Antiques Roadshow Detours

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...

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 re...

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 i...

Controversial items are nothing new to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow, but when an artist’s study sketch was brought to the show’s 2007 event in Baltimore, MD it seemed unlikely to be one. However, it was because of the bigger picture – literally –a mural created for the state of Indiana by Thomas Hart Benton and unveiled at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair in which lurks a controversy that continues to thi...

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.

Gold ingots, retrieved from the ocean floor and appraised on America’s favorite antiques show back in 1999 are now the subject of an international investigation. Apparently, which part of the ocean floor is a pretty big deal… Join host Adam Monahan to find out where these gold bars reside today!

A World War II Navy helmet brought to GBH’s Antiques Roadshow, and used for years as a decorative planter, was revealed to be that of the US Naval officer in charge at Utah Beach during the allied landing in Normandy. Appraiser Jeff Shrader carefully inspected the helmet. What did his analysis along with an archived diary and other accounts from museum experts in two countries reveal about the ful...

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 perm...

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 A...

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 app...

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 th...

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,...

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 cul...

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 artis...

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 ra...

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 S...

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...

A cast-iron mechanical bank appraised in 1997 and broadcast on GBH’s Antiques Roadshow was resurfaced by producers when reviewing archival content for an upcoming show. The appraisal is strikingly outdated in that it never properly acknowledged an aspect that today feels impossible to ignore – racism. But can an ugly part of history be used to inspire important conversations? Join host Adam Monaha...

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 inc...

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.

A guest’s experience at GBH’s Antiques Roadshow starts an investigative journey to determine if her family’s heirloom Tongan war club was actually brought to England aboard one of Captain Cook’s ships as family notes suggested. If proven true, the value of the club soars to over $100,000. Join host Adam Monahan to discover what we learned - and how a strange tale from another ship’s captain led to...

A tiny portrait of a young Philadelphia woman, not much larger than a pocket watch, memorializes a life lost in 1798 during the Yellow Fever outbreak. Join host Adam Monahan as he explores the tragic story behind the portrait. What does this family heirloom tell us about honoring life and death during a pandemic, and what sad but instructive lessons does history reveal about life in a pandemic tha...

The producers for GBH’s Antiques Roadshow know - “kids with old stuff make great TV.” And after 25 seasons some of those kids are, well, no longer kids! From dumpster finds to $2 auction buys, join host Adam Monahan as he discovers what happened to these young guests and their famous items, how they became antiquers at such a young age and if any of them are still collecting?

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. See the missing lamps at www.wgbh.org/detours .