We’ve all heard tales or saw Netflix ministries about treasures that have never been found. From ancient legends to modern-day enigmas, these treasures have teased adventurers, historians, and fortune seekers for ages.
1. The Amber Room
A priceless chamber of amber, gold, and precious gems, looted during World War II and never recovered. Ever since, treasure hunters and history buffs have been on a wild goose chase, trying to figure out what happened. Some think it’s hidden, some think it’s gone forever – nobody knows for sure.
2. The Ark of the Covenant
We’re talking about a chest that held the Ten Commandments from the Bible, made with divine instructions. A biblical relic with its whereabouts being a subject of debate and mystery.
3. The Treasure of Lima
4. The Lost Inca Gold
5. The Nazi Gold Train
As the Third Reich crumbled, rumors started swirling about a secret train loaded with stolen gold, art, and treasures. Somehow this train vanished into thin air, and treasure hunters have been chasing shadows ever since. Was it hidden in a tunnel? Did it secretly make its way to a Swiss bank?
6. The Beale Ciphers
Back in the 19th century, a guy named Thomas Beale buried a chest filled with gold, silver, and jewels in the Virginia wilderness. But here’s the twist: he left behind three encrypted messages, detailing the treasure’s location. Sounds like a plot from a Dan Brown novel, right? Treasure hunters and code-breakers have been on a quest to crack the Beale Ciphers for over a century, but the treasure’s exact location remains a mystery. Some think it’s still buried out there, while others can bet it’s all a hoax.
7. The Scepter of Dagobert
A sacred artifact from the Merovingian dynasty, believed to be hidden in France after vanishing into the pages of history, leaving behind nothing but whispers and theories. Is it still out there, waiting to be discovered? Or has it faded into the mists of time?
8. The Lost Crown Jewels of Ireland
The jewels of King John’s court, a set of Irish crown jewels, including a huge crown and a shimmering scepter, were lost in the early 20th century. Despite investigations and rumors, they’ve never been found.
9. The Flor de la Mar Shipwreck Treasure
Back in the 16th century, the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese galleon loaded with untold riches from Asia, sank off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It was rumored to hold a fortune meant for the Portuguese king.
10. Jewels of King John
King John, the King of England in the 12th century, possessed a dazzling collection of jewels and gemstones. They symbolized the wealth and power of the monarchy and were treasured by the royal family. In a notorious historical incident from 1216, King John faced a calamity when attempting to cross The Wash estuary. Only recently a scientist managed to shed light on this ill-fated event, revealing that the much-criticized monarch’s precious treasure met an unforeseen fate, being engulfed by the relentless force of an unusually colossal tide.
11. The Library of the Moscow Tsars
Nestled within the Kremlin, the heart of Russian royalty, there once existed a magnificent library. It was like a treasure trove of rare books, manuscripts, and ancient wisdom, collected by the mighty Tsars of Moscow. Over time, this impressive library mysteriously vanished. Some say it was plundered, others claim it was moved to secret locations, and some even suggest it’s hidden within the Kremlin’s labyrinthine passages.
12. Romanov Easter Eggs
We’re talking about the Russian Imperial Court in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where the House of Fabergé, a renowned jewelry firm, crafted exquisite Easter eggs for the Russian tsars. These weren’t your ordinary eggs; they were jeweled marvels, like mini-palaces in disguise! After the Russian Revolution, these bejeweled eggs were scattered and lost. Some found their way into private collections, while others vanished without a trace.
13. The Peking Man
Peking Man, also known as Homo erectus pekinensis, was a hominin species that lived in China during the Middle Pleistocene epoch. Peking Man fossils were first discovered in the Zhoukoudian cave site in 1921, and the site has since yielded the most complete collection of Homo erectus fossils in the world. He was a robust hominin with a large brain and a prominent brow ridge, taller and more muscular than modern humans. The original Peking Man fossils were lost during World War II, but plaster casts of the fossils are still on display at the Natural History Museum of China in Beijing.
As expected, the list of treasures that have never been found is an insanely long one; throughout history numerous artifacts, fortunes, and even art pieces have suddenly disappeared without a trace leaving armchair explorers or courageous explorers to figure out the mystery.
Has buried pirate treasure ever been found?
Yes! The pirate ship Whydah Galley, commanded by “Black Sam” Bellamy, sank off the coast of Cape Cod in 1717. In the 1980s, the wreck was discovered, revealing pirate artifacts and treasures, including gold coins.
How much lost gold is in the ocean?
Forbes has it estimated at around $771 trillion which is huge! There’s one drawback though: the financial cost of an extraction far outweighs the end reward so for now all that gold will stay put.