We found a big treasure. The largest treasures found recently

Everyone knows the stories of finding treasures. Not long ago one resident Nizhny Novgorod region I was digging up my garden and found a whole collection of coins and old tokens from 1751. In the same year, on the embankment of Izhevsk, a bulldozer driver dug up a whole barrel with several hundred coins of tsarist mintage. In Suzdal, a team of plumbers found more than 300 coins from the end of the 18th century in the ground.

The list can be continued for a long time, because reports about the location of treasures in Russia appear on average once every six months. It is clear that treasures are found much more often, but not all treasure hunters are willing to cooperate with the authorities.

Today, according to the law, the found treasure must be divided in half between the finder and the owner of the land. If the treasure contains things that belong to cultural or historical monuments, then the state takes half for itself, and the rest is divided in half. As a rule, here too 25% goes to the state. The procedure for evaluating found treasures itself is very imperfect, which discourages seekers from legalizing treasures. For example, the excavation site itself may turn out to be a “historical monument”, which will make it possible to bring a person to criminal liability.

As a result, most treasure hunters conduct “black” searches, and “white” specialists work closely with lawyers. But such difficulties do not scare away amateurs, because there are so many treasures in the ground that there is enough for everyone. Our country has had a turbulent history over a large area, with many wars and changes in power. Naturally, people buried money in the ground in the hope of better times. As a result, banking in Russia began to develop much later than in Europe.

You can start looking for treasures in the Moscow region; in the capital itself, such events are officially prohibited. There is even a list of potentially treasure-rich territories, which includes territories near Mozhaisk, Kashira, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Kashira, the banks of the Oka and Moskva Rivers. It is advised to search in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, as well as in the territories through which Western invaders left the country, especially in Smolensk region.

For some, a treasure is an opportunity to get rich, while others are attracted by romance and history. Professionals emphasize their selflessness, but note the unprofitability of such a hobby. It is believed that searching for treasure just for the sake of enrichment is simply unprofitable. However, every seeker dreams of finding his own great treasure, among those legendary ones that have been searched for for decades. Below we will tell you about the ten most famous treasures hidden somewhere in Russia, just waiting to be discovered. The story of each of them is akin to a small detective story.

Suitcase with Bosporan gold. Many treasure hunters call this suitcase “golden”. In fact, it was black, passing through the documents as “special cargo $15.” And the name of the object was given by its contents. Inside were seventy silver Pontic and Bosporan coins from the reign of Mithridates, Panticapaean pure gold coins, and gold Bosporan coins. There were also a lot of simple Genoese, Byzantine and Turkish coins, medals, ancient Jewelry and gold plaques - everything that was found in 1926 in a Gothic burial and transferred to the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum. Treasures dating back to the 3rd-5th centuries were lost just 15 years after their discovery. The reason is war. In September 1941, the Germans were rushing to Crimea, the director of the museum, Yuri Marti, put the entire collection in a plywood suitcase, upholstered in leatherette. The valuable cargo, along with its attendants, crossed the Kerch Bay on a ferry, and then was transported by car to Armavir, where it was deposited. But the building where the valuables were located was destroyed by bombing. Soon rumors spread that the “golden” suitcase, as being of special value, was kept in another place. Only in 1982 were researchers able to find out that the suitcase had survived, and after the occupation they were able to take it to the village of Spokoinaya, handing it over to the partisans. The Nazis looked for treasure, but could not find it. Today our contemporaries are looking for the treasure - in the mountains and near the village where that same detachment was. The suitcase weighed about 80 kilograms and contained 719 ancient objects. Those wishing to look for the treasured treasure should start from the village of Spokoynaya, Otradnensky district of the Krasnodar Territory.

Treasure of Lenka Panteleev. The life story of the famous St. Petersburg thief Leonid Panteleev is very rich; it can be divided into three parts, each shorter than the previous one. Until 1922, Lenka was a fighter in the Red Army and served in the Cheka. However, a mysterious dismissal from the organs led to a "Robin Hood" lifestyle. The noble St. Petersburg thief robbed only the Nepmen, and burned through his earnings with the typical Russian breadth and scope. The authorities captured Panteleev quickly, but already in November 1922 he managed to escape from Kresty (the only successful escape in the history of the legendary prison). After his release, Lenka quickly decided that it was time to do some hard work, and then run away abroad with the loot. The city was shaking for two whole months - Panteleev carried out 35 armed raids, and did not disdain killings. The victims were deprived of chains, bracelets, rings, money and other small expensive items. But Lenka failed to carry out his plans; on the night of February 12, 1923, operatives found him and shot him during his arrest. But the wealth accumulated by the thief disappeared somewhere. Modern St. Petersburg diggers are sure that it has sunk underground, and in the literal sense of the word. So they are looking for the thief's treasure in the endless underground galleries of St. Petersburg. At the same time, diggers periodically stumble upon bandit caches, consisting of weapons, tools and other items used by thieves. But Grand Prize remains unfound. Today the value of the treasure that contains jewelry and gold coins are valued at 150 thousand dollars. The main search area is the dungeons in the center of St. Petersburg, the cellars of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and the Ligovsky catacombs.

