Antiques Roadshow Detours

Some of the items seen on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW take you right back to your childhood, evoking fun memories of long-forgotten treasures. But for some, a lifelong collecting passion is born. When expert Travis Landry discovered a rare set of 18 Star Wars figures straight from the original movie's era, still sealed in plastic on colorful cards at ROADSHOW in Salt Lake City, he had found the stuff of collecting dreams. Join host Adam Monahan as he speaks with Jim Swearingen, the Kenner designer who helped turn putty and Fisher-Price parts into a global phenomenon, to learn the real history behind the launch of Star Wars toys, and follows the results as the figures hit the auction block. Did the values of these beloved characters soar to a galaxy far, far away?

Thousands of guests have appeared on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, but only one holds the distinction of having also been on the cover of Playboy magazine. Former centerfold Candace Jordan stole the show in Chicago in 2014 with a rare archive of Playboy memorabilia including her 1976 “Bunny of the Year” costume complete with sash and shoes, trophies, and a celebrity-signed program. Join host Adam Monahan as he goes down the rabbit hole to learn what it was like inside Chicago’s famed Playboy Club and discovers how this memorable collection went from life in the Playboy fast lane to a permanent collection at an important Chicago museum.

On ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, an appraisal is usually the final word—but what happens when a guest brings her own receipts? In 2011, an Atlanta guest presented a brilliant royal blue enamel egg she hoped was a Fabergé masterpiece. Appraiser Sebastian Clarke wasn’t convinced, labeling the treasure, acquired by the guest for $15,000, a “Faux-berge” fake. The matter seemed closed until a second, conflicting appraisal was revealed. Was Sebastian right all along or had he made a "royal blunder"? Join host Adam Monahan as he dives into the chaos of the Russian Revolution, tracks down a world leading Fabergé expert, and cracks the case of this irksome egg.

Ever wondered what happens after the Antiques Roadshow cameras stop rolling? Host Adam Monahan returns for Season 7 of Antiques Roadshow Detours to investigate the juicy, complicated, and often hilarious "afterlives" of America's favorite treasures. From Star Wars and Jaws movie history to "Faux-bergé" eggs and the appraisals that went spectacularly wrong, we’re following the truth wherever it leads. Join us for a new season of fakes, fumbles, and fascinating history. New episodes start March 30th!

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!

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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

A pair of Tiffany lamps go missing years after appearing on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow. Just how far would someone go to get their hands on these lamps? And just how far would someone else go to get them back? DETOURS host Adam Monahan talks to those close to the story including the private investigator who ultimately cracked the case.

Photographs of Edgar Allan Poe are incredibly rare. The famed writer sat for portraits only a few times, resulting in eight unique images, known as daguerreotypes. When one appeared on the TV show in Omaha, NE it seemed too good to be true. Then the FBI called. It’s a tale never shared before on TV. And but for this podcast may be shared nevermore.

In 2013, GBH’s Antiques Roadshow appraiser John Buxton met a guest claiming to have an ancient Mayan carving. Buxton’s gut said this was a fake but the guest had paperwork proving otherwise. Is it possible Buxton’s instinct was right all along? DETOURS host Adam dives into the deceitful world of forged artifacts, following a story that still eludes appraiser John Buxton, AKA ‘the King of Fakes.’

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.

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.

Maps show us the world. These wayfinding wonders show us how people think about the world, and sometimes they make us think about the world differently. When a map from 1700 worth thousands of dollars and showing a very different world view came to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s 2023 event in Sturbridge, MA, it raised the question – on modern maps, why is north always at the top? Join host Adam Monahan as he travels through map making history to discover the surprising events that flipped cartography on its head.

When a large equine statue first appeared at ANTIQUES ROADSHOW in 1997, Asian Arts expert Lark Mason was suspicious if it was truly an authentic relic from China’s Tang Dynasty or if he was dealing with a horse of a different color. There was only one way to know for sure if this U.S. Air Force pilot's 1950 purchase was authentic. Would the piece pass an age-detecting thermoluminescence test? Join host Adam Monahan as he follows the horse’s trail from ancient-buried treasure to modern-day marvel, and finally to the shocking result with a return to the appraisal table!