1. La Flor de la Mar
Following the age of exploration, Portugal (yes, that tiny country on the edge of the Iberian peninsula), leveraged their sea prowess into a vast colonial empire. And while they might not have been the nicest group of people around, the Portuguese were awfully good at obtaining large amounts of gold and treasure from the peoples' of the Far East/wherever they went.
In 1511, the ship was part of the Battle of Diu, which brought the regions of Goa and Malacca into the Portuguese Empire. Following the battle, the ship (along with four other ships) set sail for Portugal laden with treasure, the largest treasure fleet ever assembled in the history of Portugal's navy. Shortly after setting sail, the ship was caught up in a storm and lost. The location of the shipwreck is a little bit unclear due to the storm and the inaccuracy of the maps at the time, but if you are vacationing on the coast of Sumatra anytime soon and see treasure washing up on the beach, it might be your lucky day.
Location: Off the coast of Sumatra
Est. Value: $2.6 Billion
In 1511, the ship was part of the Battle of Diu, which brought the regions of Goa and Malacca into the Portuguese Empire. Following the battle, the ship (along with four other ships) set sail for Portugal laden with treasure, the largest treasure fleet ever assembled in the history of Portugal's navy. Shortly after setting sail, the ship was caught up in a storm and lost. The location of the shipwreck is a little bit unclear due to the storm and the inaccuracy of the maps at the time, but if you are vacationing on the coast of Sumatra anytime soon and see treasure washing up on the beach, it might be your lucky day.
Location: Off the coast of Sumatra
Est. Value: $2.6 Billion
2. Spain's 1715 Treasure Fleet
Spain was another one of those countries that was pretty damn good at exploring, and conquering lands. In 1715, Spain was in desperate need for money following the War of Succession. To come up with a bit of cash, the empire gathered together a massive treasure fleet. The ships were split into two separate fleets, consisting of 11 ships total. The captain of the fleet decided that in order to reduce the risks of running into pirates, the fleet wouldn't depart the New World until right before the start of hurricane season. The decision proved to be the wrong one when a hurricane battered the fleet seven days after they left port. The Spanish recovered much of the treasure over the next few years, but several ships remained undiscovered until the 20th century. There is still a large amount of treasure that remains off the coast of Florida, with the occasional bit washing up on the beach here and there.
Location: Off the coast of Florida
Est. Value: $2 billion
Location: Off the coast of Florida
Est. Value: $2 billion
3. Genghis Khan's Tomb
The most successful and feared conqueror of recorded human history, Genghis Khan remains largely an unknown figure to historians. His exact appearance (though he is said to have had red hair and green eyes), and birth year are unknown. According to sources, following the Great Khan's death soldiers and slaves escorted his body to his burial site. After the burial, the soldiers killed the slaves and were in turn killed. The tomb supposedly has innumerable riches from every corner of the empire that Genghis Khan founded. Over the years many professional and amateur archeologists have attempted to find the tomb, some even dedicating their entire lives to the task. A current project headed up by archeologists is using 10,000 volunteers to scan over satellite images to search for the tomb.
Location: Mongolia
Est. Value: Unknown, but Genghis was the founder of a vast empire, so it is reasonable to think that he is buried with a large hoard of invaluable treasures.
Location: Mongolia
Est. Value: Unknown, but Genghis was the founder of a vast empire, so it is reasonable to think that he is buried with a large hoard of invaluable treasures.
4. Alexander the Great's Tomb
Alexander the Great remains one of the most famous and influential people who ever lived, conquering much of the known world in the 4th century BCE, and founding cities wherever he went. Adding to his mystique and intrigue, Alexander died young when he fell ill in Babylon at the age of 32. Alexander's generals fought over what would happen to Alexander's body, and it eventually ended up in Alexandria, Egypt.
Over the next few centuries many important historical figures visited the tomb, including Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, and Cleopatra. It remained a popular destination for hundreds of year up until the 4th century CE, when it vanishes from history. In the centuries since there have been many individuals who have claimed to find the tomb, but there is no conclusive evidence to back up these claims. It remains one of the most sought after archeological sites.
