12 Lost Treasures You Can Still Look For

[Dana Monsour]

12 Lost Treasures You Can Still Look For (PHOTOS)

First Posted: 11-15-10 08:17 AM   |   Updated: 11-15-10 08:17 AM


Pirates, sea battles, treasure chests, secret tunnels, old maps...any mention of the word "treasure" is bound to set our imaginations on fire. And though it often seems unbelievable or just plain stupid, human beings have continually been lured by the prospects of hidden treasure.

Here's an exciting selection of 12 famous real-life lost treasures - "real" in the sense that countless people have gone out in search of them (with limited or no success!). While some of these lost treasures may be products of rumor, others, like the Bourbon Treasure or the Nazi Loot indeed have historical backing.

But we'll leave that to you to decide. Happy hunting!

[Dana Monsour]

Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, Superstition Mountains, Arizona



Read about the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, hidden in the "cursed" Superstition Mountains, according to legend the site of an ancient Apache treasure trove.

http://www.prairieghosts.com/dutchman.html

[Dana Monsour]

Amber Room, Kaliningrad, Russia



Read about the fabled Amber Room, a complete chamber decoration of amber panels, gold leaf and mirrors, which was looted from a palace near St. Petersburg by the Nazis and brought to present-day Kaliningrad (pictured above) in 1943, where it was last seen.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/amber.htm

[Dana Monsour]

Cocos Island, Costa Rica



Read about the famous church-treasure of Lima, Peru buried in Puerto Rico's Cocos Island, said to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island".

http://www.bc-alter.net/dfriesen/cocosleads.html

[Dana Monsour]

Abbey of Orval, Belgium



Read about the lost treasure of the Bourbons, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, supposedly hidden in the mysterious Abbey of Orval in Belgium on the eve of the French Revolution.

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/column.php?id=152386

[Dana Monsour]

Lake Guatavita, Colombia



Read about the legend of El Dorado, and the Incan gold that is said to be hidden at the bottom of Lake Guatavita in the Colombian Andes.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/754792/posts

[Dana Monsour]

Grand Manan Island, Canada



Read about the notorious pirate / privateer Captain Kidd, and the caches of treasure he is said to have buried on various North American islands, most notably in the "Money Cove" on Grand Manan.

http://unmyst3.blogspot.com/2010/01/captain-kidds-treasure.html

[Dana Monsour]

Lake Toplitz, Austria



Read about the boxes of stolen gold, artwork and counterfeit currency that a group of Nazis supposedly tossed into Lake Toplitz in the Austrian Alps in the final months of the Second World War.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/apr/06/austria.secondworldwar

[Dana Monsour]

Oak Island Money Pit, Nova Scotia



Read about the site of the world's longest running treasure hunt, a hole in Oak Island said to be discovered by 16-year old Daniel McGinnis in 1795.

http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

[Dana Monsour]

Little Big Horn Treasure, Montana




Read about a lost shipment of miner's gold, said to be buried on the site of the Little Big Horn Battlefield since 1876.

http://www.jamesmdeem.com/treasurestory3.htm

[Dana Monsour]

Rennes-le-Château, France



Read the sensational story of Father Bérenger Saunière, a 19th century priest who is said to have discovered lost holy treasures in the Mary Magdalene Church in this small French hamlet.

http://www.detecting.org.uk/html/Treasure_of_Rennes-le-Chateau_Metal_Detectors_Detecting.html

[Dana Monsour]

Yamashita Treasure, The Philippines



Read about the alleged loot stolen in Southeast Asia by Japanese forces during the Second World War, and hidden in caves, tunnels, and some say on Mindanao island (above) in the Philippines.

http://www.detecting.org.uk/html/Yamashitas_Gold_Treasure_Hunting_Metal_Detecting.html

[Dana Monsour]

Lost Ships of the Mojave Desert, California




Read about the enduring legend of ancient ships and wrecked Spanish galleons, buried somewhere in the sands of the Salton Sea Basin in the Mojave Desert.

http://www.desertusa.com/mag03/may/ship.html