Celebrate Kovels with a New Online Archive!

Happy Birthday to Terry Kovel! Celebrate by watching the Kovels’ educational series, now available online.

Elizabeth Heineman

Updated Oct 29, 2026 6:59 AM PDT

Terry Kovel, who founded Kovels with her husband, Ralph, turned 98 on October 27th!

According to her son, Lee (if you remember the Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles newsletter, you know his name from the Letter to Lee feature), she is enjoying her retirement and stays “surrounded by antiques.” And this year, there’s a gift for all of us: Ralph and Terry’s television series Know Your Antiques and Kovels on Collecting are now available to watch online on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, a collaboration between GBH in Boston and the Library of Congress.

Welcome to the Archive, Know Your Antiques!

Calling all lovers of thrifting and estate sales! We’re excited to announce that more than 250 episodes of Ralph and Terry Kovel’s Know Your Antiques and Kovels on Collecting are now in the archive and available to stream thanks to their children, Kim and Lee Kovel.

In a statement from Terry’s daughter, Kim:

“Seeing our parents’ public television shows digitized and available again is deeply meaningful to our family. Ralph and Terry Kovel spent decades teaching people how to look at the objects in their homes, and those programs carried that same curiosity and generosity. Having the collection preserved and open to the public means their work can keep teaching long after the original broadcasts, and that matters more to us than we can say.”

With episodes ranging from 1969 to 1989, explore beautiful collectibles and learn tips like how to refinish a chair, safely pack items for travel, or identify real silver spoons. Enjoy! Find the episodes here.

American Archive of Public Broadcastingantique collectingKnow Your AntiquesKovelsKovels on CollectingRalph KovelTerry Kovelvintage television
Elizabeth HeinemanCopy Editor
Elizabeth Heineman is a contributing editor for Kovels Antique Trader. She previously wrote and edited for Kovels, which may have been the best education she could have had in antiques. Her favorite thing about antiques and collectibles is the sheer variety of topics they cover. 
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