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As it becomes increasingly known, the number of treasures found in our century has increased significantly. Moreover, the number of treasures, which can be called huge without exaggeration, has increased by an order of magnitude. Let's try to consider these finds and make a kind of rating of the largest treasures that were found during our modern times.
Year 2012, Russia, the famous treasure of the Naryshkins
Interesting news in March last year was the information that swept through the media that a treasure was discovered during the restoration of the old mansion of the Naryshkin family. The cache was found during restoration work in the house. One of the workers, carrying out manipulations with the wall, suddenly fell into a secret room, which turned out to be full of boxes and bags. This find, after being described and evaluated, amounted to 2168 items. This is one of the largest and most valuable treasures ever found in Russia. The treasure of the Naryshkins included five almost complete silver sets, of which the ceremonial table service of more than two hundred items of the famous Sazikov firm stands apart. On these items self made are stigmatized by cult domestic jewelers from the last third of the 19th century up to the 20th century. These works were made by such celebrities as Sazikov, eminent Ovchinnikov and Khlebnikov, well-known jewelers Grachev brothers. There are also objects from Faberge and Keibel in the treasure. Also found silver items from European, in particular French masters. The cache also contained expensive military orders, valuable medals with commemorative signs, award documents, stunningly beautiful jewelry, watches and toiletry. Unique silverware, as well as several small Easter pendants. At the same time, some of these items were in historical cases. This treasure was formed by the Naryshkin family itself at a time when they wanted to protect their family heirlooms from looting. It is noteworthy that newspapers from 1917 were found in the cache. You can guess what the Naryshkins were so afraid of.
Year 2012, Great Britain, 700 kg of treasures
Notable is also one of the largest European history treasures found on the island of Jersey by amateur treasure hunters. After evaluation and recalculation, the weight of tens of thousands of gold and silver coins recovered from the cache amounted to almost a ton. Experts estimated this find to be more than two thousand years old. These coins, which were discovered only in our century, date back to around 50 BC. They were in circulation among one of the Celtic tribes of Coriosolites that inhabited the northern territories of the modern province of Brittany. Scientists believe that this incredible amount of money even in our times was hidden by the French Celts on the island of Jersey just before the Roman invasion. As you know, back in the middle of the 1st century BC, the merciless legionaries of Julius Caesar conquered these lands, conquering various tribes of the Gauls.
Researchers are still at a loss to determine the exact number of rare coins. The fact is that metal has been mixed with clay for centuries, and it has packed so tightly that it creates the feeling of a huge ingot. Experts calculated preliminary that this figure could be from 30 to 50 thousand pieces of coins. And numismatists claim that the approximate price of each such coin can reach 1-2 hundred pounds sterling. It is easy to calculate that the total approximate cost of this block of clay with ancient coins can range from 5 to 16.5 million dollars.
Year 2012, the coast of Ireland, a ship with 48 tons of silver in the hold
Relatively recently, quite by accident, about 48 tons of silver were raised from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And this is by far the largest cargo of precious metal that has ever been discovered among the depths of the sea. This incredible treasure, worth about $38 million, was found aboard a ship called the Gersoppa, just off the coast of Ireland. You will not believe it, but this is not a Spanish galleon, but a military transport ship that sank back in 1941, after it received a critical hit by a torpedo after being attacked by German submarines.
Year 2011, India, treasury in the temple
In 2011, in an Indian temple that stood for several centuries, the most fantastic treasure in the history of mankind was discovered. Like in a detective story or an ancient fairy tale, the Hindu monks hid the secret of centuries, that in lower tiers the temple has a treasury hidden from the eyes of curious passers-by and townspeople. Incredibly, but apparently the people who kept the secret of the temple treasury did not survive and did not have time to transfer this information to any of the modern descendants. In the Padmanabhaswami temple, in its lower tiers, there were countless treasures, both in ancient times and today, constituting great wealth. According to experts, the coins, jewelry and valuables stored there, in terms of modern money, make up about 6% of India's current gold and foreign exchange fund. And in figures it is about 22 billion dollars. After an investigation, it turned out that initially the keepers of this temple in the state of Kerala had been saving their wealth for a very long time. The treasury was replenished with donations according to preliminary data, dating back to the 14th century. And everything was forgotten because in the 18th century the monks decided to wall up these hiding places.
