ARUN RATH, HOST:
Now we turn to probably the most exciting moment in the history of the PBS program "Antiques Roadshow." Marsha Bemko is the executive producer.
MARSHA BEMKO: In came a woman with a set of baseball cards. And these aren't just any baseball cards. They are from the year 1871-1872 for the Boston Red Stockings, which are today - by the way - today's Atlanta Braves.
RATH: That woman, who has decided to remain anonymous, says her great-great-grandmother had a boarding house in Boston back then. For a time, that's where players from the Boston Red Stockings stayed. Here were the handwritten letters the team sent her.
BEMKO: And among those eleven team members who signed it were - maybe you've heard of him - Albert Spalding. That's the person who ended up starting Spalding Sporting Goods. And the Wright brothers - not the flying Wright brothers, but George and Harry Wright of sports fame are among the signatures on that letter.
RATH: You can hear the excitement in the voice of Leila Dunbar, "Antiques Roadshow" appraiser.
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LEILA DUNBAR: To have anything with their signatures on it is phenomenal because again, you're talking about the precursor to the National and American leagues.
RATH: While taping, Bemko says she knew this was a huge find.
BEMKO: To see them all in one group like that, none of the experts associated with "Roadshow" have ever seen them all in one place that way.
RATH: And then the big moment. Here's appraiser Leila Dunbar.
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DUNBAR: I'm going to value this as an archive - everything here. If you're going to insure it...
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Insurance, OK...
DUNBAR: I would ensure it for at least...
RATH: Get ready.
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DUNBAR: $1 million.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Are you serious? Oh my. Holy smokes.
RATH: Bemko says this sets a record for a sports appraisal on "Antiques Roadshow."
BEMKO: It is a stunning thing to hear. You never get used to it. And I've been producing this show for a long time. We can go for seasons without seeing a seven-figure value. That stratosphere of value, no matter what category you're in, is so rare.
RATH: Even Leila Dunbar is overwhelmed.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ANTIQUES ROADSHOW")
DUNBAR: It is the greatest archive I have ever had at the Roadshow.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Really?
BEMKO: She is close to tears and those are not fake tears. She is overwhelmed with emotion. The guest, of course, is very overwhelmed with emotion. She thought those cards were going to be worth five, maybe 10 grand, something like that.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ANTIQUES ROADSHOW")
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Holy smokes.
RATH: Marsha Bemko says the guest plans to keep the million dollar Boston Red Stockings archive in the family.