Gold from the ship "Varyagin". On October 7, 1906, this cargo-passenger ship crashed in the Ussuri Bay. The ship was commanded by Captain Ovchinnikov, and the owner was the merchant Alexey Varyagin. The steamer sailed from Vladivostok to Sukhodol Bay (at that time Gankgouzy). Local newspapers reported that he was carrying mail and money for the population and military units. There were also 250 passengers on board. But on the way, the ship collided with a mine, a “gift” from Russo-Japanese War which ended recently. Almost instantly, the Varyagin sank; only 15 people, including the captain, managed to escape. For Far Eastern Russian shipping, the tragedy remained the largest in history. But then the press was not so influential, the matter was quickly forgotten. But one detail soon surfaced - in his petition to the local governor-general confidant Varyagin asked to compensate for the 60 thousand rubles transported on the ship in gold and some “especially valuable cargo.” Then the authorities refused the merchant, but in 1913 Captain Ovchinnikov himself tried to carry out the ship-lifting operation. The ship was found, but it turned out that completing the operation would require quite a lot of money and effort. From a depth of 26 meters it was then possible to recover only part of the valuable cargo, not gold. The second expedition was postponed due to storms, then the first one began World War, then the revolution... No more attempts were made to raise “Varyagin”. The main interest for treasure hunters is gold coins. At today's prices they cost about several million rubles! You need to look for a sunken ship in the Ussuri Bay, between the Three Stones site, Mount Vargli and Sukhodol Bay.

Kolchak's gold. This story is one of the most popular among our treasure hunters. It is not surprising that there are many versions and directions of search. It is reliably known that in 1918 in Omsk, Admiral Kolchak was proclaimed the Supreme Ruler of Russia. This power, alternative to the Soviet one, was supported by a large amount of gold previously exported from Kazan. Part of the Russian gold reserves was evacuated there at the beginning of the First World War. The Omsk branch of the state bank estimated the value of the reserve at 650 million rubles. In 1921, Kolchak’s power fell, and the gold was given away by the Czechoslovak corps in exchange for promises to leave Russia unhindered. But it turned out that there were much fewer ingots. The fortune itself was already estimated at 400 million. But where the 250 million went remains unclear. On this basis, many versions have appeared, of which two main ones can be distinguished. According to one of them, the gold remained in Omsk region, in particular in the underground passages under the building of that very branch of the state bank, or underground near the Zakhlamino station. Another version says that the gold was sent to Vladivostok on the convoys. Important is the testimony of the Estonian soldier Karl Purrock, who served in Kolchak’s army in one of the Siberian regiments. He said that not far from Kemerovo, at the Taiga station, the gold was unloaded and buried. This version is supported by the fact that at the beginning of 1941, the omniscient NKVD summoned Purrock from Estonia to help investigators in their search. Many excavations were carried out in this area, but nothing was discovered. The Estonian himself was arrested for deception Soviet power, a year later he died in a correctional camp. The gold bars remained unfound, located either in Omsk, or near the village of Taiga, or somewhere else.