Year 2011, Germany, coin collection
An interesting collection of coins, the preliminary value of which may well reach several million euros, was once discovered right among the books in the state library of one of the towns in Lower Bavaria. In the course of her usual work, the cleaning lady unexpectedly discovered the box. This box contained a real treasure, a whole collection of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and even French coins from the time of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Scientists have put forward a version according to which this collection of coins was hidden from the authorities back in 1803. At that time, money and books were confiscated in monasteries in favor of the state.
Year 2010, UK, Roman coin hoard
Two years have passed since a large hoard of coins from the time of the Roman Empire was found in Great Britain. The weight of this treasure was about 160 kilograms. The coins were made of bronze, and were placed in an earthenware jar, which was hidden under a 30 cm layer of earth. It was found by an amateur treasure hunter. As historians have suggested, this jar of ancient coins was intended as a tribute to the gods.
Adventure seekers have long been attracted by treasures, a great number of which are hidden in the bowels of the seas, deserts and in ancient caches. It is not only an adventurous adventure, but also interesting finds, opening the curtains in history, and romance from the past, which declares itself.
The most amazing thing is that not only archaeologists and divers, junk dealers or treasure hunters can find something of value. Sometimes the chance comes and ordinary people. The main thing is that the found wealth should not be underestimated!
Here are the most valuable and interesting treasures found in the last decade!
"Naryshkin Treasure" in St. Petersburg, 2012
In March 2012, in St. Petersburg, during the restoration of the old Trubetskoy-Naryshkin mansion at 29 Tchaikovsky Street, workers found a walled-up room filled with dishes. Most of the instruments bore the Naryshkin family coat of arms. The collection was supplemented by French knives with mother-of-pearl and porcelain painted handles, several Easter pendants in bulk and on a chain, stored in a case with the Faberge hallmark, and orders Russian Empire- 2168 items in total. All items were carefully wrapped in vinegar-soaked cloth and 1917 newspapers. Apparently, the owners expected to return.
Donations at an Indian temple, 2011
This is one of the largest treasures in modern history. Treasures hidden in the lower tiers of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple have been valued at $22 billion. This is 6% of the total gold and foreign exchange fund of India. The keepers of the temple began to fill the six underground vaults with donations from the 14th century.
One and a half centner of Roman coins, 2010, UK
Bronze coins were stored in a clay jar, which was only under a 30-centimeter layer of earth. The treasure was found by an amateur archaeologist. The total value of the coins was not disclosed.
Gold and jewels in Staffordshire, 2009
The treasure, discovered by the Englishman Terry Herbert, consisted of five kilograms of gold, three kilograms of silver and precious stones. The treasure hunter stumbled upon the treasure while using a metal detector to explore the territory of his friend's farm.
Collection of coins from the German library, 2011
A box filled with unique Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins was found among the books of the state library in one of the towns of Lower Bavaria by an ordinary cleaner. Perhaps the collection was hidden in 1803 from the authorities, who confiscated the coins and books stored in the monasteries in favor of the state. The value of the find is several million euros.
17 tons of silver at a depth of 2.5 km, 2011, Atlantic
About 17 tons of silver was found aboard the British steamer Mantola, which sank in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was wrecked as a result of an attack by the German submarine U-81. The value of the treasure exceeds $19 million. True, no one has yet been able to raise it from such a depth.
Half a million gold and silver coins, 2007
In May 2007, Odyssey Marine Exploration announced the discovery of a wreck with 500,000 gold and silver coins on board. The treasure was raised and shipped to the US, but the company did not say who owned the sunken ship or where exactly it was found.
48 tons of English silver, 2012, Atlantic
In February 1941, the Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German submarine. The transport sank 300 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland. There were 85 crew members on board the ship. Only second mate Richard Ayers managed to escape. About 48 tons of silver were lifted from the ship - 1203 ingots.
700 gold coins, 2011, Caribbean
Off the coast of the Dominican Republic, Deep Blue Marine divers recovered 700 coins dated 1535 and gold jewelry from a sunken ship. The value of the find is several million dollars.
