25 Real Life Treasure Hunts

Posted by , Updated on March 25, 2024

Are you interested in hunting for hidden treasure? This isn’t about the fictional treasure hunts we see on the big screen, nor the imaginary maps we might have played with as children. The treasure I speak of is real and ancient, ranging from symbolic artifacts of peace from bygone wars to enormous lost ships brimming with gold, silver, diamonds, and countless other valuable gems. These treasure hunts are the real deal. Numerous individuals have attempted and failed in their efforts to find this hidden treasure. Some came close, and particularly one man astonishingly discovered treasure worth five-hundred million dollars right here in the United States. Do you find it hard to believe? You can read about him and many other adventurous treasure hunters in these harrowing tales of 25 Real Life Treasure Hunts.

25

Mosby's Treasure

mosbypichttps://www.treasuretracer.com/us-lost-treasures/mosby-treasure-virginia/

In 1863, during the American Civil War, Confederate Colonel William Mosby and his Mosby Raiders took General Stoughton and other Union soldiers prisoner. During this time, the soldiers took over three-hundred thousand dollars worth of gold, silver, and heirlooms. When the raiders were almost captured Mosby buried the treasure between two pine trees. When he sent some of his soldiers to retrieve the treasure, they were captured and Mosby never went to get the treasure.

24

Treasure of Butch Cassidy

butchpichttp://panicd.com/encyclopedia/butch-cassidy-treasure.html

While Butch Cassidy and his gang, The Wild Bunch, was being hunted by the law, they buried $20,000 somewhere in the Irish Canyon.

23

63 Million Hidden in Bedford County

bedfordpichttps://cnyartifactrecovery.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/63-million-hidden-in-bedford-county-virginia/

The story goes that in 1816, while mining, Thomas Beale and some fellow workers found a huge amount of gold and silver worth a total of $63,000,000. All of the men decided that if they should die that their next of kin should get the money, so Thomas Beale created 3 ciphers. The first cipher said where the treasure was buried. The second cipher said what the treasure was, and the 3rd cipher was a list of all the men and their next of kin. Beale then gave the ciphers in a box to a Robert Morris with instructions to wait 10 years before opening the box, and if Beale didn’t return for the box, then a way to figure out the cipher would be mailed to him. That way never came and Morris was only able to figure out the second cipher.

22

The Treasure of San Miguel

sanmiugeltreasurehttps://coolinterestingstuff.com/lost-treasure-of-the-san-miguel

Spain was not doing well financially in the 18th century because of the war of Succession. The Spanish sent ships filled with gold, diamonds, pearls, etc… to help solve the problem. During the voyage there was a hurricane and a lot of the ships were lost. Some of the ships have been recovered but a lot are still missing.

21

The Buried Treasure of Dillinger

johndillhttps://trivia-library.com/b/buried-treasures-in-north-america-john-dillinger-suitcase.htm

John Dillinger was a famous bank robber in the early 20th Century. After an escaped stand off with the FBI, Dillinger buried $200,000 dollars in a wooded area in Wisconsin.

20

Forest Fenn Hidden Treasure

fennmaphttps://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/17/millionaire-forrest-fenn-hid-treasure-in-the-rockies-and-left-a-clue.html

An 87 year old Vietnam veteran and art dealer said he buried a treasure chest filled with a fortune, about 1,000 miles between Santa Fe and the Canadian border. Thousands of people have gone out looking for it, but still haven’t discovered it. Even Fenn’s wife doesn’t know where the treasure is hidden. He did however leave a clue, hidden in a 24 line poem, that he wrote in his memoir.

19

Oak Island "The Money Pit"

moneypithttps://www.oakislandmystery.com/the-mystery/the-money-pit

The interesting thing about Oak Island is that no one knows if there is actually anything buried there. The pit was discovered by Daniel McInnis, John Smith, and Anthony Vaughn in the summer of 1795. They called it the Money Pit because of what they thought was down there. Many explorers have attempted to go down the pit, and some have gone far but no one has gone all the way down yet.

18

Mojave Desert Teasure

lostmojavepichttps://www.desertusa.com/desert-activity/lost-ship-desert.html

The legend goes that there is treasure from a sunken ship in the Salton Sea. Although there is no proof that the treasure was ever found, in 1870, the LA Star published a story about a man named Charlie Clusker who supposedly found it, but because there were no other stories published on the matter, many people believe the treasure is still out there.

