The largest treasure in history. The most expensive treasures found. Kruger's Missing Millions

With this publication we begin a series of stories about the largest and most expensive treasures discovered over the last hundred years.

On March 27, 2012, during restoration work, a hidden room was discovered in the wing of the Trubetskoy-Naryshkin mansion. 40 bags of family heirlooms were hidden in this tiny room.

Treasure of the Trubetskoy-Naryshkins, Russia, 2012

Among the finds were medals, orders, memorial signs, watches, jewelry, silverware and toiletries. All items were carefully preserved - wrapped in newspapers and linen, which in turn were soaked in vinegar.

In total, 2168 items were counted in the treasure and almost all of them are in perfect condition.

Treasure of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, India, 2011

In June 2011, perhaps one of the largest treasures in history was found in the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, in the state of Kerala. During a detailed examination, the dungeons of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple revealed untold treasures to the surprised archaeologists. Tons of gold and placer precious stones- totaling more than 20 billion (that's not a typo) dollars. Such significant funds are nothing more than donations collected over several centuries and hidden from prying eyes by the priests. Experts did not hesitate to name the golden statue of the god Vishu lying on Ananta as the most precious item of the treasure.

Roman coins in Somerset, England, 2010

A treasure of 52.5 thousand Roman coins from the 3rd century AD was found in Somerset. The treasures were discovered in April 2010 by David Crisp, a treasure hunter who has been searching for more than 20 years. The weight of the ancient Roman silver coins found was 160 kilograms, and the cost of the find was 3.3 million pounds sterling.

Staffordshire Hoard, England, 2009

In the summer of 2009, amateur treasure hunter Terry Herbert, while exploring his neighbor's field for finds, came across many antique silver and gold objects. More than three and a half thousand objects were recovered by the lucky one during the excavation process. About five kilograms of gold and half as much silver - this is the mass of the discovered jewelry. The Staffordshire treasure is worth more than £3 million.

Celtic treasure on the island of Jersey, France, 2009

Treasure found on British isle Jersey, off the coast of France, has good reason to claim the laurels of one of the most valuable treasures in history. More than seven hundred kilograms of gold and silver coins were discovered by two amateur searchers. The coin hoard was most likely buried by the Celts in anticipation of an invasion by the Roman army around 50 BC. The tightly packed coins could only be lifted to the surface with the help of a crane. The value of the treasure is estimated at between £3 million and £10 million.

Tale of beautiful life has been troubling minds for many hundreds of years. For these people it has become a reality! It was as if they were transported to the page of a story about pirates, found a treasure and became unusually rich. Was it really that simple? The most important thing is whether the dream of a luxurious life has come true?

Top most famous treasures

Few people have not heard about the gold of the tomb of Ur. This ancient city, located in Mesopotamia, began to be explored about a hundred years ago. The excavations were led by archaeologist Leonard Woolley.

For a long time, excavations did not lead to anything, says the man. “People already thought that we wouldn’t find anything and wanted to leave.” It was decided to begin exploring the cemetery. It was very boring. And here...

It turned out that there was another burial hidden under the cemetery. There was little work, and then the amazed researchers discovered a golden helmet, beads and bowls... And in 1932, in the Mexican south, scientists found a thirteenth-century treasure!

It was buried by a highly developed Indian nation. Many, many years ago, they built buildings here, made jewelry and jewelry, says archaeologist Alfonso Caso. - First we found the tomb. But for a long time they could not open it...

For three months Alfonso struggled with the riddle, but was finally able to solve it. When he entered the tomb, the light of a lit lantern fell on the gold jewelry. The amazed scientist saw amber, corals and pearl necklaces. But the most important thing is the precious mask of God...

The treasure of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple was discovered in 2011. Scientists, as usual, did not expect to find anything large. No one could even think that real treasures were hidden here. In the basement ancient temple there were chests with gold coins and precious stones, and in the middle of it all - a statue of the god Vishnu, made of pure gold!

The largest treasures in Russia

1. The treasure of the famous Lenka Panteleev, the famous bandit, was only partially found. Although operatives shot the thief in 1923, all the wealth that he stole disappeared somewhere. They say that it is literally hidden underground. And the treasure, worth a total of 150 thousand dollars, is hidden somewhere in the annals of St. Petersburg.