53 tons of platinum on a British ship, 2012, USA
In 2009, American treasure hunter Greg Brooks announced that he had discovered incredible treasures in a British merchant ship lying at the bottom of the American coast, with which Great Britain and the USSR paid for equipment supplied from the United States under Lend-Lease. Then Brooks, fearing competitors, named only the approximate cost of what was found - $ 3.5 billion, without revealing the location of the find.
Three years later, Greg Brooks gave the name of the ship - "Port Nicholson" - and clarified that it was sunk by a German submarine. “Our equipment is not enough to cope with two to five knots of current, near zero visibility and difficult open ocean conditions,” Brooks said and complained that he did not have $ 2.5 million for suitable underwater equipment. So far, no one has succeeded in raising treasures from the bottom of the ocean.
500-year-old ship with $13 million worth of gold found in desert, 2016
Namibian diamond miners have stumbled upon the wreckage of a 500-year-old ship in the desert off the coast. The Portuguese ship Bom Jesus ("Good Jesus") disappeared in 1533 on its way to India. Found under a very impressive layer of sand, the ship rested on the site of an ancient man-made sea lagoon, which has now turned into a salt lake. In the hold were found gold and silver coins, as well as many elephant tusks. The total value of the goods is estimated at more than $13 million.
The ship was found by diamond miners after draining one of the salt lakes near the Skeleton Coast. From time to time ships are found in these places, but the Portuguese cargo ship is the oldest of all found and the only one whose cargo is of such value.
Items found on the ship, with a spade for scale: an astrolabe (center), a frying pan and some pottery. Things are well preserved. Prayer beads and a silver Portuguese coin.
Many Spanish, Portuguese and Venetian gold coins were found in the holds, Ivory from West Africa, German copper ingots, weapons and, of course, skeletons.
In the dungeons of the temple of Sri Padmanabhaswamy (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India), which are the shrine of the former rulers of the Principality of Travancore, researchers discovered untold riches that amazed not only India, but the whole world.
History has long kept 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 the researchers were convinced, who lifted more than one hundred kilograms of gold coins and products from precious alloys and bags with precious stones from the vaults.
According to official sources, in the Sri Padmanabhaswami temple, the construction of which was dedicated to the god Vishnu, five secret vaults were opened. According to preliminary estimates of experts, their cost may 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 to discover new hiding places with the help of metal detectors.
The largest treasure in history consists of gold coins and ingots, 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 statue of the god Vishu, which is made of pure gold and has a height of 1.2 meters, to be the biggest find.
The construction of the temple dates back to the 16th century, but its prosperity began much later - from the 17th to the 19th century. 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 also found by the American company Odyssey near Portugal. The treasure was discovered on the sunken Spanish military frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes in 2007. From the side of the frigate, 500 thousand gold and silver coins, jewelry and jewelry were raised to the surface. 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, as 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 explosion of the frigate.
The American company Odyssey assures that the treasure was raised as part of the Black Swan special operation, but as it turned out later, the Spanish authorities were not notified of such operations. Odyssey's actions were called immoral and unacceptable with legal point vision.
On the this moment treasures are under the protection of the US federal court. One thing remains unclear when Spain will be able to receive the treasure that is rightfully theirs. Odyssey plans to appeal and challenge the court's decision, as it believes that the representatives of Spain have not proved their full ownership of this treasure.
They knew the saying: “Keep your money in savings banks!” Then they and their heirs would have retained the right to countless treasures walled up, hidden in mountain crevices, buried on uninhabited islands! On the other hand, many treasure hunters would lose their share of wealth, and you and I would not be able to read about the 10 largest treasures found in the last century. Let's start the countdown:
1 Treasure $22,000,000,000
The largest treasure in our history was discovered in 2011 in the temple of Sri Padmanambhaswamy, India. Because of their sheer size, the treasure has only been given a rough estimate. It was impossible to determine the exact amount of jewelry and coins - they were considered bags.
2 Treasure $10,000,000,000
The previous treasure of this magnitude was found in Chile, in 2005. Treasure - gold bars packed in 600 barrels - were found at a depth of only 50 meters. Despite the apparent ease of discovery, it took years of searching for famous treasure hunters, so success is quite natural.
3
Diamonds, gold and platinum - this is the cargo that was raised from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean by an American company that really wanted to remain anonymous. It did not work out, and the whole world, including its former owners - Great Britain and Russia, learned about the fabulous treasure, which again saw the light in 2009. Further fate It is difficult to predict the treasure, but, most likely, a series of litigations awaits it.