Treasure of the breeder Andrey Batashev. The wealthy Tula industrialist Andrei Batashev founded the village of Gus-Zhelezny in the second half of the 18th century. One part of the name arose due to the Gus River, which flows into the Oka, and the second - to the deposits iron ores. It was they who allowed Batashev to build a factory on this site. As a result, the industrialist became the de facto owner of all the surrounding areas. He drove away almost the entire population from the villages under his control, building a huge estate in two years. The house looked more like a fortress or the dwelling of a medieval feudal lord than the estate of a Russian landowner. Nearby there was a church, the Trinity Cathedral, which has survived to this day. Andrei Batashev himself, according to eyewitnesses, eventually retired, leaving the industry to his brother Ivan. The former breeder turned into a local robber. He abandoned all his affairs, immersing himself in the construction of his estate, and periodically visiting Moscow, wasting money there. Batashev stated that he had eradicated all the robber gangs in the area, but the robberies of passers-by continued. Over time, 300 people who were conducting some kind of activities inside the estate also disappeared somewhere. secret work. The breeder was patronized by Prince Potemkin himself, so the authorities did not have any special questions. But after the death of the empress’s favorite, an inspection arrived at the Eagle’s Nest estate. Among other goals, the task was to check the presence of a secret mint. But no untold riches or obvious irregularities were discovered. Without a patron, Batashev quickly turned into a hermit, dying in his home in 1799. Surprisingly, after the death of this one of richest people country of its time, no special material values ​​were found in fate. Today, on the site of the house there is a children's sanatorium; several outbuildings, the ruins of greenhouses and a theater remain. It is clear that historians, archaeologists and treasure hunters are not so interested in them as they are in the secret system of underground galleries and caches. Only now the estate has been declared a historical monument by the state, so carrying out excavations here is simply illegal. So they remained somewhere in the vicinity of the Eagle's Nest estate, near the village of Gus-Zhelezny Ryazan region, lie a treasure with valuable items.

Treasures of the Smolensk Bank. When Nazi troops attacked Smolensk, bank valuables were taken out of the defending city in great haste and almost at the last moment. There are facts indicating how at the beginning of August 1941 a convoy of 8 trucks set off for Vyazma, but were fired upon at the Solovyov crossing. As a result, only 5 cars reached the nearest village of Otnosovo, while the fate of the rest remained unknown. At this moment, Vyazma, located 20 kilometers to the east, was already practically captured by the Germans. Almost nothing is known about the cargo, but it is believed that these were the vehicles that transported valuables from the Smolensk bank. This assumption is based on the memories of local residents. They claimed that when one of the tarpaulin-covered cars was hit by a bomb, thousands of shiny coins scattered throughout the forest. It can be assumed that the command realized that it would not be possible to remove bank valuables from the encirclement, therefore, they burned the paper money and buried the gold and silver. This version is also supported by the fact that after the end of the war, many coins from the 1924 issue were discovered in Otnosovo, which went out of circulation long before the start of the war. But the location of the treasure itself, in which silver coins were interspersed with gold bars, remained unknown. It is believed that the estimated value of the treasure at today's prices is about 6.5 million dollars. You should look for treasures in the vicinity of the village of Otnosovo, in the Smolensk region.

Treasures of Count Rostopchin. The historical Voronovo estate is located 37 kilometers away. During the War of 1812, the residence of Moscow Governor General Rostopchin was located here. By the way, Tolstoy spoke very disparagingly about this in his novel “War and Peace.” Rostopchin at one time managed to turn the estate into something grandiose; contemporaries called this place a little Versailles. Antique vases and marble statues, paintings and works of art came here from European capitals. Rostopchin, who surrendered Moscow to Napoleon's troops during the retreat, deliberately set fire to his palace and left a defiant note. It reported that two houses and property worth half a million rubles were left in the city, and the estate turned into ashes. There is an opinion that in this way the count made it clear to everyone that his property was destroyed, since no evacuation was carried out. But contemporaries discovered some oddities in Rostopchin’s behavior in last days defense Previously, the count was famous for his hospitality, but he did not invite anyone from the headquarters located nearby to the estate. It remains a mystery why Rostopchin did not try to save any of the valuables, sending him along with the servants and peasants to another estate near Lipetsk. The governor carried out the arson personally, and in the fire even something that could not have burned was burned - marble statues. The elements of the picture finally began to converge in 1983, when specialists from Spetsproektrestavratsiya found an underground passage more than two meters high on the territory of the estate. Its length turned out to be short; due to the crumbling arches, the tunnel was completely filled in to avoid accidents. As a result, there is no doubt that Voronovo has underground passages, but serious searches were never carried out in this area. In addition, the Voronovo sanatorium was erected here on the site of the former estate. Treasure lovers in the area can look for silver and bronze items, porcelain and paintings, sculptures and tapestries. The sanatorium is located on the 61st kilometer of the Staro-Kaluga Highway, 37 kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road.