17

Treasure of LaFitte

lafittehttps://www.greathunt.com/TheBook/ChapterSummaries/JeanLaFitte.html

Jon La Fitte, and his brother Pierre were French pirates who would rob merchant ships. They robbed so many of them that they had to bury some of thier loot. After Jon LaFitte died, there were stories about buried treasure in Lake Borgne, off the coast of New Orleans.

16

Nuestra Senora de Atocha Treasure

nuestraphotohttps://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/21/us/mel-fisher-76-a-treasure-hunter-who-got-rich-undersea.html

When the Nuestra Senora de Atocha was heading to Spain, it was hit by a hurricane. The ship was carrying vast amounts of gold, silver and an assortment of gems when it was lost. However, a lot of the treasure has been found by Mel Fisher, a treasure hunter. Don’t worry though, experts say there is still more out there.

15

Treasure of Captain Kidd

kiddpichttps://goldco.com/captain-kidds-treasure-still/

There are plenty of stories of Captain Kidd’s cruelty toward his crewmen. There is also reports of undocumented buried treasure in the Florida Oceans. Although some believe these to be rumors, many say because Kidd offered money to the courts in exchange for leniency, that there is some truth to it.

14

2,000 Year Old Menorah

menorahpichttps://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/temple-at-jerusalem/rome-images-of-the-temple-menorah/

When the Romans pillaged the Temple of Jerusalem, they stole a valuable menorah. Many people don’t know what happened with the menorah due to the fact that there was a fire at Rome’s Temple of Peace over 100 years ago.

13

The Crown Jewels of King John the Bad

badkinghttps://www.thedailybeast.com/how-bad-king-john-lost-the-british-crown-jewels

Imagine being a king so hated that your nickname was King John the Bad. After the king signed the Magna Carta, he attempted to escape taking with him some of the crown jewels. When he fell ill, and was rushed to the hospital, some of the jewels were lost. There is a story that it’s buried in some muddy waters.

12

The Florentine Diamond

flordiamhttps://agelessheirlooms.com/the-legendary-florentine-diamond/

The Florentine Diamond was owned by the Medici family. When the last family member of the Medici’s died, it went to the Imperial Family of Austria. The last time anyone ever saw the diamond it was with the family and taken to Switzerland, after the fall of the Austrian Empire. Nobody today knows where the diamond is, but there are several theories. One theory is that it was stolen by a family member.

11

Lost Dutchman Gold Mine

lostdutchhttps://www.cowboysindians.com/2018/01/the-legend-of-the-lost-dutchman-mine/

If you live in the the Southwest then you most likely have heard of the Lost Gold Mine. Legend has it that Jacob Waltz aka “The Dutchman,” knew the whereabouts to a mine filled with gold. He never told anybody about it, and many believe the gold is still there. Waltz did draw up a map but no one has been able to figure it out, and few have died trying to look for the mine.

10

The Imperial Seal

QinShiHuanghttps://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/legend-imperial-jade-seal-china-heirloom-lost-time-007220

The Imperial Seal of China was a gift created for Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE. In the 900’s, the seal vanished and there hasn’t been a trace of it since. Many people doubt its existence. One man tried to bring what he believed to be the stone to a ruler named King Li, but the king doubted its authenticity and had the man’s feet cut off.

9

Faberge Eggs

fabeggshttps://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/faberge/flevel_1/f7_fate_of_eggs.html

Many people have heard this story. The faberge eggs were a gift from the Tsars of Russia to their women. They were created by a jeweler named Gustav Faberge. He created 50 beautifully crafted eggs, each with a different theme, and treasures inside each of them. When the Bolsheviks invaded during the Russian Revolution, seven eggs went missing.

8

Dagobert's Scepter

dagsepthttps://www.revolvy.com/page/Scepter-of-Dagobert

Named after the French king Dagobert, the Dagobert scepter was at first part of the French crown jewels until it was stolen from the Basilica of St Denis sometime in the 18th century. The scepter is still missing to this day.