2. A large treasure was found in the Far East at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the Ussuri Gulf, a ship with more than 250 passengers on board hit a mine and sank. Sixty thousand rubles were hidden at its bottom. A few years later they tried to raise it from the bottom, but due to some features this turned out to be impossible. Only part of the load was lifted.

3. Tatar troops flooded the treasure in the area Nizhny Novgorod. Silver is sunk somewhere near Seliger. The search is now continuing. When and most importantly who will be able to lift the treasures from the bottom? This question still worries people's minds.

In Russia, treasures are often found on the Medveditskaya ridge, which, according to data, is considered one of the most terrible places in Russia.

The largest treasure found in the world

It turns out that the largest treasure in the world has not yet been discovered. Why? Searches are difficult. Without additional equipment not enough! After all, most often you have to look at the bottom of the sea.

For example, in the Gulf of Finland area every now and then there are real pirate treasures. According to American "professional" treasure hunter Greg Brooks, he has learned the location of a treasure worth three billion dollars.

We are talking about a sunken merchant ship. Now it is fifty miles from the coast,” says the man. - This ship was sunk in 1942 by German armed forces.

However, information about whether this treasure has been found has not yet appeared. Meanwhile, the Caribbean Sea can be called a real treasure. After all, back in the 16th century, Spanish galleons loaded with gold and jewelry sailed here. Over the course of history, approximately one hundred thousand ships have sunk here.

That's where you need to look, says Greg Brooks. - The bottom of this sea is simply strewn with diamonds, like sand. Five hundred years ago, ships sank from the slightest storm, people died, but after them there was a lot of money left!

However, the largest treasure in history was found about seven years ago - it was about five hundred thousand precious coins raised from the bottom of a ship in the Bay of Gibraltar. In total this amounted to 370 million euros. It turned out that this was a Spanish warship - it was sunk by the British at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

There is a rather “dark” story associated with this treasure. It was discovered by Americans in waters off Spain. But the fact is that this is not what they were trying to discover that time. As a result, all the money had to be returned to the treasury of the Spanish state.

Every year the wonderful fairy tale about treasures becomes more and more real. And with the advent of improved technology, the chances of finding treasure increase. And let brave sailors conquer the seas - science has established that there are still many treasures hidden at their bottom.
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In the dungeons of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India), which is a shrine to the former rulers of the principality of Travancore, researchers discovered untold riches that amazed not only India, but the whole world.

History has long preserved legends about the countless treasures of the ancient rulers of India - that they possessed a huge amount of gold coins and precious stones. As is often confirmed in practice, legends and tales are not always based on fictitious facts, as was confirmed by researchers who lifted hundreds of kilograms of gold coins and items made of precious alloys and bags of precious stones from storage facilities.

According to official sources, five secret vaults have been opened in the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the construction of which was dedicated to the god Vishnu. According to preliminary estimates by experts, their value could be twenty billion dollars, which gives every reason to consider this treasure the largest to date.

By order of the Indian government, work continues in two more secret chambers of the same temple. Researchers do not lose hope of discovering new hiding places using metal detectors.

The largest treasure in history consists of gold coins and bars, the total weight of which is about two tons, several bags of diamonds and a diamond necklace five and a half meters long. And scientists consider the biggest find to be the statue of the god Vishu, which is made of pure gold and has a height of 1.2 meters.

The construction of the temple dates back to the 16th century, but its prosperity began much later - from the 17th to the 19th centuries. During this time, the priests of the temple collected merchant donations and offerings, which filled the vaults.

Not the cheapest treasure in the world was found by the American company Odyssey near Portugal. The treasure was discovered on the sunken Spanish naval frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes in 2007. 500 thousand gold and silver coins, jewelry and decorations were lifted to the surface from the frigate. The total value of this treasure was about $500 million.

The right to this treasure was put forward in court by the Spanish government, as they want to protect the historical value from the hands of robbers and treasure hunters. Representatives of the American company Odyssey defended their right to the treasure, since it was found on neutral territory, but the Florida court, represented by Judge Mark Pizzo, remained on the side of Spain and decided to transfer everything found to the Spanish government.

The frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes was transporting minted coins from the Spanish colony to Peru in 1804, but was sunk by the British near Cape St. Mary. Approximately 200 sailors died from the frigate explosion.

The American company Odyssey claims that the treasure was recovered as part of the Black Swan special operation, but as it later turned out, the Spanish authorities were not notified of such operations. Odyssey's actions were called immoral and legally unacceptable.

On this moment The treasures are under the protection of the US federal court. One thing that remains unclear is when Spain will be able to rightfully receive the treasure that belongs to them. Odyssey plans to file an appeal and challenge the court's decision, as it believes that representatives of Spain have not proven their full right to ownership of this treasure.

Buried Treasure is one of those things that sounds like it only exists in stories. But throughout history, valuable items such as coins, jewelry, and crowns were often either deliberately buried or simply lost to the ages. Here are seven of the most valuable and extensive treasures ever brought to light.

Found in 1842, value : about $3.2 million.

While renovating the River Ribble embankment at Cuerdal, near Preston in England, a group of workers dug up a lead box. Inside was one of the largest Viking hoards, with over 8,600 items documented, including silver coins, various pieces of jewelry, and silver bullion.

Although most of the items originated in the English Viking Kingdoms, some of the treasures were also associated with other regions, including Scandinavia, Italy and Byzantium.

The treasure was presented to Queen Victoria, and part of it is on display in the British Museum. The workers who found it, meanwhile, were able to grab a coin each.

Found in 1992, value : about $3.8 million.

After losing his hammer in a field, farmer Peter Watling called a friend with a metal detector to help him find it. Instead, he found treasure. Inside the oak chest was a set of silver spoons, gold jewelry, and coins dating from the 4th or 5th century AD. Archaeologists have found all sorts of other treasures buried in the same field, including Roman ladles and serving bowls.

The treasure was bought by a British museum, although it was so valuable that the museum had to raise money from investors such as the National Art Collections Trust to afford it. As for the lost hammer? Now it is also in the British Museum.

Found in 2009, cost : about $4.1 million.

Terry Herbert was using his metal detector in a newly plowed field near Hammerwich in Staffordshire when he came across the largest trove of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found. Everyone says that the treasure includes more than 3,500 items, most of which were military.

The treasure included several religious artifacts and many decorative items. It's difficult to be precise, but the treasure is believed to date back to the 8th century. Terry Herbert's investment in a metal detector has more than paid for itself.

Found in 1985-1988, cost : about $120 million

In 1985, an old building in the Polish city of Środa Śląska was demolished before renovation work, where a vase was found under the foundation. Inside were more than 3,000 silver coins dating back to the 14th century.

A couple of years later, when another building nearby was demolished, even more artifacts were discovered, including many gold and silver coins and a variety of jewelry, including a gold crown and a dragon's head ring.

Found in 2015, cost : priceless

Scuba divers exploring the seabed near the harbor National Park Caesarea in Israel, thought they had stumbled upon a child's toy when they found the first gold coin. But when they saw how many coins there were, and looked closely at the engravings on them, they realized that they had found something quite significant.

They reported their discovery to the Israeli Antiquities Authority and returned with metal detectors to search the area more thoroughly. Eventually, about 2,000 coins were found, the coins were from different denominations, and were minted in different time, between the 10th and 12th centuries.

Found in 1949, value : priceless

Brothers Pavel, Petko and Mikhail Deykov were digging for clay at a tile factory near Panagyurishte, Bulgaria, when one of them came across a strange whistle. Further digging, they discovered more items, and when the brothers took their finds to the city hall, they discovered that they were made of gold and there was much more where they came from.

The whistle (the first thing they discovered) was wrapped in a ceremonial wine horn dating back to the 4th century BC. There were also gold decanters, a dish of sorts, and a vase, all of which were believed to have been used in religious rites. In all, they found more than 13 pounds of solid gold, carved into intricate shapes and intricately decorated.

Found in 1978, value: priceless

The treasure found at Tillya Tepe, which became known as the Bactrian Gold, was recovered from six burial mounds. More than 20,000 gold ornaments were recovered.

The treasure was dated between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD and came from the burials of a nomadic prince and five women (possibly his wives). What's particularly interesting about this hoard is that the treasure is so diverse, with items from China, India and Greece mixed together. The decoration is exquisite, sets with precious stones of all colors.