Treasure of Sigismund III. Russia is particularly rich in buried treasures. Time of Troubles, which is logical. As a result most of The treasures found date back to the 16th-17th centuries. But the history of the most important treasure of those times is far from over. It begins with the words “I sent 923 reasons from Moscow various good things to the Kaluga Gate on Mozhaisk." Tradition says that the original of this recording was made on a copper plate and is kept in Warsaw. It was there that the treasures looted by the Poles were sent for King Sigismund III. In 1611, an uprising broke out in Moscow against the Polish occupiers. They brutally suppressed riot and continued to plunder the capital. Karamzin says that the Poles “robbed the royal treasury, took all the utensils of our ancient crown-bearers, their crowns, staffs, vessels, rich clothes, to send to Sigismund... they tore off the frames from the icons, divided the gold, silver, pearls, stones and precious fabrics." It is unclear whether the valuables were collected to be sent to Sigismund, or whether someone from the nobility planned to use them for their own purposes. But the mentioned 923 carts did not even reach Smolensk, disappearing along the way. However, there are even seemingly exact indications of the place where the treasure was buried - 650 meters from the churchyard of St. Nicholas the Wonderworking Lapotny, near the Khvorostyanka River. There remains a small problem - no one knows what kind of churchyard this is. This geographical concept allows the treasure to be located in many places. Researchers believe that it is necessary to look for a treasure with jewelry, gold and silver either near modern Mozhaisk, or in the vicinity of Aprelevka, in the Moscow region.

Napoleon's treasure. The fact that Napoleon collected a lot of treasures in Moscow is as much a legend as the library of Ivan the Terrible. There is no need to doubt the reality of the existence of this treasure, but the details still cause heated debate. It is clear from any history textbook that in September 1812 the French emperor decided to leave the Russian capital he had captured. His troops headed for Staraya Kaluga road, but were met by the Russians, forcing them to turn onto Staraya Smolensk road. Under Napoleon there were always two convoys. "Zolotoy" was carrying jewelry from the Kremlin, and "Zhelezny" was carrying a collection ancient weapons. The number of carts with loot cannot be counted at all - the French did not want to leave Russia without trophies. The plans of the invaders did not include the resurrection of the Russian army, nor did the harsh Russian winter with the subsequent famine. Within a few days, the most insignificant loads began to be dropped. The first treasure related to these events was found near the Nara River near Moscow, where silver dishes were discovered. Even before the retreating troops reached Mozhaisk, Napoleon gave the order not to leave the stolen goods to the Russians, but to hide, drown or destroy. The carts that followed him survived at least until the Berezina River, when it became clear that there was no longer any talk of any treasures. Otherwise, it was possible to lose the remnants of the once victorious army. Belarusian historians believe that Napoleon dragged his part of the treasure further, while the Russians suggest that the jewelry was sunk in the Smolensk region, in one of the local lakes. Attempts to explore this area were made more than once, at different times. So, in the early 1960s, detachments of Komsomol researchers were sent to these places, but no results were obtained. Today, the attention of historians is increasingly turning to Lake Semlyovskoye in the Smolensk region - several years ago, geophysicists discovered an increased content of gold and silver in its waters. But finding anything here is not so easy - the entire bottom is covered with a 16-meter layer of silt. It is known that in addition to ancient weapons, Napoleon's treasures included a cross from the bell tower of Ivan the Great, diamonds, gold in coins and bars, as well as candlesticks and silver chandeliers.

Golden horses of Khan Batu. This treasure is golden, in literally this word, the dream of Volgograd treasure hunters. It is known that once two life-size golden horses stood near the entrance to Sarai-Batu, the capital of the powerful Golden Horde. Such figures were created by order of Batu from all the golden treasures collected during the year as tribute. The horses' eyes were ruby. After the legendary Batu, Khan Berke ruled, who transferred the golden figures to his Sarai, located near the present village of Tsarev, which Volgograd region. The trail of horses is lost under Khan Mamai, or rather, along with him. History says that Mamai lost the Battle of Kulikovo, after which the Horde began to retreat. But no one could drag the heavy horses far. Today there is debate about whether the horses were entirely made of gold, or hollow inside. Researchers are wondering whether the figures were hidden together or separately. According to one version, one horse was buried along with Mamai, which means you need to look for the treasure in one of the mounds, of which there are simply many in the vicinity. The most popular search area is the bank of the Akhtuba River, just below the city of Leninsk in the Volgograd region.

Dedicated to all those who like to look for other people's property in the earth (and not only) - the largest treasures found from all corners of the earth!

Did you play pirates or robbers as a child? Then you probably at least once drew a map with an “X” sign, and then pretended that you were looking for a valuable treasure - a chest of gold, for example. Well, treasures were indeed found - by random lucky people or true adventurers. Only, unlike your childhood trinkets, these valuables are worth much, MUCH more. The most interesting thing is that sometimes the treasure is practically under our noses.