Location: Alexandria
Est. Value: The contents of the tomb are priceless, and anyone who discovers the tomb would become instantly famous.
Over the next few centuries many important historical figures visited the tomb, including Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, and Cleopatra. It remained a popular destination for hundreds of year up until the 4th century CE, when it vanishes from history. In the centuries since there have been many individuals who have claimed to find the tomb, but there is no conclusive evidence to back up these claims. It remains one of the most sought after archeological sites.
Location: Alexandria
Est. Value: The contents of the tomb are priceless, and anyone who discovers the tomb would become instantly famous.
5. The Lost Faberge Eggs
Before the communist revolution in 1917, Russia was a totalitarian empire ruled by Czars who decided to spend their money in lavish and crazy ways, because, why not? In 1885 one of the Czars (or Tsars) commissioned a jeweler, Peter Carl Faberge to create a jeweled Easter Eggs for his mother. She loved it and the imperial family kept asking for more and more eggs. Eventually Faberge would make 50 of them for the imperial family, with two more of them commissioned, but never delivered due to the communist revolution and the overthrow of the imperials.
43 of the 50 priceless eggs have survived and are either privately owned or reside in museums, and there are rumors that at least two more of the eggs survived, but their locations remain a mystery.
Location: Anywhere, and I mean anywhere. In 2014, news broke that a previously thought lost Faberge egg was discovered by a man in the Midwestern United States. It's estimated value is around $33 million.
Est. Value: Priceless really, though experts place the value somewhere between $90-150 million for the lost eggs.
43 of the 50 priceless eggs have survived and are either privately owned or reside in museums, and there are rumors that at least two more of the eggs survived, but their locations remain a mystery.
Location: Anywhere, and I mean anywhere. In 2014, news broke that a previously thought lost Faberge egg was discovered by a man in the Midwestern United States. It's estimated value is around $33 million.
Est. Value: Priceless really, though experts place the value somewhere between $90-150 million for the lost eggs.
6. Amber Room
Designed and constructed as a gift to cement a treaty between Prussia and Russia, the Amber Room was an extraordinary room that was floor to ceiling amber panels. The amber was beautifully worked and set among gold and jewels. Mirrors complemented the room and gave off a dazzling and unique look that quickly became famous among aristocratic circles. The room was set up in St. Petersburg and was even expanded to include around 12,000 lbs. of amber.
The room remained intact up until World War II when the Germans invaded Russia and occupied the palace that the Amber Room was part of. The Germans dismantled the room, and shipped it in 27 crates back to Germany where it was displayed in the city of K�nigsberg until at least 1943. Officially the room was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid on the city. However, there is some evidence that the Germans, in order to keep the room out of Russian hands, shipped it further west and deeper into German territory.
Location: Germany, Kalingrad (formerly K�nigsberg)
Est. Value: $170 million.
The room remained intact up until World War II when the Germans invaded Russia and occupied the palace that the Amber Room was part of. The Germans dismantled the room, and shipped it in 27 crates back to Germany where it was displayed in the city of K�nigsberg until at least 1943. Officially the room was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid on the city. However, there is some evidence that the Germans, in order to keep the room out of Russian hands, shipped it further west and deeper into German territory.
Location: Germany, Kalingrad (formerly K�nigsberg)
Est. Value: $170 million.
7. The Copper Scroll
Discovered at the same time as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Copper Scroll was completely unique and separate from them. Where as the Dead Sea Scrolls were written on parchment and papyrus, the Copper Scroll was written on an alloy of mostly copper and small amounts of tin. Archeologists discovered that the scroll was written in an odd combination of ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek, which makes it very difficult to translate and understand. What the archeologists did discover was that the scroll is a sort of treasure map that lists out 64 locations of hidden treasure (mostly gold and silver...by the tons). The locations given by the scroll are confusing and require knowledge of ancient Palestine to locate where they are.
It is believed that the Romans looted most of the locations when they conquered the region, but there are some people who believe that there are massive treasure hoards that remain hidden in Israel.
Location: Israel, Palestine
Est. Value: $1.2 billion or more.
