Antiques Roadshow Detours
GBH
Ever wondered what happens to the treasures featured on America’s beloved ANTIQUES ROADSHOW after the cameras leave town? ANTIQUES ROADSHOW DETOURS tracks down the juicy afterlives of your favorite finds from PBS’s hit series. Hosted by longtime Roadshow producer Adam Monahan, this podcast dives deep into mysteries, secrets, and surprises as each episode takes a thrilling “detour” into a single ROADSHOW object, astonishing and amusing listeners with every turn. A production of GBH and distributed by PRX.Antiques Roadshow is a trademark of the BBC and Detours is a trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 3, 2023 • 21min
Good Grief – A Charles Schulz comic strip collection (and its owner) gets a Hallmark-moment
GBH’s Antiques Roadshow is known for mind-blowing valuations, but often the owners and their stories are the true treasures–like Arnold Shapiro, the guest who was responsible for putting Peanuts cartoons on Hallmark greeting cards. Hear more about Arnold’s 12-year relationship with the iconic Charles Schulz and follow the journey of his comic strip collection from six-figure TV appraisal to a permanent home at the Charles M. Schulz Museum.
Mar 19, 2023 • 22min
Theresa's Choice – When an inherited piece of New Orleans Art Pottery is appraised for thousands, does it still pay to keep it in the family?
It is the dream scenario on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow: your object is appraised for more than you ever imagined. But when that object is a beloved family treasure, do you keep or sell? This hypothetical becomes a reality for Theresa after she learns that her inherited New Orleans Art Pottery jardinière, which she personally kept safe during Hurricane Katrina, is worth thousands. Theresa joins host Adam Monahan as she shares her post-show journey and reveals her ultimate decision.
Mar 6, 2023 • 25min
Do you Believe in Magic? - 1990's trading cards worth the price of a car
A collection of 1993 "Magic: The Gathering" Beta cards are appraised on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow for up to $100,000 leaving producers wondering when–and why–did these modern collectibles get so valuable? Host Adam Monahan heads straight to the source for answers: with a trip to a Magic tournament, and an interview with Richard Garfield, the creator of “Magic: The Gathering,” himself!
Watch the appraisal clip at https://www.wgbh.org/podcast/detours.
Feb 20, 2023 • 49min
Is This a Letdown? - How a Galileo forgery found at the University of Michigan led to a historical hunt for answers
Join historian Nick Wilding from Georgia State University, an expert in forgeries, and appraiser Francis Walgren as they delve into the revelation of a fake Galileo manuscript at the University of Michigan. They explore how such a convincing forgery can escape scrutiny, the emotional impact on collectors, and the complexities of proving authenticity. With a mixture of humor and candid storytelling, they reflect on the significant implications of forgeries, the importance of provenance, and the ongoing quest to get history right.
Feb 6, 2023 • 22min
Six Touchdowns and a Song - The epic appraisal and auction of an NFL legend's jersey
In 1965, Gale Sayers was the first-round draft pick for the Chicago Bears, kicking off a history-making NFL career. 41 years later, a bloody, torn up jersey worn by Sayers appears on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow after narrowly being saved from a fate as a cleaning rag. What follows is an epic TV appraisal that leads to a surprise at the auction block. Join host Adam Monahan as he follows the story and, with help from sports writer Fred Mitchell, dives deeper into the life of the football legend along the way.
Watch the appraisal clip at https://www.wgbh.org/podcast/detours.
Jan 23, 2023 • 23min
Cowboy Jim's Big Gamble - does a test on a red diamond ring reveal big money jewelry or big disappointment?
GBH’s Antiques Roadshow has a fair share of characters cross its set, but none like the towering, booming-voiced cowboy who attended the 2018 taping in Tulsa, OK. With a rare red diamond ring, cowboy Jim sought to learn the gem’s value. But would his $35K gamble pay off big? Join host Adam Monahan as he uncovers the mystery behind red diamonds and the improbable end to this story!
Apr 11, 2022 • 33min
Let's Get Naked
In 2014 a gorgeous painting was brought to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in Bismarck, ND. The appraisal was selected by producers but ultimately cut from the episode before it aired. What made this piece of art so controversial? The late 1800s oil featured a nude woman. Join host Adam Monahan as he uncovers the tricky question of which parts of the body can be shown on broadcast TV and how issues of culture, politics, religion, viewer complaints and FCC regulations all play a role. But does this painting get a second chance on the airwaves?
Mar 28, 2022 • 31min
The Boy in the Bottle
Longtime folk art expert for GBH’s Antiques Roadshow, Wes Cowan, has seen so many unusual items that very little surprises him. But a perplexing apothecary bottle filled with colored sand brought to the show in Hot Springs, AR in 2002 led to his discovery of a 19th century artist with an amazing story and no auction records at that time. Join host Adam Monahan as he uncovers the story of the artist who lost his hearing and speech as a result of a childhood illness and later designed remarkable sand art created grain-by-grain, and the two appraisers who would be transfixed by what happened at auction!
Mar 14, 2022 • 29min
Man vs. Rat vs. Conscience
A collection of vintage mousetraps appraised on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in 2016 became eerily relevant as DETOURS host Adam Monahan faced an ongoing war with rats in his own urban backyard. Are these disease-carrying pests or intelligent emotional beings? Join the lively journey tracing back to the earliest forms of traps and efforts to control rat populations along with expert musings from the rat’s point of view on whether there really is a better way to build a mouse trap.
Feb 28, 2022 • 30min
Very Truly Yours, Frank Sinatra
Celebrity letters provide a glimpse into what was happening in that person’s life in a particular moment in time, beyond what the newspapers were printing. When a fiery letter written by legendary star Frank Sinatra was appraised on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in Tulsa, OK in 2018 that glimpse revealed a raw response to a letter from a prison chaplain, asking forgiveness for the two men who abducted Sinatra’s son in 1963. What was the one point around the kidnapping deemed unforgivable by the entertainer? Join host Adam Monahan as he digs into the kidnapping and its tragic and lasting aftermath.