1. Treasure in the foundation of a building in the city of Środa Śląska

In 1985, builders took on the renovation of the ancient building and discovered a treasure in the foundation dating back to the beginning of the 14th century. The walled vase contained more than 3000 rare coins, medallions and gold Crown. The find is valued at $150 million. The treasure is currently on display in the Wroclaw Museum.

2. Sunken silver off the coast of Ireland

In 2012, searchers recovered about 48 tons of silver from the ocean floor. The treasure became one of the largest finds of silver. Its cost was estimated at $38 million. The valuable cargo was on a military transport ship that sank after an attack by German submarines. The treasure was found after the British Department of Transport announced a reward.

3. Half a million gold and silver coins near San Francisco

In 2007, Odyssey Marine Exploration, a company that specializes in geological exploration, found a Spanish ship on the shelf. Gold and silver coins were found on board. After the treasure was found, a terrible scandal broke out. The Spanish government demanded that the treasure be returned. And the gold itself was exported from the territory of Peru.

4. Treasure found in the foundation of a temple in India

In 2011, gold was discovered in the foundations of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the value of which is estimated at $22 billion. And it weighed more than 30 tons. The son of the last maharaja was present at the opening of the treasure.

5. A hoard of 50,000 Roman coins dating back to 290 AD.

The treasure was found in 2010 by David Crisp. He is an amateur treasure hunter. The treasure is estimated at only $5 million. The treasure is most valuable in the historical aspect: this is due to the fact that during this period the Roman Empire was experiencing economic crisis and the quality of the coins is very low, and the treasure itself represents a four-year salary of a legionnaire. The found coins can be seen in the British Museum.

6. Ship with platinum from the USSR

The cargo with platinum was supposed to be delivered to New York during the Second World War - this platinum was used to pay for “Allied assistance.” But the ship was sunk by a German submarine. It is very difficult to estimate the value of this treasure - according to rough estimates, it is worth $3 billion. It was found by treasure hunter Greg Brooks.

7. Treasure found in Staffordshire

The largest treasure found in England was discovered in 2009. Amateur treasure hunter Terry Herbert found the treasure. Almost all items date back to the 7th century AD. The treasure consists of silver and gold objects, their total weight is equal to 7.5 kg, and the quantity reaches 1500 pieces. These are weapons, dishes, and also jewelry.

8. Celtic treasures on the island of Jersey

Archaeologists who carried out excavations on the island of Jersey (Britain) discovered a cache of Celtic treasures. The treasure was hidden about two thousand years ago. Most likely, it was hidden from the Roman troops that invaded the British Isles. Now the cost of jewelry and coins is estimated at $17 million.

9. Treasures of the Naryshkins in St. Petersburg

The treasure was found during the renovation of the mansion in which the Trubetskoy-Naryshkins lived. During the renovation, a secret room was discovered that was not marked on the building plans. It contained entire deposits of silverware with the coat of arms of the Naryshkin family, awards and jewelry. The dishes have a magnificent appearance because they were in linen cloth soaked in vinegar. This cache was created in 1917. The treasure was valued at 189 million rubles.

10. Rare coins from the German library

In the state library of the town of Passau, cleaner Tanya Hels accidentally discovered rare coins in 2011. Tanya took her find to management. The treasure is estimated at several million euros. This cache contained very rare Byzantine, Greek, and Roman coins. It is believed that this collection was hidden from the authorities in 1803, for the reason that the authorities took away the monastery coins and books for government needs.

11. Treasures found off the coast of Florida, USA

This treasure was found in 1984 by an archaeologist who specializes in underwater excavations. The value of the treasure is estimated at $15 million. He was on a sunken ship built in the 18th century.

12. Treasures of the Spanish "Atocha"

The Atocha galleon was loaded with jewels for two months! With great difficulty, the ship was able to set sail, but it never reached the metropolis. The ship sank off the coast of Florida. The Spanish authorities repeatedly tried to raise the treasure from the bottom, but all attempts were unsuccessful. And only in 1985 Mel Fisher was lucky enough to find the treasure. To find him, Mel created an entire company, Treasurers Salvors Incorporated, and was also able to find investors for financing. When searching for the treasure, Mel's team examined about 120 square meters. miles of seabed. The value of the raised values ​​is estimated at $450 million. It is believed that $500 million worth of valuables were not found from this vessel. And they probably won’t find it anymore...