It is believed that the Romans looted most of the locations when they conquered the region, but there are some people who believe that there are massive treasure hoards that remain hidden in Israel.
Location: Israel, Palestine
Est. Value: $1.2 billion or more.
8. Forrest Fenn's Buried Treasure
Forrest Fenn received some bad news in 1988 when he was diagnosed with cancer. Being eccentric and apparently really awesome, he decided that he would take his fortune, convert it into gold, jewels, and other valuables and hide it somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Fenn is still alive and no one has discovered his treasure. He has released 11 clues since he buried it, but there is still no evidence that any adventurers have found his treasure.
Location: Somewhere in the Rocky Mountain range
Est. Value: $1-3 million
Location: Somewhere in the Rocky Mountain range
Est. Value: $1-3 million
9. The lost pearl galleon of California
There are a few legends of lost ships in the deserts of California, but the legend of the Pearl Ship of Juan De Iturbe is one of the most consistent and believable ones. According to legends, Spanish explorer Juan De Iturbe sailed the ship, laden with black pearls, up the Gulf of California and was carried by a tidal bore deep into Lake Cahuilla, which was rapidly drying up. Rather than die, De Iturbe and his crew abandoned the ship and most of the pearls behind. The ship has since been spotted from time to time and might even have been looted. However, there is a possibility that there is a ship full of black pearls (and probably spooky curses) sitting in the middle of the desert, just waiting for some poor soul to stumble upon it.
Location: The Colorado Desert
Est. Value: Unknown, but given how much the Spanish loved treasure, there are probably lots and lots of pearls onboard.
Location: The Colorado Desert
Est. Value: Unknown, but given how much the Spanish loved treasure, there are probably lots and lots of pearls onboard.
10. The lost city of Paititi
The war between the Inca Empire and the Spanish Empire was a long and deadly one. After achieving success with guile, superior military technology and more than a little luck, the Spanish eventually established themselves in the region. The Incas though held off the Spanish until 1572 when the Spanish finally captured and executed the final Inca Emperor. When the Spanish arrived at the Inca capital city, they largely discovered it deserted, which lead to the belief that the natives of the city had fled deeper into the jungles and had taken much of the city's gold with them. Rumors spread about a fabled lost city of Paititi, which eventually merged into the legend of "El Dorado". The rumors said that the city was full or gold and immense wealth.
Location: The jungle area of Eastern Peru, Southwestern Brazil, and Northern Bolivia.
Est. Value: Upwards of $10 billion.
Location: The jungle area of Eastern Peru, Southwestern Brazil, and Northern Bolivia.
Est. Value: Upwards of $10 billion.
11. The crown jewels of King John
King John Lackland was a king of England who is better known to popular culture as the evil king who plotted to supplant his brother King Richard the Lionhearted. Well, after Richard eventually did die, he left John to be rightful king. He was, in a nutshell, not a very popular king, earning the moniker King John 'the Bad'. He loved to collect jewelry and gold and give it to his followers.
In 1216, King John decided that he wanted to travel to Norfolk and take his royal treasure with him, including all of the royal jewels that he had inherited from his grandmother, the empress of the Holy Roman Empire. In order to reach the castle that he wished to stay at, John could either take a safe route or a faster route through the marshes. He chose to go the safer route and arrived at his destination safely (he would died shortly afterward though), which his soldiers guarding his crown jewels went through the marshes. They ended up losing the crown jewels, getting stuck in the marshes, and dying. The treasure remains undiscovered to this day.
Location: East Anglia (Eastern England)
Est. Value: Up to $70 million.
In 1216, King John decided that he wanted to travel to Norfolk and take his royal treasure with him, including all of the royal jewels that he had inherited from his grandmother, the empress of the Holy Roman Empire. In order to reach the castle that he wished to stay at, John could either take a safe route or a faster route through the marshes. He chose to go the safer route and arrived at his destination safely (he would died shortly afterward though), which his soldiers guarding his crown jewels went through the marshes. They ended up losing the crown jewels, getting stuck in the marshes, and dying. The treasure remains undiscovered to this day.
Location: East Anglia (Eastern England)
Est. Value: Up to $70 million.
