Some of the great treasures which have vanished throughout history;

http://www.treasurelore.com/florida/treasure_ships.htm

http://www.aquiziam.com/top-ten-lost-treasures.html

There's a few up here worth finding, the Blessing of Burntisland with Charles I's bits and bobs and also General Monk's treasure with the loot from Dundee. Then there's the Jacobite gold reputed to be in Loch Arkaig and the best known, the Spanish gold in the Tobermory galleon.

Not all lost treasures are bullion, the remains of Peking Man are one example.

ferval wrote:

There's a few up here worth finding, the Blessing of Burntisland with Charles I's bits and bobs .....

Funny that you mentioned the 'Blessing of Burtisland' because she was owned by a distant kinsman of mine, and yes it was he that was responsible for losing all of Charley-boy's bits and bobs. In his (my ancestor's) defence, I feel I should point out that the sea was rough and that it had been suggested that maybe Charlie should wait a bit before ferrying out all the jewels and gold plate.... But no, King Charles wouldn't listen and ordered that it all be done at once.

There is of course little mention in the official history of the loss, that several of my distant family drowned in the Firth of Forth alongside the precious Royal baubles.

There are the metal boxes that Nazi officers supposedly hid in Lake Toplitz, Austria at the end of WWII. No-one knows exactly what's in them but common theories range from gold and art work looted from occupied countries across Europe to documents showing where the confiscated Jewish wealth was hidden in Swiss Banks.

Wiki also has a further list of missing treasures http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missing_treasure

But ferval is correct, not all treasure consists of gold and jewels. Phidias' great statue of Zeus at Olympia was a wonder to behold apparently and there is still much debate surrounding the disappearance. But there is no doubt that it existed as the discovery of Phidias' worshop at Olympia attests

This salvage operation took place in the early 1980's to recover gold bars from the cruiser HMS Edinburgh in the Arctic Ocean;

http://www.hmsedinburgh.co.uk/article1.php

Was watching the western McKenna's Gold yesterday, about the search for "the Lost Adams" a canyon full of gold somewhere in the US Southwest.

It turns out that there really was a man called Adams who claimed to have seen just this thing, and people have been searching for it ever since;

http://www.caminorealheritage.org/PH/0904_adams_diggings1.pdf

http://www.caminorealheritage.org/PH/1004_adams_diggings2.pdf

I was going to begin another thread but I suppose this treasure hunting, although illegal, could also be included here.

Good news this week from both England and Greece with the conviction of those involved in illegal excavations and the theft of antiquities.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-20799549

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/12/22/2-men-jailed-for-life-over-illegal-antiquities/

How much of this kind of thing would escape the nets though?

Quote :

How much of this kind of thing would escape the nets though?

I believe that, after people and drugs, antiquities trafficking is the most lucrative and extensive illegal trade there is.

These sites will give you more information -
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/
http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

Triceratops wrote:

This salvage operation took place in the early 1980's to recover gold bars from the cruiser HMS Edinburgh in the Arctic Ocean;

And a current salvage operation on the famous HMS Victory, although this time undertaken by foreign treasure hunters which is leading to some controversy (quite rightly) over finds

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9756912/US-treasure-hunters-ready-to-snatch-gold-from-the-jaws-of-Victory.html#

Here's a cheery report on looting in Bulgaria. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49571353/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/looters-stripping-bulgaria-vast-ancient-treasures/#.UPLRieRsCSq

Bulgaria is unearthing wonderful finds at a furious rate at the moment, almost on a par with Turkey for the amount of digging going on and the amount of stuff being pilfered. A video here of a fabulous horde of gold jewellery recently unearthed in Bulgaria.

How the vultures flock when there is political unrest, and it is not only the thieves but also the buyers who are equally quilty. Two distressing stories out of Syria and Egypt over the last couple of days.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/17/syria-odyssey-mosaics-stolen-homer_n_2706470.html#slide=1749393

http://triblive.com/usworld/world/3499557-74/pyramid-egypt-red#axzz2LAjEj08T

On a more positive note, the Amber Room, which was removed by the Germans in 1941 and is believed to have been destroyed in 1945*, has been recreated at Tsarskoye Selo near St Petersburg [ paid for by a German utilities company]



* There are stories it is buried under Konigsberg or in the Hartz mountains.

The original amber has to be hidden somewhere though, that amount can't just vanish into thin air. I can see someone finding it in 1,000yrs time, archaeologists calling it a fabulous 'hoard' and contemplating on who buried it and why!

ID, from reading about the Amber Room on wiki, it looks as though the original was destroyed in a fire at Konigsberg Castle in April 1945.

People are still searching for it though.

A fabulous grave of a warrior has been discovered in the Caucasus Mountains, Russia. Finds include 2 helmets, 2 swords, mail and gold jewellery in remarkable condition.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57570500/treasure-filled-warriors-grave-found-in-russia/

Photographs of some of the finds can be found here

http://www.livescience.com/27271-ancient-treasure-caucasus.html