July 23rd, 2012

Treasures, treasure islands, chests in the ground, coins in the walls - these topics constantly excite the minds of people, from youth to retirement :-)

Let's see the most expensive treasures, found in our time...

The American Odyssey Marine Exploration recently reported that the expedition managed 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 lain at a depth of 4.7 km.

Among the gold, diamonds and other treasures that were found in last years treasure hunters, 48 ​​tons of silver recovered 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 ancient Trubetskoy-Naryshkin mansion, workers came across a walled-up room filled with silver dishes. Most of the devices bore 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 prevented the silver from oxidizing.

$22 billion in Indian temple, 2011

Last year, one of the largest treasures in human history was discovered in an Indian temple. According to experts, the treasures walled up in the lower tiers of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple account for 6% of India's total gold and foreign exchange reserves, that is, about $22 billion.

The guardians of the temple, built in the Indian state of Kerala, began filling six underground vaults with donations since the 14th century, and in the 18th century it was decided to carefully wall up the caches.

One and a half hundredweight of Roman coins, 2010

Two years ago, a large treasure trove of Roman Empire coins weighing more than 160 kg was found in Great Britain. The bronze coins were kept in a clay jug, which was located only under a 30-centimeter layer of soil 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 gold brooches, armor and swords, dishes and religious utensils. The treasure hunter stumbled upon the treasure while exploring the territory of his friend's farm with a metal detector. Under the ground there were more than 1,500 various objects that could belong to representatives of the Anglo-Saxon elite.

Treasure hidden from Caesar, 2012

One of the largest treasures in history was found this year on the island of Jersey in the English Channel. Amateur archaeologists discovered a cache whose total weight of valuables was more than 700 kg. According to scientists, the treasure is more than 2000 years old and could have been hidden by Celtic tribes fleeing the troops of Julius Caesar.

The metal products packed together so tightly over 2,000 years that they turned into one huge ingot, the value of which, according to various estimates, ranges from $5 million to $17 million.

Millions from a German library, 2011

Collection 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 discovered 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 for the benefit of the state.

Gold from the cruiser Edinburgh, 1981

In 1981, the largest deep-sea operation to recover gold from the sunken English cruiser Edinburgh was carried out in the Barents Sea. 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 did British experts determine the exact location of the ship, and in September 1981, most of the gold bars were raised to the surface. Several ingots were never found.

17 tons of silver at a depth of 2.5 km, 2011

About 17 tons of silver were discovered 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, which was wrecked in 1622 due to a storm off the coast of Florida, were found.
The wealth raised was estimated at more than $400 million, including 200 gold and about a thousand silver bars, jewelry, gold chains and an entire arsenal of weapons from the 17th century.

Pirate's treasure on a Florida beach, 1984

The treasure was found one of the most famous treasure hunters Barry Clifford just a few hundred meters from Cape Cod Beach on the Florida coast. He discovered the wreck of the pirate galley Whydah, from which he recovered about five tons of various valuables.

The total price of what was found exceeded $15 million: before crashing on the coastal reefs, the pirates robbed more than fifty ships.

48 tons of silver off the coast of Ireland, July 2012

Fresh from the bottom Atlantic Ocean about 48 tons of silver were lifted - this is the largest load precious metal ever discovered in depths of the sea Oh. Treasure worth approximately $38 million was found on board the ship Gersoppa off the coast of Ireland. This military transport ship sank in 1941 after an attack 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 vessel was not disclosed; it was conventionally called Blue Baron. The ship was wrecked in June 1942.

Half a million gold and silver coins, 2007

In May 2007, Odyssey Marine Exploration, a company specializing in the search sea ​​treasures, announced the discovery of a sunken ship with 500,000 gold and silver coins on board. The treasure was recovered and transported to the United States, 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, the American treasure hunting organization Deep Blue Marine discovered treasure in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of the Dominican Republic. In the 16th century, a shipwreck occurred at this site. Divers found 700 antique coins, the cost of which can reach millions of dollars, ancient figurines and an unusual mirror stone that could be used in shamanic rituals.

In February 2012, the famous US treasure hunter Greg Brooks discovered the sunken British ship Port Nicholson, which in 1942 never brought platinum bars from the USSR to New York. The ship was sunk by a German submarine. Its cargo was intended to be calculated Soviet Union with the US government for supplies of ammunition to the allies, military equipment and food.

