Greatest lost treasure?

[able_walker]

There are a few out there...Anyone have a favorite?.....This one is the stuff of legend for sure.
The Elusive Tomb of Alexander - Archaeology Magazine Archive

 

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[Mackaydon]

Ark of the Covenant.
Don.....

 

[flyadive]

Buried treasure in southeastern Pensilvania.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/pennsylvania/299670-buried-treasure-southeastern-pennsylvania.html

 

[able_walker]

Some good ones....
The sunken treasures waiting to be discovered - Telegraph

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

THE GREATEST LOST IS >>http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/330669-treasure-victorio-peak.html

 

[austin]

Maybe the Knights Templar Treasure, Aztec Treasure or the grandaddy, El Dorado...

 

[allen_idaho]

I'd say the greatest lost treasures are:
- Ophir. The source of King Solomon's wealth.
- Sheba. The lost city and throne of the Queen of Sheba.

 

[allen_idaho]

Some good ones....
The sunken treasures waiting to be discovered - Telegraph

The Lutine and Admiral Nahkimov were both salvaged. The Admiral Nahkimov didn't actually have any treasure onboard.

 

[able_walker]

Now these are some nice Treasures....
Top Ten Lost Treasures of the world

 

[Citiboy289]

The Cherokee Trail of Tears Gold --- Covers over 100 miles in Georgia from Taccoa to the Villa Rica line many small caches --- Some still being found today

 

[Barto]

Tomb of Alaric - On 24 August 410, Alaric and his Visigoths burst in by the Porta Salaria on the northeast of Rome. Rome, for so long victorious against its enemies, Rome was now at the mercy of its foreign conquerors. The Goths plundered Rome for three days, and left with trainloads of loot.
Death and funeral


The burial of Alaric in the bed of the Busento River. 1895 lithograph

Alaric died soon after in Cosenza, probably of fever, at the age of about forty (assuming again, a birth around 370 AD), and his body was, according to legend, buried under the riverbed of the Busento. The stream was temporarily turned aside from its course while the grave was dug wherein the Gothic chief and some of his most precious spoils were interred. When the work was finished, the river was turned back into its usual channel and the captives by whose hands the labor had been accomplished were put to death that none might learn their secret.

 

[Barto]

Lost Library of Ivan the Great. The value of the library was then, and now, incalculable. Chronicles preserved in Moscow state that one hundred carts of rare books, and the treasures of the two thousand year old Byzantine Empire, traveled from Constantinople to Moscow just before Mahomet II conquered the city on 29 May 1453. Books from Asia, Africa, and Europe, written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Egyptian were part of the library. Early editions of Pindar, Polybius, Tacitus, and Cicero, the poems of Kalvos, the works of Virgil, and 'The Lives of the Twelve Caesars' Suetonius. Many were written by hand and considered one of a kind. Seven hundred were editions bound for the Emperors themselves, and encrusted in jewels. The library, and Russian rule, passed to Ivan the Terrible, then Peter the Great, but despite a massive search of it's last known whereabouts, even this Romanov Emperor was unable to locate it in the maze of labyrinths beneath the Kremlin.

Stalin, then Kruschev, searched for it. In the 1990's, the mayor of Moscow actively searched for the library, but only succeeded in finding a roomful of skeletons, victim's of Ivan IV's secret police. Today still, treasure hunters, Muscovite 'Diggers', risk arrest and the nasty consequences of it, in search of the tunnels beneath Moscow, for the lost treasure. Since much of the system is secret, and patrolled by armed military, it is risky business indeed. If you think your treasure hunting is getting a bit boring, this hunt could add that certain edge to it, and step it up a notch.

 

[able_walker]

Yeah the Library is a good one and people are convinced it's there somewhere. Seems the public at large used to be much more fascinated by this stuff.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71FW8CE9s-L._SL500_SS500_.jpg

 

[able_walker]

Another good one....
Hunt is on for Ghengis Khan's lost tomb: The ancient conqueror's hidden grave may out-dazzle Tutankhamen's treasure, writes Christopher Bellamy - World - News - The Independent

 

[Barto]

TOP TEN LOST TREASURES OF THE WORLD

There are many accounts of lost treasures, some dating from ancient times and those that are more recent. While the idea that unimaginable wealth is out there somewhere just waiting to be found is a seductive and enticing idea, the truth is that many of these fortunes are either just myths or have probably been 'recycled' long ago. For example, most of the German gold that went missing at the end of WWII was probably smuggled to South America and slowly reintroduced to the market or is still locked in the vaults of private banks impossible to claim. The missing gold reserves of the last Tsars of Russia probably found its way into the hands of new governments and the treasure of the Titanic probably never existed in the first place. If anyone knows the truth then they haven't come forward to prove it ... yet. Still, there are many treasures worth searching for and this is the list of the top ten based on value and the likelihood that they still exist somewhere. It may surprise you.