4
It is at this amount that the treasures of the Spanish ship that sank off the coast of Colombia more than 300 years ago are estimated. Treasures, most of which are gold and silver bars, as well as jewelry, will go to the state, the President of Colombia said. The find was announced in December 2015.
The fate of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, which was sunk two centuries ago off the coast of Portugal, turned out to be unfortunate. The treasure ship was found only in 2007. Failures began to haunt treasure hunters, who, after raising the treasure, were forced to give everything to the last coin to Spain, which proved that the treasure was its national treasure.
6 Treasure $450,000 million.
The Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora De Atocha, and with it its treasures - gold and, mainly, emeralds, lay on seabed more than 400 years, until they were found by a detachment of American treasure hunters. About 500 thousand precious artifacts were raised from the bottom, among which there were only 4000 emeralds.
7 Treasure $400,000 million
A considerable amount was stolen and collected on his ship by the pirate Black Sam Bellamy. But only now, the ship was “lucky” to sink with all the treasures, and it was found in 1984. Of course, all the main finds were raised at the same time, but the list of treasures continues to be replenished with new exhibits.
8 Treasure $200,000 million.
A silver treasure was found at the bottom of the North Atlantic - these are ingots of the British Ministry, lost at the very beginning of World War II as a result of a German submarine attack. This time, the treasure hunters acted under a preliminary contract, and 80% of the find was given to them. It is worth noting that the costs of raising the treasure were rather big, because the treasure had to be taken from a depth of 4.6 kilometers.
9 Treasure $190,000 million.
In addition to the many lives lost, the Titanic took with it huge treasures belonging to its passengers to the bottom. Many of them soon after finding the shipwreck began to appear at auctions. The total value of the finds is estimated at 190 million US dollars, but there are still a lot of them left at the bottom.
10 Treasure $10,000 million.
The infamous "Golden Ship" that sank off the coast Central America in 1857 caused the Panic of 1857. The financiers had something to be upset about - 14,000 kilograms of pure gold sank with the ship, which were discovered only 131 years later. Most of the treasure has been raised.
The American Odyssey Marine Exploration recently reported that the expedition was able to recover almost 48 tons of silver from a military transport ship that sank in 1941 300 nautical miles from the city of Galway in Ireland. The ship sank in February 1941, out of 85 crew members, only one managed to escape. Since then, it has been lying at a depth of 4.7 km.
Among the gold, diamonds and other treasures found in last years treasure hunters, 48 tons of silver, raised from the bottom of the sea off the coast of Ireland, is far from a record.
"Naryshkin Silver" in St. Petersburg, 2012
In March of this year in St. Petersburg, during the restoration of the old Trubetskoy-Naryshkin mansion, workers stumbled upon a walled-up room filled with silver utensils. Most of the devices had the Naryshkin family coat of arms, and the items themselves were in perfect condition - since 1917 they had been waiting in the wings, carefully wrapped in newspapers and linen cloth soaked in vinegar, which did not allow the silver to oxidize.
$22 billion in Indian temple, 2011
Last year, one of the largest treasures in the history of mankind was discovered in an Indian temple. According to experts, the treasures immured in the lower tiers of the Padmanabhaswamy temple make up 6% of the entire gold and foreign exchange fund of India, that is, about $22 billion.
Keepers of the temple built in Indian state Kerala, began to fill six underground vaults with donations from the 14th century, and in the 18th century it was decided to carefully wall up the hiding places.
One and a half centner of Roman coins, 2010
Two years ago, a large hoard of coins of the Roman Empire weighing more than 160 kg was found in the UK. The bronze coins were stored in an earthenware jar, which was only under a 30-centimeter layer of earth and was discovered by an amateur treasure hunter. According to experts, the jug with coins was intended as a sacrifice to the gods.
Gold and jewels in Staffordshire, 2009
In 2009, in Staffordshire, amateur archaeologist Terry Herbert unearthed a treasure dating back to the Anglo-Saxon era. In total, it consisted of five kilograms of gold, about three kilograms of silver and precious stones.
