Before deciding to toss out that grandpa’s trunk filled with dusty old pictures, check out these 11 most expensive items found on Antiques Roadshow. You might be in luck.
Antiques Roadshow premiered on BBC in 1977. It quickly gained popularity with the audience. The testimony to how much audience appreciate the show is the fact that the original concept hasn’t changed in 38 years. The show spread to other countries, namely Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and the United States. PBS picked it up in 1997. In 2005, they created a spin-off called Antiques Roadshow FYI. In order to create a unique list, we have chosen most valuable items from all countries. Items found here are on par with those found in the world’s most visited art museums.
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Every one of these 11 most expensive items found on Antiques Roadshow has an amazing backstory to it. In part, this is why they are so expensive. Plenty of people own a 19th century Navajo blanket. However, how many of them can say that their blanket was once own by famous Kit Carson? How about an Anthony van Dyck portrait bought in an antique in Cheshire for £400 ($625) and valued at the auction at £400,000 ($625,000)? These kind of tidbits are what adds spice to the Antiques Roadshow and drives the items’ price through the roof.
Although the show has been aired in seven countries, 11 most expensive items found on Antiques Roadshow are all from UK and US shows. These other shows did have few memorable finds that deserve an honorable mention. Canadian Antiques Roadshow most pricey item was Henry Nelson O’Neil’s painting called “Eastward Ho!” and appraised at half a million Canadian dollars. That’s $258,000 in real money. The name of the Dutch version of the show is Between Art & Kitsch and has been on the air since 1984. Their most valuable find is a Joost van Geel Het painting, valued at €250,000 ($280,000).
11. Navajo Ute First Phase blanket – Antiques Roadshow US 2004
Appraisal: $350,000 – $500,000
Location: Tucson, Arizona
The owner of this beautiful piece of Native American history claimed that it was a gift to his family from Kit Carson.