SECRET CITY OF THE PAITITI

EXAMPLES OF INCAN GOLD ARTIFACTS
(Similar to the possible treasure of Paititi)
Treasure: Lost City and Gold of Paititi
Lost:1572 - Current Est. Value: $10,000,000,000
Incan gold & artifacts, gold bars, jewellery, etc.
(Southwest Brazil)

Google Earth Reference for Boca do Acre:
Latitude: 8°50'38.63"S
Longitude: 67°15'11.95"W

Most people have heard the story of El Dorado, a city full of gold lost somewhere in the rainforests of South America. In fact, El Dorado is actually a legend about a Muisca Chieftain (the Golden One) who would cover himself with gold dust before certain religious ceremonies. The real City of Gold is Paititi. In brief, the Spanish had been at war with the Incas of Peru for nearly forty years and the Incas had retreated to Vilcabamba Valley where they held off the invaders until 1572. When the Spanish conquered the Incas they found the city largely deserted. It appeared as if the Incas had fled to a new location in the rainforests of southern Brazil taking their vast treasure of gold with them. The new city was never found nor was the gold and eventually the story was relegated to the status of a myth. However, in 2009 satellite photos of deforested areas of the Boco do Acre region of Brazil have revealed that there were once vast settlements. These can be clearly seen on Google Earth and have forced historians and archaeologists to review their thinking. It now seems possible once again that Paititi really did exist and hidden within it is a potential hoard of lost Inca gold.

A FORTUNE IN KRUGER RANDS

PAUL KRUGER & TWO MODERN KRUGER RANDS
Treasure: The Kruger Millions
Lost:1900 - Current Est. Value: $250,000,000.00
Gold coins, ingots, gold dust, silver ingots & coins.
(South Africa)

During the Second Anglo-Boer War the South African descendants of the Dutch settlers, the Boers, realised that their capital, Pretoria, would soon be captured by British troops so they swiftly commandeered as much gold as they could from government reserves, banks and the mines. They also minted many thousands of new gold coins. Much of this gold is believed to have travelled with the Boer President, Paul Kruger, as he journeyed eastwards through Middleburg, Machadadorp and Waterfal Boven towards Mozambique to escape the advancing British. He departed, by ship, for France on the 19th of October 1900. The gold remained behind, hidden somewhere in the bushveld of the North Eastern Transvaal. It has never been officially found although it is a popular 'scam' for con men to try and sell the whereabouts of the gold to gullible tourists. Claims that the treasure (or part of it) was discovered in 2001 close to Ermelo are generally considered somewhat dubious.


THE TREASURE OF THE COPPER SCROLL

THE COPPER SCROLL - BIBLICAL TREASURE LIST
Treasure: Gold, Silver & Coins
For Example:
Item 3. In the funeral shrine, in the 3rd row of stones: One hundred gold ingots. Item 5: In the ascent of the 'staircase of refuge', to the left-hand side, three cubits up from the floor are forty talents of silver. Item 32: In the cave that is next to (unknown) and belonging to the House of Hakkoz, dig six cubits. Within are six ingots of gold. Lost: Circa 100 BC - Current Est. Value: $1.2 Billion +
(Middle East / Israel / Jordan?)

Located to the west of the northern tip of the Dead Sea and near to the town of Kalya is the Qumran archaeological site. On a desert plateau carved by ravines are the caves where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were initially discovered by bedouin in 1946. The later excavation of 11 caves by archaeologists sponsored by the Jordanian Department of Antiquities uncovered 972 parchment and papyrus texts and two unusual scrolls made of copper. These would turn out to be one scroll that had been divided into two pieces. This rare find was discovered on the 14th March 1952 at the back of Cave 3, somewhat separate from the other finds. The scroll was badly oxidized and fragile to touch but it was obvious that it was different from the other leather and paper scrolls - it was a detailed list of 64 locations where significant amounts of gold and silver had been hidden. It was written as if anyone reading it would have familiarity with the places mentioned and is believed to have been created between 110 and 30 BCE. Although many historians believe that some of the treasure may have been located by the Romans during their occupation of the region it is reasonable to think that at least some of the locations were never revealed.

