Nearly anyone can go metal detecting and score some coins or snag a rare item at a local garage sale that might have slipped by the seller, but if you want fame and fortune, then it’s time to become a professional treasure hunter.
Become a Treasure Hunter
Throughout the world, there are numerous lost treasures, items of key historical importance, and rare, one-of-a-kinds that are irreplaceable. These treasures, spanning a timeframe of nearly two thousand years or longer, are ready for you to find and introduce them once to the modern age.
However, it won’t be an easy task. From conflicting stories of their supposed whereabouts to natural and manmade obstacles blocking your path to the sheer globe-trotting scope of your proposed quest, you’ll need to commit to the incredibly challenging adventure ahead. So, it’s time to channel your inner Indiana Jones or Lara Croft, pull up your big boy pants, and go all-in after one of these treasures.
The Ark of the Covenant
Nearly everyone has heard of the Lost Ark of the Covenant, thanks to the Steven Spielberg and George Lucas movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, few people may realize that this artifact is one of the planet’s most sought-after treasures. It is believed to hold the original stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.
However, if you’re a true treasure hunter, you’ll need to crisscross the globe, as this sacred relic has been linked to numerous locations, including Jerusalem, England, and even the United States. However, one widely believed idea is that it’s in Ethiopia, housed in its temple and guarded by a sole virgin monk.
Not even the highest religious figure is allowed to enter the supposed resting chamber of the ark. Is it truly there, or is it just another ruse? Did it disintegrate over time? Was it destroyed centuries ago? Well, maybe it’s time for you to find out. No fedora is needed.
Imperial Fabrege Eggs
The price of eggs has certainly gone up, that is, if it’s a Faberge’s egg. The Faberge’s eggs are a group of lavishly designed, gold and jewel-encrusted eggs that would open to reveal another incredibly designed object, such as a bird or a stagecoach. These precious designs were often given out as gifts by the Russian Tsars.
An estimated sixty-nine eggs were created between 1885 and 1917, and fifty-seven of them survive today. Of the sixty-nine eggs, fifty-two, the “Imperial” eggs, were considered the most valuable, fetching millions upon millions of dollars.
This is where you come in. Six eggs are still missing out in the world and are ripe for the finding. Perhaps they ended up in a pawn shop, someone’s attic, or sitting in the safe of a private collector. You have six chances, so it’s time to take one or two off of the to-be-found list.
Peking Man
It’s time to get your man, the Peking Man, that is. The fossilized remains of Homo erectus pekinensis were found in a cave in what is now Beijing, China. This find was a crucial link in human evolution and a cultural and scientific treasure of the time.
However, at the time, the United States was getting closer to entering the war, and for safety’s sake, the remains were to be transported to the US for safekeeping. Well, they never made it, or did they? The crate with the bones inside could have suffered from several scenarios.
They may have been found on the transport train and discarded as junk and thrown away, got lost in transit to the boat coming to America, or perhaps kept in the hands of the Chinese, Japanese, or Americans and been secretly locked away for years. No matter which, officially, they are still lost, and you could be the one to find it. There are no bones about it!
Florentine Diamond
What treasure hunter doesn’t like jewelry? How about a 126-facet double rose cut diamond weighing 137.27 carets? Sounds good? Then all you have to do is find the Florentine Diamond, and it’s yours. Its history is laced with diamonds, which have passed through numerous hands over the centuries, beginning in the 1400s.
The stone’s last major sighting was just after World War I when it was stolen by an unknown person close to the Austrian Royal family. It was rumored to be taken to South America and then to the United States. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. It could have been cut into smaller diamonds, locked away in a dusty vault, or mistaken for a fake and left in the open somewhere across the country.
Just a note, if you do find it, the value around 1922 was 750,000 dollars. Can you imagine the value today? Yes, it’s well worth the hunt.
The Amber Room
One of the largest treasures on this list, the Amber room, an entire room with its walls encrusted with jewels and gold, was packed up in crates during the final months of World War II and disappeared. Originally a gift to Peter the Great in 1716, the room celebrated the peace between Russia and Prussia. This room was aptly dubbed “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” its value was beyond measure.
The room was broken down and transported to numerous locations before becoming lost. The panels were adorned with semiprecious gems and gold leaf from the Winter House in St Petersburg to the Catherine Palace in Pushkin to Konigsberg, Germany. With a value of nearly 150 million in today’s dollars, the room was created last in a museum in Germany that was bombed by the Allied forces. That was the last known location. Was it destroyed or sitting now in a warehouse in Europe? It’s up to you to find that out.
King John’s Treasure
Traveling over swampland can be a mistake, and in the case of King John of England back in 1216, it might have cost him his entire royal fortune. It all began when the King traveled between Lynn in Norfolk and Newark Castle. Unfortunately, the King contracted dysentery and faced harsh and dangerous swampland to reach his destination.
He chose to travel a slower but safer route while his men, personal belongings, and vast riches in the form of jewelry and precious gems took the swampland route. The King reached his destination, but his “stuff” did not. Was it all lost in the murky, unforgiving swampland, or perhaps it was taken by his men? If it were the latter, you would have the chance to find “the largest royal treasure in history.”
Gear up and Go
Although many a treasure hunter has searched for the treasures above across the globe and failed to find them, there’s no reason why your results have to be the same. Do your research, think outside the box, and use your best deductive skills, and you could come back home with a world-changing find. History has taught us many things. First, not all stories are true. Second, not all myths are false, and finally, sometimes luck plays a huge part in discovery, and that lucky person may very well be you.
Real Raiders of the Lost Ark
Although Archaeologists seem to have a truly adventurous career, their average workday may not be for everyone. Most people may find it genuinely boring. They spend much of their day sorting artifacts, cataloging them, organizing them into piles, washing them, and finally figuring out how they fit into the surrounding cultures from centuries ago.
They do all this after they have spent weeks, months, or even years digging at expedition sites across the globe. So, sorry. No escaping booby-trapped caves with endless treasure, bullwhips, or crazy cults. Of course, that doesn’t mean becoming a treasure hunter is all bad, you could end up rich and famous.
If globetrotting and danger aren’t your thing, maybe you should give this article read instead: Golden Age Comics
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Read the full article here