25 Undiscovered Lost Treasures Waiting To Be Found

First discovered in 1795 by a 16-year-old, this site in Nova Scotia has long been thought to house pirate treasure. Despite frequent attempts over hundreds of years, no one has found anything. Why do people think it has treasure? Because they found a stone slab not native to Nova Scotia 27 meters below the earth that read, “Forty Feet Below Two Million Pounds Are Buried.”

In the Southwest United States lies the Superstitious Mountains and a mine discovered by German immigrant Jacob Waltz that is said to contain gold. Waltz kept the location a secret and took it with him to his grave. While about 8,000 people a year make the effort to find the mine, they are all unsuccessful, some tragically dying in the process.

An American man named Thomas J. Beale and thirty other adventurers located a mine near Santa Fe housing a treasure of gold, silver, and jewels. They took the treasure and secured it elsewhere. Exactly where is still a mystery. While Beale created three separate ciphers telling the names of the partners and the treasure’s exact location and description, no one has yet been able to crack the code, even though the ciphers were published as “The Beale Papers.” Many have accused it of being a hoax.

After Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 BCE, many years later it was rebuilt into the Second Temple in 513 BCE. Sadly, the Second Temple was also destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE with only the western wall intact. What we know is that a large golden seven-branched Menorah was inside and likely taken by the Romans back to Rome. What has happened to it since then remains a mystery.

Said to be the largest real life lost treasure mankind has ever known, the exact location of this famous treasure on the Isla del Coco has confounded many explorers. Several infamous pirates such as Benito of the Bloody Sword and even former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt have visited the island in search of this great treasure.

Also called la chorette d’or, this item was buried somewhere in France on April 24th, 1993. French writer Regis Hauser, also known as Max Valentin, created an elaborate treasure hunt complete with 11 clues for people to find the Golden Owl. Each clue has a title, text, and illustration. Valentin assumed the hunt would last only eight to fourteen months, but to this day, no one has found the treasure. The winner of the treasure hunt will receive 1 million francs.

Since 221 BCE, the Imperial Seal of China, also called He Shi Bi is a jade disc passed on from Emperor to Emperor, even when dynasties changed. It wasn’t until around 907 – 960 CE that it was lost to recorded history and was officially gone by 1368 – 1644 CE. No one knows what has happened to it since. Even though some claim it is a legend, treasure hunters have been eager to find it.

After signing the Magna Carta, King John, a particularly hated and evil monarch, was on the run from his enemies. In 1216, while trying to cross the overflowing and muddy waters of the River Nene, his baggage train washed away and the crown jewels with them. Ever since, explorers have tried to discover what happened to them but to no avail.

As World War 2 ended and the writing was on the wall for Nazi Germany, many of Hitler’s men tossed billions worth of gold into Lake Toplitz in Austria. Over the years, people have died trying to find it. If someone discovered all of it, it could earn them somewhere around $45 billion.

Five centuries ago, a rock was pulled from a mine in India and after it was professionally cut, it became this massive yellow diamond with 137.27 carats and 126 facets. This diamond went from wealthy ruler to wealthy ruler until it finally landed in the hands of the Austrian Royal family. After World War I, they fled to Switzerland, taking the diamond with them. No one has seen the diamond since and many theories abound about what happened to it. One thing we do know, if someone found it today, they’d be a very wealthy person.

In April 1865, Union soldiers marched toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, and President Jefferson Davis and his men fled, taking many valuables with them, or at least, so the Union thought. When they caught up with him, Davis only carried a few dollars. Still, Davis and the others were wealthy men and were thought to have millions in gold. So, where did it go? Of course, no one knows, but many stories and movies have perpetuated the idea that it is out there somewhere. Whether or not someone finds it remains to be seen.

During the Great Depression, wealthy Mexican businessman Leon Trabuco and four partners smuggled in 16 tons of gold to profit from it. Afraid of getting caught and sent to prison, they buried it in the New Mexico desert. They found out they couldn’t sell it without risk of going to jail, so they never dug the gold back up. Three of the four partners died within five years, and Trabuco took the location to his grave.

Created by the House of Cartier in 1928, this enormous necklace contained 2,930 diamonds, including one of the largest diamonds in the world called “De Beers.” The necklace disappeared from the Patiala treasury in 1948, but parts of it have reappeared in recent years. Despite that, many of the diamonds are still missing.

