'Antiques Roadshow' Uncovers Record Breaking Item, Mysterious Sports Piece Valued At More Than $1.5M

The British version of "Antiques Roadshow" made the most valuable find of its 38-year history by uncovering a mysterious sports item appraised at more than 1 million pounds, or about $1.5 million. The object was described by producers only as "a world-famous piece owned by a sporting institution," the BBC said Thursday.

The precise value of the undisclosed item has not been released. It was discovered while the show was filming in North Yorkshire in the northeast of England. The episode was filmed in the town of Harrogate at Harrogate Royal Hall Wednesday. The previous record on the show came in 2008 when the show valued a model of the Angel of the North at 1 million pounds.

The show depicts people who bring items, oftentimes family relics, to be valued by experts. The history of an item is often discussed as the value is revealed. An American version of the show began airing in 1997 on PBS. The most expensive item in the American show's history could perhaps rival the valuation of the mysterious sporting item uncovered in Harrogate. In July 2011, an Oklahoma man brought in rhinoceros horn cups dating back to the 18th century that were valued at $1 million to $1.5 million.

A spokesman for the BBC One show said the record-breaking item's final valuation will be revealed in an episode airing in the spring of 2016.

The previous record-holding item, the Angel of the North sculpture, was so large it took five people to carry it in for filming from the Gateshead Council, where it was on display, the Telegraph reported. The statue was created by sculptor Antony Gormley and is made of 200 tons of steel, rising about 65 feet in the air, according to the Gateshead Council website.