Among the items found were golden brooches, armor and swords, crockery and religious utensils. The treasure hunter stumbled upon the treasure while using a metal detector to explore the territory of his friend's farm. Under the ground were more than 1,500 different items that could belong to representatives of the Anglo-Saxon elite.
Treasure hidden from Caesar, 2012
One of the largest hoards in history was found this year on the island of Jersey in the English Channel. Amateur archaeologists have discovered a cache, the total weight of the valuables in which was more than 700 kg. According to scientists, the treasure is more than 2000 years old and it could have been hidden by the Celtic tribes fleeing from the troops of Julius Caesar.
Over 2,000 years, the metal products were so tightly packed that they turned into one huge ingot, the cost of which, according to various estimates, ranges from $5 million to $17 million.
Millions from the German Library, 2011
A collection of unique coins, the total value of which can reach several million euros, was found among the books of the state library in one of the towns of Lower Bavaria. The cleaning lady found a box containing a collection of Greek, Roman, Byzantine coins, as well as French coins from the era of Napoleon Bonaparte.
According to one version, the collection was hidden in 1803 from the authorities, who confiscated coins and books stored in monasteries in favor of the state.
Gold from the cruiser Edinburgh, 1981
In 1981, the largest deep-sea gold recovery operation was carried out in the Barents Sea from the sunken English cruiser Edinburgh. At the end of April 1942, the cruiser left Murmansk for England with 5.5 tons of gold on board, but, having received damage from German warships, was scuttled by order of the captain. Only in 1980, British experts determined the exact location of the ship, and in September 1981, most of the gold bars were raised to the surface. Several ingots could not be found.
17 tons of silver at a depth of 2.5 km, 2011
About 17 tons of silver was found on board a British ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean. The Mantola was wrecked in 1917 by the German submarine U-81. According to experts, the value of the treasure exceeds $19 million.
Treasures of the galleon "Atocha", 1985
In 1985, after 15 years of searching, the legendary treasures of the Spanish galleon "Atocha" were found, which was wrecked in 1622 due to a storm off the coast of Florida.
The wealth raised was estimated at more than $400 million, including 200 gold and about a thousand silver bars, jewelry, gold chains and a whole arsenal of weapons of the 17th century.
Pirate treasure on a Florida beach, 1984
The treasure was found by one of the most famous treasure hunters, Barry Clifford, just a few hundred meters from Cape Cod Beach on the coast of Florida. He discovered the wreck of the pirate galley "Waida", from which he lifted about five tons of various valuables.
The total price found exceeded $ 15 million: before breaking on the coastal reefs, the pirates robbed more than fifty ships.
48 tons of silver off the coast of Ireland, July 2012
Recently, about 48 tons of silver were raised from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean - this is the largest cargo of the precious metal ever discovered in sea depths. Treasure worth approximately $38 million was found aboard the ship "Gersoppa" off the coast of Ireland. This military transport ship sank in 1941 after being attacked by German submarines.
Gold, platinum and diamonds on the ship without a name, 2009
The remains of a British freighter sunk by the Nazis during World War II have been discovered off the northeast coast South America. The value of the find was that the ship was carrying a large cargo of gold, platinum and diamonds, intended to replenish the US treasury.
The name of the ship was not disclosed, but it was conventionally called the Blue Baron. The ship was wrecked in June 1942.
Half a million gold and silver coins, 2007
In May 2007, the Odyssey Marine Exploration Company, which specializes in finding marine treasures, announced the discovery of a sunken ship with 500,000 gold and silver coins on board. The treasure was raised and shipped to the US, but the company never said who owned the sunken ship or where exactly it was found.
Coins and magic stone in the Caribbean, 2011
Last year in the Caribbean off the coast Dominican Republic American organization treasure hunters Deep Blue Marine discovered the treasure. In the 16th century, a shipwreck occurred on this site. Divers found 700 old coins, the cost of which can reach millions of dollars, ancient figurines and an unusual mirror stone that could be used in shamanic rituals.
Soviet platinum on a British ship, 2012
In February 2012, the famous US treasure hunter Greg Brooks discovered the sunken British ship Port Nicholson, which in 1942 did not bring platinum bars from the USSR to New York. The ship was sunk by a German submarine. His cargo was intended for calculation Soviet Union with the US government for allied supplies of ammunition, military equipment and food.
