Antiques Roadshow Detours

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.

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.