Longtime Naperville resident and Bob Dylan fan, Mark Rice, appeared on the Antiques Roadshow on Monday. The item he had appraised…a 1967 Bob Dylan poster signed by the artist Milton Glaser.
“Milton Glaser is an iconic, probably the preeminent graphic artist of the 20th century. Most people would be familiar with Glaser’s work. He designed the “I Love New York” logo,” said Rice.
Milton Glaser signs Mark Rice’s poster
Though Glaser’s poster was found in millions of Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits albums, Rice had his copy signed by the artist.
A few years ago, he contacted Glaser’s studio in New York and asked if he would sign three posters. Glaser agreed under one condition.
“A reply came back from his assistant, who said, ‘Sure, he would. Make a $50 donation per item to one of three nonprofits that Glaser supports, mail in the posters with a stamped self-addressed envelope, and he’ll be happy to sign them’,” said Rice.
A dedicated fan of the Antiques Roadshow
Rice and his wife are longtime fans of the Antiques Roadshow. They first won tickets to have items appraised in 2016 but were not selected for the show.
They tried for a second time in 2023 and again won tickets, this time for the Akron, Ohio show. Rice was confident his signed poster was the key to getting him featured.
“I knew what we were going to bring, and I knew that I was going to be on the show,” said Rice.
Rice get’s his Bob Dylan poster appraised
The first appraiser he met that day was in the collectibles category. Unfortunately for Rice, he only valued the poster at $500, which left him disappointed.
“That was supposed to be the end of my experience on Antiques Roadshow. My wife and I walked out to the car and I started the car, and I just sat there and she said, ‘What’s the matter?’ I said ‘This is not how the story ends. I’m going back in’,” said Rice.
Luckily for Rice, the times, they were a-changin’.
The second time around he went to the poster category. There he was appraised by Nicholas Lowry, who was fond of his story.
“He said, ‘Milton Glazer was a very, very good friend of mine’. That really was my story and then it dovetailed with Nicho’s story and that’s kind of what Antiques Roadshow is all about,” said Rice.
Mark Rice gets on the Antiques Roadshow
The connection earned Rice a spot on the show where Lowry valued the signed Bob Dylan poster between $1,500 and $2,000.
“To which I smiled and then Nicho said, ‘But I don’t think you’re going to be selling it anytime soon’. I said, ‘No, Bob Dylan’s going to stay with me for a while’,” said Rice.
The Bob Dylan fan of over 60 years best describes the moment…
“It was meant to be. You know, it was destiny,” said Rice.
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