Detours

Adam Monahan

What happens to all that stuff on America’s favorite antiques show once the cameras leave town? DETOURS reveals the stories, secrets, and surprises of TV treasures which go beyond WGBH's Antiques Roadshow.

  • 29 minutes 56 seconds
    Encore: If it’s Brown it’s Down

    An early-American desk and bookcase set was appraised in 2006 at GBH’s Antiques Roadshow for a whopping $250,000. But was this coveted circa 1775 two-piece secretary a match made in heaven? Join host Adam Monahan as he discovers how a shocking secret revealed after the show making the piece even more rare, along with a powerful new market trend combine to dramatically change the value.

    22 April 2024, 12:01 am
  • 26 minutes 16 seconds
    Take Me Out to the Ballgame - How the Boston Red Sox, Babe Ruth and the long-forgotten Bunker Hill Brewery combined to make one homerun of a calendar!

    Boston Red Sox fans are a committed bunch – to the game, the team, the players, and the belief that a curse from 1918 kept the team away from a World Series win until broken in 2004. So, when a guest brought a Red Sox calendar, discovered behind a barn door after almost 100 years, to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in 2021, that fan commitment clearly shone through in the $20K-$30K appraisal value. Join host (and Red Sox fanatic) Adam Monahan as he takes a swing at tracing the events leading to the curse, how this particular long-ago brewery-sponsored calendar stopped time at the moment it began, and how fans rallied when the calendar went to the auction block!

    7 April 2024, 11:01 pm
  • 25 minutes 2 seconds
    The Poster Boy Takes a Dive – How an 1890s waterpark, the power of Victorian-era advertising and one man’s unlimited dreams culminated in drama at the auction block in 2023

    Ask fans of GBH’s Antiques Roadshow if they have a favorite appraiser and you’ll hear many names, including one known for his big character, creative mustache styles and bold plaid suits. Nicholas Lowry is a poster expert and master auctioneer – two qualities that were integral to the story of a larger-than-life aquatic poster bathed in muted watery green depicting splashing swimmers and onlookers lining the balcony above, that made its way to the show during a 2004 stop in Portland. Join host Adam Monahan as he dives into the incredible story of Sutro Baths, San Francisco’s 1890 engineering marvel, playground, and entertainment spot, and the poster that more than a century after its printing was offered at auction and saw a dramatic result!

    24 March 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 21 minutes 12 seconds
    Skippy the Hero Dog – How the story of a kidnapped baby, a spunky hero dog and today’s TikTok fans came together to determine the true value of a tattered Dog of the Year award.

    Calling all dog lovers and true-crime aficionados! In 2022 Linda brought a chipped, cracked, and stained ceramic plate featuring the portrait of a long-ago dog to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in Santa Fe, NM. But why would the story around this unassuming item soon ignite controversy among appraisers as to the plate’s true worth? Join host Adam Monahan as he chases the fantastic story of Skippy, a Belgian Shepherd who in 1952 saved Linda from the arms of a kidnapper and was subsequently honored as Dog of the Year.

    11 March 2024, 12:01 am
  • 24 minutes 32 seconds
    The First Japanese American -- How a story involving sailors lost at sea, 1850s San Francisco, and a Japanese teenager’s quest to build a new life connected two strangers more than a century later.

    When GBH’s Antiques Roadshow visited Sacramento, CA in 2019 a red-covered two-volume book set was brought to the show by a guest eager to learn about a selection from her grandfather’s book collection. “The Narrative of a Japanese” by Joseph Heco was recognized immediately by appraiser Martin Gammon for its historical importance, but how would this 1895 publication make a modern-day connection 150 years later? Join host Adam Monahan as he examines how an email received by the series after the episode aired led to an incredible connection between the book’s owner and a TV viewer who recognized something in the appraisal missed by both the guest and the expert!

    26 February 2024, 1:01 am
  • 31 minutes 49 seconds
    The Unsinkable Titanic Biscuit – An epic shipwreck continues to fascinate a century later creating a collector’s market for Titanic memorabilia that thrives today.

    In 1999 a box of artifacts from the sinking of the Titanic made its way to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow, including blurry photos of the eerie ice-filled wreck site, a handwritten diary, and -- a biscuit. But how could something so simple and fragile have survived the ship’s sinking? And could the biscuit and other items from the famed shipwreck find a place in today’s collector’s market? Join host Adam Monahan as he dives deep into the story of one tragic night, a honeymooning couple’s tale of survival, and the ship that continues to capture the attention of people more than a century later.

    12 February 2024, 1:01 am
  • 22 minutes 58 seconds
    The Bob Ross Appreciation Society – How the US Air Force, fluffy clouds and the power of PBS combined to create a pop culture icon and paintings worth mountains of money.

    Until 2023, zero paintings created by the beloved PBS artist Bob Ross had ever been brought to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow. That all changed at the show’s recent stop in Anchorage, Alaska when a whopping six made their way in front of the lights and cameras. Paintings by Ross almost never show up in the open market – so how did so many appear that day and why? Join host Adam Monahan as he learns the colorful backstory of how Ross’ happy little trees and puffy clouds became art therapy for many, the artist’s surprising tie to Alaska, and if the market for his work is the stuff dreams are made of.

    29 January 2024, 1:01 am
  • 32 minutes 37 seconds
    Encore: 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?

    15 January 2024, 1:01 am
  • 23 minutes 29 seconds
    Encore: A Bronze in the Haystack

    It’s a little-known fact that appraisers on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow are not paid to appear on the show. What keeps them on-set for 10+ hour days season after season? The special excitement from coming face-to-face with a once-in-a-lifetime object. So when a guest brought what they thought to be Rodin’s sculpture “Eternal Spring” to the show in Fort Worth, TX, would the piece of art turn out to be an extraordinary find or a fake? Join host Adam Monahan as he uncovers the surprising story of the sculpture and the lasting mark left on two appraisers.

    2 January 2024, 8:30 pm
  • 38 minutes 50 seconds
    Encore: The Most Valuable Reindeer of All

    Can you put a price on Christmas? Years after a visit to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow, Santa and Rudolph original puppets from the beloved 1964 stop-motion-animation holiday special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer made their way to the auction block. Join host Adam Monahan as he uncovers the story of the puppet’s discovery and restoration, the bidding surprise at auction no one expected, and whether efforts to keep these cultural touchstones on public display succeeded!

    18 December 2023, 1:01 am
  • 31 minutes 54 seconds
    Encore: A Soldier for Sale

    The legendary comedic duo Laurel & Hardy have a very dedicated fanbase. But will a relic toy soldier from their 1934 film, Babes in Toyland, have the owner laughing all the way to the bank? We follow one soldier’s march from appraisal to the auction block, to find out what it’s really worth. Along the way Adam crashes a meeting of the international Laurel and Hardy fan club - yes you read that correctly -- and tracks down the one other soldier known to survive from the film.

    4 December 2023, 9:11 pm
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