Here Are The 10 Most Expensive Items Seen on 'Antiques Roadshow'

Traces of History

The television program sees many antique appraisers visit to assess the value of antics brought in by local people. The show began in 1977 and was hosted by Bruce Parker, a news reader. The concept of the show was simple and yet riveting. It involved local people getting their antiques valued with many of them having no idea of how much their items were worth. Usually, the valuations of the items are mostly hundreds and thousands of dollars, however, there were some of the antiques were worth way more than they expected. Here's a look at the most expensive antiques of the show in the last decade.

1. Banksy's Mobile Lovers 

Priced at $526,000: Banksy, the street artist and political activist likes to maintain his anonymity and he has been fairly successful. Nobody can say for sure who Banksy really is. However, his art is found on walls and the side of structures just about anywhere in the whole world. This piece of art in particular shows two lovers embracing each other while checking their phone. The painting showed up in the show back in 2014 and was valued at a little over half a million.

2. Joseph Kleitsch's Oil Painting

Priced at $500,000: Originally appraised in NYC back in 2014, the oil painting by Joseph Kleitsch was made in 1925 and was purchased for $100 at the time. Appraiser Debra Force knew what she was looking at when the painting was brought to the show in 2014. The Hungarian painter, Joseph Kleitsch is known for his portraits and Plein airs. The painter may not be known to today's people as much as we would like him to be but he was one of the most important impressionistic artists at the time.

3. Barbara Hepworth Sculpture 

Priced At $981,000: Back in 2012, a librarian showed up with an item that was essentially a bronze sculpture. The sculpture by Barbara Hepworth was donated to the school before she died in 1975. The librarian was taken aback upon hearing the fact that this structure that was being used as a paperweight in the school was almost worth $1 million. The head teacher on whose desk the sculpture sat as a paperweight later said that this must be the most expensive paperweight ever.

4. Boston Red Stockings Sports Memorabilia

Priced at $1 Million: A woman brought in a series of pictures of the first-ever professional baseball team who were being housed at a boarding house in Boston owned by this woman's great-great-grandmother back in 1871. These players were the first baseball players ever to get paid for playing. The woman's grandfather inherited the series of photo cards along with the letter which was signed by legends like AG Spalding.

5. Fabergé Japonica Flower In Vase

Priced at $1.27 Million: The Fabergé Japonica flower is made from gold, pearls, lapis, and also rock crystals. The 4-inch tall flower sits in a crystal vase in which the rock crystal is placed in an intelligent way to simulate the appearance of water. Created by the iconic jeweler Fabergé, the flower sat under the current owner's bed for years before it was brought to the show and was priced at a whopping $1.27 million valuation.

6. F.A. Cup 

Priced at $1.3 Million: This F. A Cup that retired from serving as the winning moment in 1992 was a part of the sport since 1911. The current F. A. cup is the third silver successor. The cup was originally purchased in an auction for around $600,000 and was donated to the National Football Museum only to return to Antiques Roadshow in 2016 where it was priced at a mammoth $1.3 million.

7. 1904 Diego Rivera El Albanil Oil Painting

Back in 2012, a man showed up with no idea of what he had brought to the show. He didn't even know whose painting it was and all he knew was how much he really liked it. The painting was made by a well-known Mexican painter of his time, Rivera. The painting is a picture of an "Albanil," a construction worker who is holding a shovel and wearing a poncho The painting was valued at an astounding $1 million dollar in 2012. 

8. Chinese Rhinoceros Horned Cups 

Priced at $1.5 Million: A collector brought in a cup collection that was unique in all the ways possible. The cups are carved from rhinoceros horns and were made back in the 1700s when these were used as drinking cups. The man who had brought in the collection had bought the collection by paying only $5,000 for the entire cup collection which was now worth $1 million and $1.5 million.

9. 1896 Frederic Remington Portrait 

Priced at $800,000: A man from Alabama brought in a portrait of his great-grandfather to the show in 2014. The noted artist and the man's grandfather were friends and he even had a letter from the artist that was addressed to his great-grandfather proving the painting with a certificate of authenticity. The portrait was painted as a part of the painter's military series in El Paso.

10. Patek Philippe Pocket Watch

Priced at $2- 3 million: The most expensive item on our list today is this pocket watch by Patek Phillipe. The watch was handed down from the man's great grandfather who was the owner of St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch. The watch is manufactured by Patek Phillipe in Geneva. The pocket watch is a complex watch that shows the moon phase, normal time, and also two other time zones. The watch was priced at at least $2 million today.