutting-edge technology to determine authenticity, condition and—ultimately—worth. The expert duo will reveal the estimated auction values and ask whether the family feels the price is right and if they're ready to sell. In some instances, the Keno brothers will bring the treasures to the world's top buyers in an attempt to get them top dollar.
The series premiere of "Buried Treasure" airs Wednesday, August 24 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Leigh Keno owns and operates Keno Auctions in New York City which had its premiere auction in May 2010. Prior to launching Keno Auctions, Leigh owned and operated Leigh Keno American Antiques where he sold an astounding variety of American furniture, folk art and paintings including several masterpieces, often setting world record prices.
He has written articles for “Art and Antiques,” “Antiques Magazine,” and has co-authored two groundbreaking articles on Boston seating furniture for the “Journal of American Furniture.”
Leslie Keno is Senior Vice President and Director of American Furniture and Decorative Arts at Sotheby's in New York.
During his 33 years at Sotheby's, Leslie has been directly responsible for numerous record-breaking sales of Americana. He has been published in the “American Ceramic Circle” and has contributed to the “Sotheby's Guide to American Furniture and Sotheby's Encyclopedia of Furniture.”
The Keno brothers also authored “Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture.” Since 2001, they have written monthly furniture and design columns for “House Beautiful” and “This Old House” magazines and are often featured in “Traditional Home.”
In 2005, President George W. Bush awarded both Leigh and Leslie with the National Humanities Medal. The brothers recently filmed a video at Mount Vernon for the current exhibition “Bringing Them Home: 150 Years of Restoring the Washington Collection.”