Since the treasure was discovered in the late 70s, it has changed hands several times, especially when Afghanistan was invaded and National Museum, where the collection was kept, was looted during the Afghan War.

On January 9, 1932, in the ruins of the ancient Indian settlement of Monte Albana in southern Mexico, a rich treasure of the 13th century belonging to the Zapotec people was discovered.

When and where else were the largest treasures in human history found?

1. The Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Finland is considered a cemetery for sunken ships carrying untold treasures. More than 6 thousand sunken ships rest on its bottom. In 1953, Finnish fishermen came across a ship that had been sunk near the islet of Borste, near the city of Turku. At that moment, he made no impression on archaeologists and historians. However, in 1961, divers from Sweden began studying it. It turned out that this was the galleon "St. Michael". On October 15, 1747, he headed from Amsterdam to the shores of St. Petersburg. On board were valuable cargo destined for the imperial court. Also, a gift was personally delivered to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, in the form of a carved gold convertible. When permission to carry out work at depth on the Finnish side was received, Swedish divers opened the cabins and during the first days of the expedition they recovered many gold objects encrusted with precious stones. 34 gold snuff boxes, a set of gold and silver watches, porcelain. Among them was a gilded carriage for Elizabeth.

2. Baltic Sea

In the summer of 1999, a Finnish search expedition discovered the schooner Frau Maria, shipwrecked in 1771, on board which were treasures for the Hermitage - various works of art that were ordered from Holland by the Russian Empress Catherine II.

In the holds of the ship there were many paintings that were not just sealed in boxes, but packed in leather cases, placed in lead vessels, and then filled with wax. In addition to paintings, there were other valuable items on the ship, such as porcelain, bronze, and products made from various precious metals.

After the treasures were actually found, legal proceedings began to determine who they should belong to - those who found them or those for whom they were originally intended. The court transferred the right of disposal to the discoverers. Russia did not agree with this. The matter of this treasure has not yet been resolved.

3. Moscow Kremlin

In 1910, during construction shopping arcades(currently the GUM is located on this site) a treasure was found consisting of 4,820 copper kopecks dating back to the time of Alexei Mikhailovich.

At the Spassky Gate in 1939, two metal vessels were found that were filled with thirty-three thousand silver coins dating back to the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich and Mikhail Fedorovich. This is approximately before 1654.

During the reconstruction of Red Square in 1945, a treasure trove of silver coins was found, the minting of which dates back to the reign of Ivan the Terrible - Alexei Mikhailovich.
In 1965, a cache was discovered under the building of the Patriarchal Palace. There were two crosses made of marble and lapis lazuli and bound in gold. The products dated back to the 13th century. In 1884, a treasure was found there, consisting of letters with seals from the 14th century and documents.

In 1966, during the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral, a treasure was discovered consisting of temporal three-bead rings made of silver.

The treasure is the contribution of noblewoman Morozova to the Miracle Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin. XVII century (1664). Presumably hidden by monks in 1917 (walled up in the wall). Discovered in 1931 during the destruction of the monastery. Paten. Star. A spear. Workshops of the Moscow Kremlin. Gold, precious stones, pearls. Enamel, carving. Photo: Dmitry Korobeinikov/RIA Novosti www.ria.ru.

4. Strait of Gibraltar

A huge treasure was found in the waters of the strait near Portugal. The treasure was found by the American company Odyssey on a sunken Spanish military frigate in 2007. 500 thousand silver and gold coins, as well as jewelry and jewelry were lifted from its side. The cost of this one of the most expensive treasures was $500 million. The court handed over all the treasures found to the Spanish government as historical value.

5. Atlantic Ocean

In 2009, an incredible treasure worth more than three billion dollars was discovered in the Atlantic, off the coast of Guyana (a state in the northeastern part of South America). During the Second World War, a ship sank in those places, the holds of which were filled with gold, platinum and diamonds. According to the main version, the owners of this cargo were the Soviet Union and Britain. The American company that discovered the treasure tried to classify information about it, but failed. There is a version that Soviet Russia paid its allies for clothes, food and weapons with these diamonds, gold and platinum. In 1942, a treasure ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine.

