Antiques Roadshow's 'best ever find' as bombshell £1million valuation leaves guest reeling

During a classic episode of Antiques Roadshow in America, a guest presented an expert with a collection of jade vases, bowls and ornaments her father purchased for a fraction of their estimated value during his travels to China. After presenting the beautifully carved stone items to the expert, the guest explained: "My father was in China two different times. I think in the late 1930s and sometime during the 1940s with the army.

"He was a Kentucky farm boy, but he learned Chinese, and he met a Mr Leang at number 10 Jade Street. Mr Leang would call him and say, 'John, I have some pieces you might want to look at.' As children, we heard that some had imperial seals."

The host replied: "Well, Mr Leang must have been a very good friend of your father's because he led him down the path of great collecting. These things are all of very, very fine quality."

The expert started by observing a bowl based on an Indian style called the Mughal style-it was Chinese, 18th Century. A second item was of the same style but a little "more ornate." He added: "They all date from the Chenloom period, which is 1735 to 1796."

Another similar item the guest owned was a set with a ruby at the top, another was a carved dragon, while the "top piece" in the group was an oval bowl with an imperial inscription on the bottom.

The expert explained: "It has a cyclical date, and they are hard to read as they run in 62-year cycles. But it also has the mark by imperial order. So it was specifically made for the emperor himself."

He then left the guest utterly gobsmacked as he gave estimates on the cost of her items, starting with the first bowl he inspected. He felt the first bowl could fetch $30,000 to $50,000 at auction, while the vase could collect $120,000.

He said the dragon figure could fetch between $200,000 and $300,000, and the most sought-after item would be "very conservatively" priced between $400,000 and $600,000.

"I don't believe you," the flabbergasted guest replied before learning that the "incredible" total amount her collectables could fetch was between $710,000 and $1,70,000.

Following the valuation, the expert confessed: "It's the best thing I have ever seen on the [show]."

The UK version of the show can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.