As is becoming increasingly known, the number of treasures found in our century has increased significantly. Moreover, the number of treasures has increased by an order of magnitude, which can be called huge without exaggeration. Let's try to look at these finds and make a kind of ranking of the largest treasures that were found in our modern times.

Year 2012, Russia, famous Naryshkin treasure

Interesting news from March last year was the information that circulated in the media that during the restoration of the ancient mansion of the Naryshkin family, a treasure was discovered. The cache was found during restoration work in the house. One of the workers, while manipulating the wall, suddenly fell into a secret room, which turned out to be filled with boxes and bags. This find, after it was described and evaluated, amounted to 2168 items. This is one of the largest and most valuable treasures ever found in Russia. The Naryshkins' treasure included five almost complete silver sets, the most notable of which was the ceremonial table service of more than two hundred items from the famous Sazikov company. On these items self made There are hallmarks of iconic Russian jewelers from the last third of the 19th century until the 20th century. These works were carried out by such celebrities as Sazikov, the famous Ovchinnikov and Khlebnikov, and the famous jewelers the Grachev brothers. The treasure also contains items from Faberge and Keibel. Silver items from European, in particular French, masters were also found. The cache also contained expensive military orders, valuable medals with memorial signs, award documents, stunningly beautiful jewelry, watches and toiletries. Unique silverware, as well as several small Easter pendants. Moreover, some of these items were in historical cases. This treasure was formed by the Naryshkin family themselves at a time when they wanted to protect their family heirlooms from plunder. It is noteworthy that newspapers dating back to 1917 were found in the cache. You can guess for yourself what the Naryshkins were so afraid of.

Year 2012, Great Britain, 700 kg of treasures

Also noteworthy is one of the largest European history treasures discovered on the island of Jersey by amateur treasure hunters. After evaluation and recalculation, the weight of tens of thousands of gold and silver coins extracted from the cache amounted to almost a ton. Experts estimate this find to be more than two thousand years old. These coins, which were only discovered in this century, date back to around 50 BC. They were in circulation among one of the Celtic Coriosolite tribes that inhabited northern territories modern province of Brittany. Scientists believe that this amount of money, incredible even by our times, was hidden by the French Celts on the island of Jersey just before the Roman invasion. As is known, back in the middle of the 1st century BC, the merciless legionnaires of Julius Caesar conquered these lands, conquering various tribes of the Gauls.

Researchers are still finding it difficult to determine the exact number of rare coins. The fact is that centuries have mixed metal with clay, and it compacted so tightly that it creates the feeling of a huge ingot. Experts have tentatively calculated that this figure could be from 30 to 50 thousand 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 lump of clay with ancient coins can range from 5 to 16.5 million dollars.

Year 2012, shores of Ireland, ship with 48 tons of silver in the hold

Relatively recently, approximately 48 tons of silver were recovered completely by accident from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And this is by far the largest cargo of precious metal ever discovered in the depths of the sea. This incredible treasure, worth about $38 million, was found on board a ship called the Gersoppa, just off the coast of Ireland. Believe it or not, this is not a Spanish galleon, but a military transport ship that sank back in 1941 after receiving a critical torpedo hit from an attack by German submarines.

Year 2011, India, treasury in the temple

In 2011, the most fantastic treasure in the history of mankind was discovered in an Indian temple that had stood for several centuries. Like in a detective story or an ancient fairy tale, the Hindu monks hid the secret of centuries that in the lower tiers of the temple there is 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 pass on this information to any of the modern descendants. In the Padmanabhaswamy temple, in its lower tiers there were countless treasures, both in ancient times and today, constituting enormous wealth. According to experts, the coins, jewelry and valuables stored there, in terms of modern money, amount to about 6% of India's current gold and foreign exchange fund. And in numbers this is approximately 22 billion dollars. After investigation, it turned out that initially the custodians of this Kerala temple 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. But 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 in euros, was once discovered right among the books in the state library of one of the towns in Lower Bavaria. While doing her regular work, the cleaning lady unexpectedly discovered a 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 from monasteries for the benefit of the state.

Year 2010, Great Britain, treasure of Roman coins

It's been two years since a large treasure trove of coins dating back to 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 a clay jar, which was hidden under a 30 centimeter layer of earth. It was found by an amateur treasure hunter. As historians have suggested, this jug with ancient coins was intended as a tribute to the gods.

