10 of the best Antiques Roadshow finds

  1. The Fabergé kovsch, est. £600,000 A truly memorable fi nd, this drinking vessel, known as a kovsch, was ornately decorated with silver, gold and precious jewels. Presented to a member of the HMS Talbot by the emperor of Russia in 1904, the kovsch would have been an extremely valuable gift. Programme experts identifi ed it as genuine Fabergé and it is one of the show’s most valuable items.
  2. The Mini-Angel Of The North, est. £1m Although hardly an antique, a bronze model of Antony Gormley’s famous Angel Of The North became the programme’s first-ever £1m discovery in 2008. The artist created the 6ft-high model in order to encourage Gateshead Council to commission the piece. Interestingly, this valuation meant that the model is now worth more than the original price of the full-size sculpture.
  3. The 14th-century Ming dish, est. £10,000 A Dorset family were astounded when their everyday bowl was identifi ed as an original 14th-century Ming dish. Brought to England by an ancestor in the tea trade, the dish had been sitting in their kitchen for many years. Auctioneers were later amazed when the item surpassed its guide price of £10,000 and sold for nearly £200,000.
  4. The 8th-century Anglo-Saxon ring, est. £10,000 One of the programme’s most surprising fi nds, the owner discovered this gold ring among some hedge clippings. Although his wife disparagingly told him it was probably a tacky Christmas-cracker gift, jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn identified the ring as an authentic Anglo-Saxon trinket. The ring, which is thought to have been dropped by a nobleman or woman in Norfolk, is approximately 1,300 years old. Geoffrey advised his bemused guest that he should insure the ring for £10,000.
  5. The Titanic postcard, est. £3,000 A seemingly innocuous picture postcard, this touching fi nd is a final message from the doomed RMS Titanic. The postcard, written by passenger Steven Jenkin and sent from Queenstown, the ship’s last port of call, is a charming note to his parents in which he declares the Titanic ‘a really nice ship to ride on’. Tragically, Steven never reached New York.
  6. The Sunbeam Talbot 90, est. £50,000 This fabulous car was driven by Stirling Moss in the Monte Carlo Rally of 1953, where he won the Charles Ferro Trophy. Although the car arrived on the programme in great condition, it had originally been used by a farmer to pull his pigs to market, until the gearbox broke. However, the current owner restored the car to its former glory.
  7. George V’s RAF jacket, est. £2,000 A historically important find, this 1918 first pattern uniform was made for George V in his official capacity as Marshal of the RAF. The jacket was accompanied by a photograph of George V, which proves that the uniform was worn by the king himself. 
  8. The 18th-century Prussian plate, est. £100,000 This 22in porcelain plate was part of a dinner service commissioned for King Frederick II of Prussia. Made in the 1750s, the oval plate is decorated with the Hohenzollern family crest. Although the current owner stored it on a rickety sideboard, other pieces from the service are displayed at museums around the world. It is the most valuable plate to have appeared on the BBC programme in its 31-year history.
  9. Yuan Dynasty bronze vase, est. £10,000 This 2ft-high bronze urn, decorated with sea dragons, was used as a doorstop before it was identifi ed as an incredibly rare relic of the Yuan Dynasty on the Antiques Roadshow. This is the oldest-ever bronze on the programme, dating from between 1279 and 1368. 
  10. Apollo moon landing thruster, est. £5,000 During his childhood, the owner of this unusual item wrote more than 500 letters to NASA enquiring about their lunar mission. In return for his enthusiasm, NASA sent him an engine from the lunar modules. Although this engine never reached the moon, it was created in 1965 during the mission’s development phase.