Antiques Roadshow Detours

A Show About a Show About Old Stuff

What happens to all that stuff seen on WGBH’s Antiques Roadshow once the cameras leave town? The new DETOURS podcast picks up where the appraisals left off. Join host and longtime Roadshow producer Adam Monahan as he goes behind the scenes to reveal the stories, secrets, and surprises of some really old stuff never shared before.

The Hardest Fact I Ever Checked

Adam Monahan, producer for GBH’s Antiques Roadshow, attempts to verify what could be one of the most valuable objects to ever appear on the program: a flag from John F. Kennedy’s famed navy boat, the PT-109. With the help of a chemist, an appraiser, an author and a curator (oh, and his mom too), Adam tries to determine whether or not we have a national treasure on our hands.

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.

The King of Fakes Gets Faked

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.’ Judge for yourself. Check out the Mayan Jade and more: www.wgbh.org/detours

That Time the FBI Called

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. Check out the purloined portrait: www.wgbh.org/detours