Many treasures have been found in the world. The most interesting and valuable for collectors are those treasures that contained ancient coins. Where else can you feel the real breath of history? It is worth noting that huge and valuable treasures were found by treasure hunters and simply ordinary people and in Russia. The finder is entitled to a certain percentage of the find, 25%, everything else is supposed to be transferred to the benefit of the state, as the cultural heritage of Russia. But for those who have found the largest treasures in Russia, the funds received will be enough for a comfortable life not only for themselves, but also for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Interesting
The largest treasure in the world was discovered in India. It consisted of a huge number of gold coins and large ingots, the total weight of everything found was approximately two tons.

There were also several large containers filled to the brim with diamonds; all this splendor was completed by a necklace of diamonds a full five and a half meters long. But scientists do not consider this to be the most remarkable and valuable find. What struck those who found it the most was the beautiful statue of the god Vishu, cast entirely from the purest gold. Its height is 1.2 meters.

A considerable treasure was also found in Great Britain. Its total mass was 70 kg, it was discovered on the distant island of Jersey. The find is notable for being very ancient: historians have collectively estimated its age at 2,000 years.

The treasure consisted of gold and silver coins. These banknotes were in circulation among one of the Celtic Coriosolite tribes, who inhabited the territories in the north of the province currently called Brittany. Experts believe that such a mass of money, unimaginable even by today’s standards, was hidden by the French Celts on this island immediately before the attack of Rome; its legionnaires in the 1st century. BC e. developed these lands, and at the same time conquered different tribes of the Gauls.

Not very long ago, 4 years ago, a happy accident happened. The ship managed to lift an incredible treasure from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, its mass was about 48 tons of pure silver. This is today the largest cargo of precious metal found in the depths of the ocean. Its cost is incredibly huge and is approximately 38 million dollars! The ship, which had such a unique chance to remain in history, was called “Gersoppa”; it was located almost next to the shores of Ireland. The jewelry was not on a pirate ship, as one might first think, but on a simple military transport ship. This ship sank back in 1941 as a result of an irreparable torpedo strike by German troops.

The largest treasures in Russia

Russia also boasts beautiful and indeed very valuable finds worth several million dollars. The largest treasure in the history of Russia is the sensational treasure of the Naryshkins. It was found in 2012 by an ordinary worker who was then restoring the beautiful mansion of this fabulously wealthy family.

This man simply fell into a secret room in which all kinds of bags and boxes were placed. When describing the find, it became known that there were a total of 2,168 items there. This famous find included 5 almost complete sets of silver, where the ceremonial table service, which included more than 200 copies of the famous Sazikov company, especially stood out. There were even items from Faberge and Keibel in the jewelry found. This incredible treasure is estimated by experts at $4 million, or 189 million rubles.

The treasure found by parishioners of the Church of the Archangel Michael, which at that time was under restoration, is also very famous in history. The temple is located in the village of Yusovo. Apparently, the royal coins and three military medals found by the parishioners were the savings of this church, consisting of donations from Christians. Most likely, they had to be hidden in 1914, but despite the age of the coins, they were perfectly preserved; there was practically no corrosion on the found specimens.

Interesting
Among the coins, the oldest dates back to 1736, and the newest of them belong to kopecks from 1914. The denomination of the coins is small, the largest denomination is one ruble.

There are not many silver coins, only 716 pieces, the rest are smelted from ordinary copper. The copies are very worn out; on others you can’t even see what kind of coin it is. Parishioners are going to spend the reward for the find on further restoration of the church.

Another discovery near the church is also known. This church treasure was found in Vologda and was considered the largest, it was found in 1951. The treasures were accidentally discovered by workers who broke the basement wall of the Church of St. George on Navolok. When the wall was broken, a flood of 17th-century silver coins literally poured out onto the people. The coins turned out to be pennies, their total number was immediately 46 thousand copies.

How does the search for treasure happen?

Searching for treasures is impossible without one very important and necessary thing, a metal detector. Now they are constantly improving and are already capable of not only sensing metal and giving a signal, but also showing a number that indicates certain type metal The device can also show the depth at which it is located. metal object and even the estimated size of the future find! Some of them even know how to identify gold nuggets and distinguish them from the rest.

In order to start searching for treasure, you need to be properly prepared. To begin with, you should go to a good one, large library and carefully study old directories and maps. Using them you can determine the place where you can find the treasure. After choosing, you need to find this place in Russia, and, if you’re lucky, dig up a real treasure there.

There will also be a lot of work at home with the items found. Firstly, everything that can be cleaned must be put in order, only with extreme caution so as not to damage it. Then, using special catalogs and reference books, it is necessary to determine what exactly was found, whether it is a valuable thing or just a trinket.