Dickinson's Real Deal is a UK modern antiques and collectables television programme presented by David Dickinson. It is broadcast on ITV as part of the afternoon schedule, and is repeated on sister channel ITV3.

A US version of the show, produced by Zodiak USA and titled simply Real Deal, was aired for one series on the History channel. The format was the same except that the US show lacked the on-screen host for intervention on the deals.

Format

The shows are recorded at UK venues to which members of the public are invited to bring their antiques and collectables. Independent valuers estimate the value of these items.

The items are then passed to the dealers, who make their own valuation and try to purchase them by placing a cash offer on the table. David Dickinson may step in and give some advice and this valuers' estimations are revealed to the owner, the television audience and the dealer. The dealer's offer may be adjusted.

The seller then decides whether to accept or decline what the dealer has offered. If the deal is declined items go to auction.

Real Deal is an American television series aired on the History channel which premiered in December 2011. The show brings together sellers of antiques, collectables and historical artifacts with professional buyers. The show is based on the UK TV show Dickinson's Real Deal, except the US show lacks the independent sellers and an on-screen host.

Format

It follows the "sellers" who try to pitch their items to the "dealers". The dealers will offer an amount after a brief evaluation of the item, based on their professional evaluation and years of experience. After debating on the price, the seller can accept the cash offer, or choose to go to auction and potentially lose money or exceed the dealer's offer. The auction is hosted at Don Presley's auction house in Anaheim, CA.

Season 1 (2011)

The first season had a wide variety of items presented to the dealers, including a restored gas pump, Native American artifacts, a collection of autographed footballs, an electroshock therapy unit, antique bicycles, a woolly mammoth tooth, comic books, a 1960's MK II Lincoln and a brass spitoon from a Nevada mine and brothel. Some sellers took the cash offers, others opted to roll the dice and go to auction. Many of the sellers ended up with a much smaller auction price, while others sold their items for a little to a lot more than the dealers' offer.

2430 A.D. is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the October 1970 issue of Think, the IBM house magazine, and was reprinted in Asimov's 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.

Early in 1970 the author was commissioned by Think to write a story based on a quotation by writer and social commentator J. B. Priestley:

Asimov, assuming that Think wanted a story that illustrated Priestley's quotation, crafted 2430 A.D. He selected the date because he calculated that at the then-current rate of human population growth, doubling every thirty-five years, that would be the year when the world's animal biomass would consist entirely of human beings. Asimov wrote the story on April 26, 1970 but it was rejected as Think had actually wanted a story that refuted the quotation. ("Well, they never said so," Asimov remarked later.) After Asimov wrote a second story that did refute the quotation, Think took the first story after all and published it in their October 1970 issue. The second story was later published in Analog magazine as The Greatest Asset. Both stories inspired by the Priestley quote were included in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.

Year 1500 (MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

The year was seen as being especially important by many Christians in Europe, who thought it would bring the beginning of the end of the world. Their belief was based on the phrase "half-time after the time", when the apocalypse was due to occur, which appears in the Book of Revelation and was seen as referring to 1500.

Events

January–June

July–December

Year zero does not exist in the Anno Domini (or Common Era) system usually used to number years in the Gregorian calendar and in its predecessor, the Julian calendar. In this system, the year 1 BC is followed by AD 1. However, there is a year zero in astronomical year numbering (where it coincides with the Julian year 1 BC) and in ISO 8601:2004 (where it coincides with the Gregorian year 1 BC) as well as in all Buddhist and Hindu calendars.

Historical, astronomical and ISO year numbering systems

Historians

The Anno Domini era was introduced in 525 by Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus (c. 470–c. 544), who used it to identify the years on his Easter table. He introduced the new era to avoid using the Diocletian era, based on the accession of Roman Emperor Diocletian, as he did not wish to continue the memory of a persecutor of Christians. In the preface to his Easter table, Dionysius stated that the "present year" was "the consulship of Probus Junior [Flavius Anicius Probus Iunior]" which was also 525 years "since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ". How he arrived at that number is unknown.