Sevres urn, $23,000.

Dan Elias Leaves the Antiques Roadshow

BOSTON, MASS. – After three seasons as host of Antiques Roadshow, Dan Elias is leaving the PBS program to devote full-time energies to his contemporary art business. Elias will continue his affiliation with the series in 2003, appearing on new programs beginning with the premiere of Roadshow’s seventh season in early January.

“It’s been a great ride and a wonderful opportunity to discover America first hand through the people, objects and stories we encountered on the road. But the demands of television production have been tough to balance with my primary profession as contemporary art dealer and owner of Elias Fine Art in Allston, Mass.,” said Elias. “It’s time for me to get back to business.”

Elias, who came on board Antiques Roadshow in 2000, was part of the team that helped bring the series a 2002 Emmy Award nomination. Among their plans for the 2004 season, Roadshow producers are considering a possible search for a new series host.

“Dan has been an invaluable member of Roadshow’s creative team, a great presence on the show and as you’ll see in the 2003 episodes, game for anything,” said Antiques Roadshow executive producer Peter B. Cook. “The new programs that begin in January are a lot of fun, showcasing Dan in some surprising and inventive ways. We’ll miss him.”

Produced for PBS by WGBH Boston, Antiques Roadshow is part adventure, part history lesson, part treasure hunt. Specialists from the country’s leading auction houses — Christie’s, Doyle New York, Skinner, Inc and Sotheby’s — together with independent dealers and appraisers from across the nation, travel to several US cities each summer offering free appraisals of antiques and collectibles.