7

The Confederate Gold

confgoldhttps://www.history.com/news/confederate-gold-jefferson-davis

Nearing the end of the civil war, southern president Jefferson Davis, fearing capture, supposedly fled the south with mass amounts of gold on his persons. However, when he was captured by Union soldiers he only had a little cash on him. There are those who ask what happened to the rest of the confederate gold. There have even been some western movies based on this legend.

6

Dutch Schultz Hidden Catskills Treasure

dutchtreasurehttp://www.catskill.net/purple/schultz.htm

Dutch Schultz was a notorious Jewish Gangster in the early 20th century. He had committed a large number of murders and robberies. When the FBI was about to arrest him, he told his bodyguard to take his millions and bury somewhere in the Catskills. The bodyguard died before revealing the whereabouts.

5

The Golden Owl

goldenowlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45005072

For 25 years the people of France have gone looking for this treasure. The Golden Owl had been hidden by someone using the name “Max Valentin”. The mystery man left clues to its whereabouts. So far the owl remains hidden and the name known as Valentin had died. He did say before his death that someone had come close, but alas it’s still hasn’t been found.

4

The Amber Room

amberroomhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-amber-room-160940121/

At once a symbol for peace, the Amber Room was a gift to Peter the Great to celebrate harmony between Russia and Prussia. Tragically the room was ransacked and destroyed by the Nazi’s in 1941. Yet there are those who say some parts of the wall were taken somewhere before these events transpired.

3

The Flor Do Mar (Flower of the Sea)

flordemarhttps://www.ancient-origins.net/history/lost-treasure-flor-de-la-mar-flower-sea-006236

The Flor Do Mar was a massive ship in Portugal that wasn’t very safe on the seas, but because it was so large it was considered the pride of Portugal. While traveling the ship was said to have numerous amounts of gold, but it sank, and the ship, and the gold are out there waiting to be found.

2

Treasure of the Knights of Templar

templartreasurehttp://www.knightstemplarorder.org/templar-treasure/

In 1114 CE, there was a group of religious warrior monks called the Knights of Templar. During the crusades, the monks had conquered the holy land and acquired tremendous amounts of treasure. When the were accused of heresy by the Pope, some members were arrested and others fled with as much treasure as they could carry. Supposedly they fled to Scotland and were housed by sympathizers. There are stories that some of the treasure is still buried some where in the area.

1

Lost Treasure of the Alamo

alamopichttps://unsolved.com/gallery/alamo-treasure/

Remember the Alamo! The Alamo was a battle fought in Mexico between the Santa Ana army and 188 men, one of those men being Davey Crockett. Many people have heard this story and Davey Crockett is the subject of a famous whistling song. However, people may be surprised to know that there are tales of hidden treasure that has yet to be found somewhere in that area.



Photo: Featured Image - Shutterstock, 1. Unknown, 1854 Alamo, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons , 2. pintrest.com (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 3. Francisco Rodrigues, Frol de la mar in roteiro de malaca, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons , 4. jeanyfan, Bernsteinzimmer06, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons , 5. reddit.com (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 6. pintrest.com, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/32862272260880467/?lp=true (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 7. istara, Gold-295936, CC0 1.0 , 8. Dessiné par Jérôme BLUM le 5 septembre 2007. Készítette: Jérôme BLUM 2007., Armoiries république française, CC BY-SA 2.0 FR , 9. flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, 10. flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, 11. goodfreephotos.com (Public Domain), 12. Chris 73 / Wikimedia Commons, Florentine Diamond copy, CC BY-SA 3.0 , 13. unknown Artist (13. Cent.), Innozenz3, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons , 14. pintrest.com (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 15. By James Thornhill - old painting, Public Domain, Link, 16. pintrest.com, https://www.pinterest.com/carolsantoyo/atocha-treasure/?lp=true (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 17. pintrest.com, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/448882287829712403/?lp=true (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 18. treasuretracer.com (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 19. pintrest.com, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/122089839876510046/?lp=true (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 20. pintrest.com, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/555279829047642965/?lp=true (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 21. FBI, John Dillinger mug shot, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons , 22. Augi Garcia, 8 escudos Lima 1710, CC BY-SA 3.0, 23. David Benbennick, Map of Virginia highlighting Bedford County, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons, 24. Users CDA, Greenmountainboy on en.wikipedia, Butch Cassidy with bowler hat, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons, 25. Unknown, ColonelJohnSMosbyPortrait, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons