People are lining up at the Embassy Suites in Cary this week, hoping for a surprise windfall.

The Treasure Hunters Roadshow is a company that buys up antiques and jewelry, and they're doing brisk business, especially with the state of the economy.

Workers say they never know what's going to come in the door; whether it's a handwritten note from President Grover Cleveland's wife written on White House stationary or a pile of World War II uniform patches.

"'Anything old or anything gold' is kind of our motto," said JB Baird, an events manager for the company.

He says if workers there can't price an item, they'll call experts all over the country for help.

"They may have $5 to $10 worth of items," said Baird, holding up a handful of necklaces. "They may have, like in this case, $400 to $500 worth of items."

"I'm most interested I guess in some old coins," said Linda Krupp, who showed up with her husband to try and strike a deal. "We've got a few that are dated back to the late 1800s."

Get More: 
Tips for selling jewlery and information about pawn shops.

With the country still in a recession, the Treasure Hunters Roadshow has been packed with people trying to cash in.

"It's really accelerated the business," said Baird.

It's their success that Roadshow workers say led to they're most publicized problem.

Do a Google search, and you get hundreds of hits about it: earlier this year, dozens of checks they wrote to people all over the country ended up bouncing.

Baird says it was an isolated incident from a $500,000 deposit that was held up by the bank.

"I think we've written close to 150,000 checks this year without a problem," said Baird. "So to us that's old news."

The company, officially called Jennico, Inc., has a C- rating with the Better Business Bureau, and the BBB says they've fielded eight "serious" complaints nationwide about Treasure Hunters Roadshow in the last three years.

BBB officials say the most important thing for people to do is a little research before showing up.

"Don't go in blindly," said Beverly Baskin, president of BBB of Eastern North Carolina. "Have some idea what the items or item that you're bringing in is worth."

Baskin also pointed out that even though Treasure Hunters Roadshow sounds a little bit like PBS' Antiques Roadshow, people should not confuse the two; they're not affiliated.

If people don't like the offer they get, they're free to walk away.

The Treasure Hunters Roadshow is set up at the Embassy Suites at 201 Harrison Oaks Blvd. in Cary from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday, and then from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. 

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