Antiques Roadshow's most valuable finds - from diamond flowers to the FA Cup
The Antiques Roadshow has been on BBC One since 1979. The iconic travelling show values items brought forward by hopeful local residents, usually with an interesting story- some make a fortune, and some are left bitterly disappointed.
Some of those that got lucky have left the show millionaires, having had their various items valued at incredible amounts of money - but what are the most expensive finds the veteran show has thrown up?
Angel of the North model - £1,000,000
One of the most valuable items ever seen on Antiques Roadshow is a man-sized model of the Angel of the North, by artist Anthony Gormley. The actual 66-foot statue, which has stood tall over Gateshead since 1998, cost £800,000, while the small model was valued at £1 million.
Gormley created several of the pieces to persuade Gateshead council to commission his full-size piece, and the model had been in the office for 13 years. John McElroy, whose father worked in the coal mine where the statue stands, took it into the Sage Centre in the city.
When the art dealer valued the piece, he revealed another model had recently sold.
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He told John: "It's easier to value than a lot of things of this stature, of this iconic resonance, because another version did sell very recently. Admittedly it was taller and it wasn't of bronze and that made about £2m. So I think on the basis that this is half the size, I would comfortably value it at £1m."
Speechless, John eventually replied: "Amazing, absolutely amazing."
Mick Henry, leader of Gateshead Council, said: "It was great to showcase the Angel at the Antiques Roadshow and have it valued by the experts there. Obviously, we have it insured for a considerable sum, but because it belongs to the council, we would never look to sell it. It's also a unique piece because of the history of the sculpture."
The Angel of the North model was a man-sized version of the huge structure (BBC)Fabergé flower - £1,000,000
Another treasure taken to the team was a gold, diamond and jade flower ornament, made by Faberge and branded one of the most significant finds ever on the show. Brought by Colonel Stamford Cartwright in April 2018, the flower was owned by Georgina, Countess of Dudley in 1904. The rare piece was one of only 80, and was showcased in a crystal vase.
Jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn was gobsmacked, later saying: "To make a judgment of that enormity is a tricky thing to do so I'm not going to pretend it wasn't pressurised. This was a sensation beyond our wildest dreams really - this is a towering masterpiece from Faberge. It's what we call an 'object of fantasy' because it has absolutely no function whatsoever except to be a source of pleasure - and it is...
"It is the rarest, most poetic manifestation of Faberge's work that one could ever hope to see."
The Faberge flower was valued at £1m (Handout)FA Cup - £1,000,000
The coveted trophy was taken to expert Alastair Dickenson by Leeds United's former manager Eddie Gray and Question of Sport host Gabby Logan in 2015. It became the highest amount ever given by Alastair - at a whopping £1m. Host Fiona Bruce said that it's worth more to many English football fans, adding it has a "very special place" in their hearts.
The trophy had one of the longest tenures of any sports award and was used for 81 years, until it was replaced in 1992. But expert Alastair revealed it probably started out as a wine cooler, as it had engravings of vines and grapes.
He said: "Now I may be banned from every football ground in the country for saying this, but I suspect that this may have been an off-the-shelf piece, that it may not be specifically made. I think that because it has all these grapes and vines on it, it might have been a wine or champagne cooler. The hardest thing of all about this is putting a value on it. This is, alongside the Wimbledon trophy, the most famous cup in the country.
"I think, quite comfortably, this has got to be worth well over £1million - the highest ever value I have given on Antiques Roadshow."
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The FA Cup trophy was used for 81 years before being replaced (BBC)Mobile Lovers by Banksy - £403,000
Anonymous artist Banksy was behind the £403,000 valuation for his Mobile Lovers piece, which appeared overnight, nailed to a plank of wood near the Broad Plain Boys' Club in Bristol.
The struggling club hoped to sell the piece to stay open, after finding Bristolian Banksy's artwork, but the city council took the piece to put on display, claiming it owned the wall it was found on - and therefore the piece.
But the case took a turn, when Banksy himself wrote a letter to the club's owner Dennis Stinchcombe, stating he had his "blessing" to do what he wanted with it.
Expert and gallery owner Rupert Maas said that it could sell for as much as £400,000.
Stinchcombe said: "I am looking to sell the Banksy at the highest price, and I just took it down to get an expert opinion. I'm not an art dealer and I've got no idea what I am doing. He said it was like everything else - Banksy is an incredibly hard thing to put a price on. And the reason behind that is there are no set fees or prices, but it is a very unique piece.
"They also said in real terms, if somebody offers me £400,000, that would be a good deal."
It was sold at auction in 2014 for £403,000.
Banksy personally gave Dennis Stinchcombe his "blessing" to sell his piece (Getty Images)
The Luxus II is the only remaining piece out of just four special editions (Getty Images)Gold Leica Luxus II Camera - £320,000
One of the world's rarest cameras, the gold-plated Leica Luxus II was valued in 2001 between £300,000 to £800,00 when it was taken to the team in 2001. Valued at
One of four special edition pieces created in 1932, the camera is encased in lizard skin - the others have disappeared.
The owner used the camera in the 1940s and 1950s, before storing it until it was taken to the experts. It sold in Hong Kong for £320,000.
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