Notorious New York mobster Dutch Schultz made an enormous wealth out of organized crime, but time caught up with him in the name of Thomas Dewey. Afraid he might lose all his money, it’s said Schultz buried $7 million in cash and bonds in the Catskills. The location was never given to anyone, and it died with Schultz. Every year, treasure hunters gather to hunt for the buried treasure, but it has yet to be found.

From 1885 to 1916, Peter Carl Faberge worked on creating 50 imperial Easter eggs for the Russian royal family, including Nicholas II. Of these many eggs, eight were lost to history. However, in 2014, the Third Imperial Egg was discovered by chance in a flea market. It’s worth roughly $33 million. Next time you go to market, keep an eye out for the remaining 7!

Many believe this lake is part of the legend of El Dorado. As part of Muisca mythology, the old civilization conducted a ceremony where El Dorado was covered in gold dust and the people went to Lake Guatavita to wash it off. They also threw gold trinkets, jewels, and other treasures into the lake as part of their worship. Some have found a few gold artifacts, but nothing more.

Most Americans know the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn. It’s also called Custer’s Last Stand where General Custer arrogantly marched a small battalion against thousands of Native Americans. What most don’t know, however, is two big treasures came out of the battle. The men who went into battle carried a sizeable sum of gold and money. After they lost, the Native Americans stripped their bodies of it and stashed it in a bag and buried it. Cheyenne chief Two Moons drew a map to the location of the treasure, but the map was lost and the treasure has yet to be found. In addition, Captain Grant Marsh sailed a steamboat along the Bighorn River, but in an attempt to save men, had to drop off his cargo which included $350,000 worth of gold bars. It’s presumed to be stashed somewhere along the Bighorn River to this day.

87-year-old former Vietnam pilot, art dealer, and millionaire hid a treasure chest in the Rocky Mountains and left one clue…part of a 24-line poem he wrote. He claims everything treasure hunters need is in the poem if they can figure it out.

Located in California, this pass is said to have buried treasure of stolen riches. The catch? Not only is it said to be cursed as many have mysteriously died while looking for it, but it’s exact location is no longer certain.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls alone is one of the biggest archaeological finds in modern history. However, on top of that, there’s a treasure map. Called The Copper Scroll, it lists 64 locations where large quantities of treasure can be found. If all of it were found, it likely would be worth a billion dollars. The directions to this treasure, however, requires an intimate knowledge of the locations. There’s also the possibility it’s already been found by the Romans thousands of years ago. Regardless, treasure seekers hold out hope it’s out there somewhere.

As one of the longest reigning emperors of Vietnam, Tu Duc amassed an enormous amount of wealth. With no heirs, he built a vast mausoleum from 1864 to 1867. Afraid looters would rob his tomb of all his valuables when he died, Tu Duc made arrangements to bury him in a secret location. Upon his death, 200 servants buried his dead body at the secret location, and to protect its secret, those 200 servants were all beheaded afterward. No one has discovered his secret tomb full of gold since.

Once belonging to Polish royalty, “The Royal Casket” as its known was a memorial created in 1800 and contained 72 relics. However, during World War II, it was taken and looted by Nazi Germany soldiers.

In 1937, 0ut in White Sands, New Mexico, a man named Doc Noss discovered a huge cache of silver and gold in Victorio Peak that was likely worth $1.7 billion. Because owning gold at the time was illegal, he hid gold bars all over the peak and stayed away from family and friends to keep the wealth from them. Trying to sell the gold on the black market with a man named Charlie Ryan, Noss grew paranoid he would be betrayed and found a new place to bury the gold. Turns out, he was right as Ryan shot and killed him. It’s unknown where Noss buried the treasure.

It’s hard to believe an entire room could become lost, but that’s exactly what happened after the Nazis invaded St. Petersburg and dismantled it, piece by piece. Originally, the golden, beautifully adorned room was a gift to Peter the Great as a symbol of peace. Nazi soldiers packed it up in 36 hours and shipped it all back to Kaliningrad. Ever since, its location has remained a mystery. Some believe it might have been destroyed by Allied bombings, but others hold out hope it is somewhere protected.

Forged by the legendary master swordsmith Goro Nyudo Masamune, this Japanese sword is the most famous in Japanese history and is considered a national treasure. Sadly, after World War II, the sword disappeared. One story states it was handed over to the Allies after Japan surrendered, but there is little evidence to confirm this. Its current location is anyone’s guess.