THE CROWN JEWELS OF KING JOHN

THE MISSING TREASURE OF KING JOHN
Treasure: King John's Jewels and Gold
Lost:1216 - Current Est. Value: $70,000,000
Crown jewels, gold goblets, silver plate, golden wand with a dove, the sword of Tristram, gold coins.
(England, UK)

King John 'the Bad' was particularly fond of collecting (stealing) jewellery and gold plate for himself and coinage for his guards, soldiers and court followers. In 1216 King John travelled to Bishops Lynn in Norfolk where he arrived on the 9th October. The area is aptly named The Wash as it was once a huge expanses of marshes and dangerous mud flats. At Bishop's Lynn King John fell ill with dysentery and decided to return to Newark Castle via Wisbech. He took the slower and safer route around The Wash. However, his soldiers and carts full of his personal possessions, including the crown jewels he had inherited from his grandmother the Empress of Germany, took the shorter route through the marshes. Trapped by the tide they were drowned - possibly close to Sutton Bridge. The treasure carts were lost and never recovered. King John died a few days later on the 18th October 1216. What really happened is probably much more complex.FLOR DE LA MAR

SUNKEN SHIPWRECK
Treasure: Contents of the Flor de La Mar
Lost:1511 - Current Est. Value: $2.6 Billion +
(54,431kg of Gold x $49,000 per Kg)
(Sumatra)

The Flor de la Mar (Flower of the Sea) was a 400 ton Portuguese carrack (frigate) built in Lisbon during 1502. The naval history of the ship was impressive and it was involved in the battle of Diu, the subjugation of Goa and the capture of Malacca. Captained by Alfonso de Albuquerque the ship was loaded with a vast treasure taken from Malacca as well as tributes from the King of Siam. According to various historical accounts it was the largest treasure ever assembled in the history of the Portuguese navy. The Flor de la Mar set sail for Portugal, together with four other ships, but was caught in a violent storm in the Straits of Malacca. On the 20th November 1511 it was shipwrecked on the reefs of Sumatra. The ship broke in two and although Alfonso was saved, the treasure and many young slaves were lost to the waves. The exact location of the shipwreck is confused, probably due to the inaccurate maps of the time. It is considered the richest treasure still to be found.THE LOST FABERGÉ EGGS

SUNKEN SHIPWRECK Treasure: Contents of the Flor de La Mar Lost:1511 - Current Est. Value: $2.6 Billion + (54,431kg of Gold x $49,000 per Kg) (Sumatra)

THE ST. PETERSBURG EGG & TSAR NICHOLAS II

Treasure: The Imperial Fabergé Eggs​

:

(1886) The Hen Egg with Sapphire Pendant
(1888) The Cherub with Chariot Egg (PPC-USA)
(1889) The Nécessaire Egg (PPC-UK)
(1896) The Egg with Alexander III Portraits
(1897) The Mauve Egg
(1902) Empire Nephrite Egg (Alexander III Medallion)
(1903) The Royal Danish (Jubilee) Egg
(1909) The Alexander III Commemorative Egg
Lost:1917 -1929 - Current Est. Value: $90 - 150,000,000
(Location Unknown)

Peter Carl Fabergé (also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé) and his brother Agathon were Russian jewellers of French descent based in St. Petersburg. They rapidly became famous for the extraordinary quality and beauty of their work. In 1885 Tsar Alexander III (House of Romanov) commissioned the production of the gold and enamel 'Hen Egg' for his wife the Empress Maria which she adored. Fabergé was made ‘Goldsmith by Special Appointment to the Imperial Crown’ and over the next 33 years 52 eggs were made for the Russian Royal Family as well as a further 15 for other private buyers. The 1917 Russian Revolution toppled Tsar Nicholas II who was executed along with much of the royal family in July 1918. Fearing for his safety, Peter Carl Faberge abandoned Russia travelling first to Latvia then Germany and finally Switzerland where he died in Lausene in 1920. The Fabergé eggs and many other treasures of the Royal family were confiscated and stored in the vaults of the Kremlin Armoury. Some were sold to raise funds for the new regime. Over time eight of the original 52 Imperial eggs have vanished and their whereabouts remain a mystery to this day. A full list of missing eggs is above. In 2007, just one egg, 'The Rothschild' was sold at Christies Auction House for $8.9 million.
SAN MIGUEL & THE 1715 TREASURE FLEET

TREASURE OF THE SAN MIGUEL - 1715
Treasure: Spanish Treasure
Lost:30 July 1715 - Current Est. Value: $2 billion
(Florida - USA) Ships of the 1715 Spanish (Plate) Treasure Fleet that have never been found:
Nueva Espana Fleet - General Juan de Ubilla
- The Maria Galante - Frigatilla / Frigate
Tierra Firma Fleet - General Antonio de Echeverz
- Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion - NAO Class (Carrack)
- The (El Senor) San Miguel -NAO Class (Fast Carrack)
- El Ciervo (La Franecsa ) Galera Class (Galley)


By 1712 AD Spain was desperately in need of funds due to the War of Succession that had seen Phillip V take the throne. To solve this problem the Spanish assembled one of the richest treasure fleets. Come 1715 it consisted of five ships of the Nueva España (Mexico) fleet and six ships of the Tierra Firme (Main Land) fleet. Significant amounts of silver (plate), gold, pearls, jewels (emeralds) and other precious items were loaded at Vera Cruz, Cartagena, Nombre de Dios and Portobello. A further ship, a French merchantman, the Griffon, also joined the convoy. As a further defence against pirates and privateers the fleet waited until just before the hurricane season before setting off from Havana. This was a mistake and a storm destroyed the fleet just seven days after leaving Cuba. Thousands of sailors died. Over the next four years the Spanish salvaged about half of the treasure although pirates hampered their efforts. Items of treasure still occasionally wash up on nearby shores. Largely due to the efforts of Kip Wagner, a marine treasure hunter, seven of the ships have been located but only a small percentage of the treasure has been recovered. The San Miguel, a Nao class vessel, has yet to be found and is believed to have separated from the fleet the day before the storm struck. Carracks are lighter than Galleons and were often used to carry treasure as they stood a greater chance of outrunning storms and privateers. The objective, after all, was to get the treasure home. This could mean that the San Miguel is actually one of the richest treasure ships yet to be found.

THE AMBER ROOM

THE ORIGINAL AMBER ROOM
Treasure: Amber & Gold Panels Lost:1943
Current Est. Value: $170,000,000
Comprised of Danish amber, gold fittings, gold leaf, ornate mirrors, jewels, and numerous gold and amber fittings and decorations.
(Location Unknown - Possibly Germany / Russia)
"There have been repeated claims in the media by treasure hunters that they have discovered the location of the hidden Amber room. Nevertheless none of them have actually produced the missing panels. Estimates that the room would be worth $170,000,000 on the open market are considered conservative. A replica of the room made from identical materials has recently completed in Russia. It was opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroederon the 31st May 2003.

The original treasure room was a set of extraordinary wall panels made from purest amber, set in and on gold and mirrors. These panels were installed to create a room that was effectively coated with amber and gold. It was designed by Andreas Schlüter an architect from Hamburg, Germany and constructed at the Charlottenburg Palace in Prussia, between 1701 and 1709 by the renowned amber specialist Gottfried Wolfram of the Royal Court of Denmark. In 1716 the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm I, gave it to the ruler of the Russian Empire, Tsar Peter the Great to seal an alliance against Sweden. It was taken first to the original Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and then later moved to the Catherine Palace near the same city where it was expanded by a team of German and Russian craftsmen. On completion it used 5,440 kg of Amber and was 17 meters in length. Considered to be unique and priceless it was the central showpiece of the palace and famous in aristocratic circles. In 1941 it was discovered by invading German soldiers and dismantled. Apparently it was packed into 27 crates and shipped to Königsberg, near the Baltic Coast, where it was put on display. In 1943 it was stored at Königsberg Castle. Officially it was destroyed in an WWII Allied bombing raid but significant evidence suggests that it was actually shipped out of the city in the latter months of the war and taken to be hidden along with many other treasures acquired by the Nazi regime. Priceless, it is considered one of the world's greatest lost treasures.

Last is the infamous Oak Island Treasure. The only detail I will provide is that it was a scam from the get-go, two hundred years of nothing but bad stories.

 

[ex nihilo]

The Amber Room is one of my favorite lost reasures -- how do you lose a room?? Anyway, it's beautiful, historical, and absolutely stunning even in photos decades-old. The recreation is nice -- in theory -- but I hope someone finds the original. I think some wealthy person has it. Probably setup somewhere in a private mansion room where no one knows about it.

The Copper Scroll's contents would be another great find, and so would the missing Faberge Eggs.

Definitely in the Top 5 missing treasures.

Oak Island? Also fascinating.

Great images, Barto.