Antiques Roadshow has been a British TV staple since 1979, charming viewers right from its Newbury origins with Bruce Parker at the helm.
Current host Fiona Bruce and her expert team travel across the country discovering hidden gems that could be worth a fortune for lucky owners.
In its remarkable 45-year run, fans of the BBC programme recognise that many featured items generally garner valuations ranging from a few hundred quid to six-figure sums.
Still, every so often, the show uncovers items worth a jaw-dropping fortune. Let's take a gander at some of the show's most eye-watering appraisals.
A truly exceptional Faberge flower takes pride of place as one of the show's most expensively assessed artefacts, valued at an eye-popping £1 million.
The Express reports this stunning valuation was revealed during a 2018 episode, leaving jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn astounded by the intricate pearl bloom piece brought in by members of an army regiment. Colonel Stamford Cartwright, representing his unit, shared the story behind the treasure; it was a bequest to the Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars from Georgina, Countess of Dudley, back in 1904.
Composed of gold, jade, diamonds, and silver, resting on a rock crystal stand, this floral sculpture was praised as a "towering masterpiece."
Despite the Colonel and his comrades viewing it as nothing more than "part of the furniture," Geoffrey concluded that it was the "rarest, most poetic manifestation of Faberge's work that one could ever hope to see."
Antiques Roadshow is no stranger to music memorabilia. In 2019, the show's experts were left gobsmacked by a guitar that had been played by Beatles icons John Lennon and George Harrison.
The instrument found its way to Battle Abbey in Sussex, where its owner, Ray, revealed the extraordinary tale of how he came to own it. He had been gifted the guitar by none other than George Harrison after a recording session for a film company co-founded by the star.
"I played a few notes and he said: 'Yeah, you're definitely getting more out of it than I am. It's doing better for you, why don't you have it'," Ray recalled.
Upon inspection, the guitar was identified as a rare prototype fretless model from the 1960s, leading expert Jon Baddeley to value it at a staggering £400,000.
In another unforgettable episode from 2016, the Antiques Roadshow showcased the longest-serving FA Cup trophy. BBC Sport's Gabby Logan and former Leeds United manager Eddie Gray brought the iconic piece to the show, where silver specialist Alastair Dickenson delved into its history.
The third iteration of the FA Cup, crafted in 1911 by Bradford's Fattorini and Sons, was valued at a whopping £1 million. The historic trophy, revealed by Gabby Logan, had been in use until 1992 before it was retired.
A massive model of Antony Gormley's iconic Angel of the North sculpture, standing 6ft-high and 17ft-wide, made history on Antiques Roadshow as the first item to be valued at an impressive £1 million.
This revelation occurred during a 2008 episode filmed at The Sage in Gateshead. Councillor John McElroy disclosed that the remarkable piece was owned by Gateshead Council and had been gathering dust in council offices for an astonishing 13 years.
In another fascinating story, Father Jamie MacLeod unknowingly bought a genuine Van Dyck painting from a Cheshire antique shop in 1992 for just £400. For years, the stunning artwork decorated the hallway of a Derbyshire retreat he ran for clergy members, its true value unknown to him.
However, everything changed when TV presenter Fiona Bruce spotted it during a shoot in 2013. Having recently worked on a programme about Van Dyck, she suspected the painting might be an original.
After consulting leading authority Dr Christopher Brown, Fiona and Father Jamie were thrilled to have the piece authenticated as The Old Master painting, with a staggering valuation of £400,000.
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