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Detours

Arts & Culture Podcasts

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 the screen. Join host Adam Monahan, a longtime producer with GBH’s Antiques Roadshow on a journey of discovery from behind the scenes of the hit PBS series. Each episode tells the deeper story of one object, amazing and amusing listeners along the way. From GBH and PRX.

Location:

United States

Description:

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 the screen. Join host Adam Monahan, a longtime producer with GBH’s Antiques Roadshow on a journey of discovery from behind the scenes of the hit PBS series. Each episode tells the deeper story of one object, amazing and amusing listeners along the way. From GBH and PRX.

Language:

English

Contact:

7187296677


Episodes
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Encore: To Bean or Not to Bean

2/9/2025
In 1977, while preparing a move to New York to make it big as an artist, a young Keith Haring gifted a lithograph titled “Bean Salad” as a goodbye present to his friend Mike. Mike couldn’t bear to display the gift, but also couldn’t part with it, and after 45 years he took the lithograph to the Santa Fe recording of GBH’s Antiques Roadshow where it was appraised for $100,000-$200,000. But what was the unspoken history between the former friends? Join host Adam Monahan as he checks in with the guest to fill in the missing pieces and speaks with Haring’s sister to learn more about the life and work of the famous pop artist’s impactful and tragically short life.

Duration:00:32:17

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Encore: Yacht What It Looks Like

1/26/2025
An astonishing maritime painting depicting a 19th century yacht race was brought to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in Tampa, FL in 2005. Although unsigned, the extraordinary depiction of billowing sails and light-reflected sea spray clearly pointed to the work of artist James Buttersworth and was valued at $250,000 to $500,000 – the caveat being that more research would be needed to definitively prove the artist’s identity. Join host Adam Monahan as he speaks with art experts, museum curators and learns what public opinion revealed about the artist’s true identity and whether the mystery has finally been resolved.

Duration:00:23:48

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Encore: The Bob Ross Appreciation Society

1/12/2025
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.

Duration:00:22:58

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Encore: The Poster Boy Takes a Dive

12/29/2024
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!

Duration:00:25:02

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Encore: The Barbie Boost?

12/15/2024
A coveted 1959 No. 1 Barbie was appraised for GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in 2016 with a value of $3,500-$4,500. But with today’s Barbie mania following the release of the mega-hit movie, has a nice pink glow washed over the market for the stylishly superstar doll? Join host Adam Monahan as he toys with the question, speaking with Barbie historians, market experts and analyzes recent auction activity to reveal whether Barbie collectors will see a boost or a bust!

Duration:00:28:50

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Encore: A Soldier for Sale

12/1/2024
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.

Duration:00:31:54

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Encore: Billy the Kid?

11/17/2024
A family photograph, long rumored to feature the wild western outlaw, Billy the Kid, is brought to the set of GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in 2017 where it is quickly and roundly declared as inauthentic. In fact, there is still only one truly authenticated image of “the Kid” known, although countless more have made the claim—some with more plausibility than others. But why does Billy the Kid’s image remain so sought after and so notoriously rare? Host Adam Monahan digs into the case, and along the way discovers a story about the limits of technology, the value of historical accuracy, and the power of belief.

Duration:00:35:52

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Encore: Breaking the Ice

11/3/2024
In 2018 GBH’s Antiques Roadshow visited one of the coolest locations the show has filmed at to-date, the Hotel del Coronado, right on the beach in southern CA. So it was surprising when a guest brought a well-used kitchen table to be appraised and even more surprising when it was revealed to be from the 1959 American National Exhibition’s “kitchen of the future” displayed in Moscow over which an icy debate took place between then Vice President Richard Nixon and Premier of the Soviet Union Nikita Krushchev. Join host Adam Monahan as he traces the history of this Cold War debate and how one viewers’ letter corrected crucial information about the table that witnessed history in the making!

Duration:00:34:30

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Encore: Byrd Flies South

10/6/2024
Photos from Admiral Byrd’s famed Antarctic expedition brought in 2021 to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in Sands Point, NY reveal rare glimpses into life at the South Pole almost 100 years ago. Join host Adam Monahan as he discovers how science and PR collide in this tale of one man’s quest for fame and a secured place in history and how that compares to modern influencers today.

Duration:00:32:24

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Encore: Do you Believe in Magic?

9/22/2024
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!

Duration:00:25:05

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Encore: Six Touchdowns and a Song

9/8/2024
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.

Duration:00:22:07

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Encore: Mo's Mystery Bust

8/25/2024
When humorist Mo Rocca appeared on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow, he was eager to find out the true identity of a treasured antique store purchase - a bronze-painted plaster bust he long believed was President Grover Cleveland. Though his TV appraisal yielded no answer, the name of the stranger he’s lived with for years has finally been revealed! Join host Adam Monahan on a hilarious journey - which included the New York Times, New York Police Department and Cleveland’s own grandson - to unravel the mystery behind the mustachioed model.

Duration:00:23:16

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Encore: Good Grief

8/11/2024
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.

Duration:00:20:41

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Encore: Theresa's Choice

7/28/2024
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.

Duration:00:21:38

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Encore: Very Truly Yours, Frank Sinatra

7/14/2024
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 tw

Duration:00:29:58

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Encore: The Boy in the Bottle

6/30/2024
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!

Duration:00:30:38

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Encore: Man vs. Rat vs. Conscience

6/16/2024
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.

Duration:00:29:18

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Encore: Cowboy Jim's Big Gamble

6/2/2024
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!

Duration:00:23:26

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Encore: Very Truly Yours, Frank Sinatra

5/19/2024
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.

Duration:00:29:58

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Encore: Is This a Letdown?

5/5/2024
News that a famous Galileo manuscript at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor was revealed to be a fake raises questions about a similar letter that appeared on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow in 2014. Did the show get it wrong? And how can a fake be so convincing it fools multiple experts? Host Adam Monahan, joined by forgery-sniffing historian Nick Wilding, dig into a world of deception to uncover if the producers are in for a letdown.

Duration:00:48:55