6. England

The “catch” in the amount of $5 million belongs to the English treasure hunter Dave Crypt, who in 2010, using a regular metal detector, discovered a vessel with ancient coins in a farmer’s field in Somerset County - there were more than 52 thousand of them. Some of them date back to the 3rd century. How the lucky man disposed of the find is unknown.

7. Chile

In 2005, specialists from the Chilean company Wagner, using their own engineering development - a robot capable of scanning the molecular composition of soil at a depth of 50 meters, found 600 barrels with more than 800 tons of gold.

It is believed that they belonged to the Spanish navigator Juan Ubill. In 1715, he buried on one of the islands of the Juan Fernandez archipelago off the coast of Chile great amount gold.

The treasure was sought by many famous treasure hunters, for example, the American millionaire Bernard Kaiser, who sold his highly successful business producing fabric for NASA space suits in order to search for the Chilean treasure. However, only the Chilean company was lucky, which, by the way, with difficulty later defended its right to 50 percent of the value of the treasure from the Chilean government (the treasure was valued at $10 billion).

8. India

In the summer of 2011, the world's largest treasure was found, worth 22 billion dollars! The treasure was found in the Sri Padmanambhaswamy Temple in India, more precisely, in four of its crypts. The treasure consisted of precious stones, jewelry and gold coins, as well as countless works of art, the most outstanding of which was already recognized as a 1.2-meter statue of the god Vishnu, cast from pure gold and decorated with emeralds and diamonds.

The amount of treasure was so enormous that the officials who appraised them did not count the coins one at a time, but weighed them in whole bags.

Treasures that every archaeologist dreams of finding

1. Ark of the Covenant

According to the Bible this is greatest shrine Jewish people. The Ark of the Covenant (sometimes also called the Ark of Testimony) contained the tablets containing the Ten Commandments of Moses. The Old Testament says that the Ark was made of wood, but was trimmed with gold inside and out.
In 607 BC. e. Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept in Solomon's Temple, was besieged and then captured by the Babylonians. The Jews were able to retake the city only 70 years later. But when they returned to Jerusalem, they never found the Ark.

Historians and adventurers are still looking for it. Not only for the gold it contained, but also because the existence of the Ark would mean that many of the events described in the Bible were true.

2. Treasures of the Templars

The knightly order, which at first was the right hand of the church, and then was declared its worst enemy, managed to acquire considerable wealth. The knights supposedly went to the Holy Land to guard the path to it for pilgrims, but in reality they were actively searching for ancient treasures and shrines. Some researchers suggest that the Templars managed to find the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail and the treasures of King Solomon.

However, after the brutal reprisal of the knights of the order most of wealth was lost.

3. Tomb of Genghis Khan

Between 1217 and 1227, Genghis Khan created the largest empire in world history and became the most powerful person on the planet. At his disposal were countless riches captured in China, India, and Ancient Rus'.

Historians are still wondering where these untold riches went. In particular, it is assumed that his tomb can eclipse all previous similar finds, for example, the tomb of Tutankhamun. According to legend, the conqueror bequeathed to kill every soldier who would participate in his burial, and then turn the river so that it passed over his tomb.

4. Amber room

An 18th-century masterpiece of art lost during World War II has yet to be found. According to one version, she was kidnapped by the Nazis and exhibited for review in Konigsberg, which was destroyed by Allied bombing.

According to another version, the Nazis exhibited a copy in Konigsberg, and the Amber Room itself was taken to an unknown location. There is also a version according to which the Nazis got a copy of the Amber Room, and the masterpiece itself was hidden on the orders of Joseph Stalin.

5. Blackbeard's Treasure

The pirate nicknamed Blackbeard sailed the Atlantic for only two years (1716-1718), but managed to loot more than enough. Just at this time, the Spanish colonialists were actively transporting gold and silver mined in South America, to Europe. And the pirate made good money by robbing Spanish galleons.
Blackbeard hid the loot somewhere, but the secret of the location of his hiding place went with him to the grave on the day when the British officer Robert Maynard caught the pirate and strung him up on a yardarm.

Some researchers believe that the key to the cache can be found in the remains of Blackbeard's ship, which was called Queen Anne's Revenge and was sunk by the British shortly before the pirate's death. The ship is believed to be located off the coast of North Carolina.