Antiques roadshow

Antiques expert: Now Jen Zed of Sydney has brought along a very interesting piece for us today. Tell us a bit about how you found it, Jen?

Jen: Well I put a job post up on Faffers about a month ago and got a massive number of responses. And this one was hidden away in amongst them.

Antiques expert: So, do you happen to know what it is?

Jen: Well I think it’s some sort of writing tool, isn’t it?

Antiques expert: Well, yes, you’re quite close, actually. This old fella is in fact a copywriter.

Jen: What does it do?

Antiques expert: Well not much anymore, sadly. But in its heyday, it used to write t.v ads, radio scripts, witty print ads and beautiful longform copy.

Jen: Wow. Is it very old?

Antiques expert: If we just turn it upside down for a moment we should see a maker’s stamp somewhere. Yes, look there it is, on the bottom. Jeremy Southern 1995.

Jen: I’ve never heard of him. Is that a well-known name?

Antiques expert: Well, no, not really. It was mildly popular for a brief period at the turn of the century but was then rendered obsolete by social media and the digital revolution.

Jen: (disappointed) Oh, I thought it looked like it was much older than that.

Antiques expert: Ah ha, yes. A common misconception I’m afraid. A lot of these copywriters lived somewhat dissolute lives, working late, partying hard and drinking heavily. That’s why many of them look so old.

Jen: Ah, I see.

Antiques expert: But still, it’s a very fine piece. Note the fine craftsmanship and painstaking attention to detail.

Jen: (Disinterested) Uh-huh.

Antiques expert: Now I expect you’d like to know what this piece is worth?

Jen: (Hopefully) Yes please.

Antiques expert: Well I’m afraid the news isn’t good. Even though you don’t see many of them anymore, there are, surprisingly, still quite a lot of these copywriters out there. Some of them still in very good condition.

Jen: (Struggling to hide her disappointment) So it’s not very valuable?

Antiques expert: Well, I reckon you could pick up a really good one of these for as little as $500.

Jen: (Crestfallen.) So it’s not really worth me selling it then.

Antiques expert: Well no, not really. But it’s still quite a nice piece to have around the house, isn’t it? Even though it’s not that useful. You can still use it to write nice emails and funny stories for the kids.

Jen: (gloomily) I guess so.

Antiques expert: Anyway, Jen thanks for bringing it in. A lovely little piece of nostalgia from advertising’s heyday. Next up, Robert from Melbourne has brought in a Sony U-Matic circa 1990. We’ll be back after the break.