LOST TREASURE STORIES
Treasure in Australia & Beyond
FACT or FICTION - YOU BE THE JUDGE!
A legend is a legend, a myth is a myth and a story is a story.
FABULOUS WEALTH
1931 May 26th. Advocate Burnie Tasmania.
Central Australia's Treasure Cave.
ADELAIDE, Monday.-The lure of a cave in Central Australia, said to contain fabulous quantities of gold, has
smitten Dr. Herbert Basedow, tho authority on Australian aborigines, who has made a number of expeditions into
country which had not previously been traversed by white men.
He has obtained a map, which he believes gives tho exact situation and a sketch of the cave, located about 300
miles north-west of Alice Springs. He is confident that, guided by the map, a party suitably equipped could reach it.
Dr. Basedow has no doubt of the existence of the cave. News of it was first brought in by a prospector named Earl 30 years ago,
and since then several expeditions, some of which met with disaster, have attempted to locate the spot.
Thc cave, according to stories told by old prospectors, is located in "Holy Ground," an area regarded as sacred by tribes of Central Australia.
According to the descriptions given it is believed to be a rich reef, so soft and "rotten" that tho weather through countless centuries, has worn
away the rubble and left a filigree of gold on the walls and roof of the cave.
smitten Dr. Herbert Basedow, tho authority on Australian aborigines, who has made a number of expeditions into
country which had not previously been traversed by white men.
He has obtained a map, which he believes gives tho exact situation and a sketch of the cave, located about 300
miles north-west of Alice Springs. He is confident that, guided by the map, a party suitably equipped could reach it.
Dr. Basedow has no doubt of the existence of the cave. News of it was first brought in by a prospector named Earl 30 years ago,
and since then several expeditions, some of which met with disaster, have attempted to locate the spot.
Thc cave, according to stories told by old prospectors, is located in "Holy Ground," an area regarded as sacred by tribes of Central Australia.
According to the descriptions given it is believed to be a rich reef, so soft and "rotten" that tho weather through countless centuries, has worn
away the rubble and left a filigree of gold on the walls and roof of the cave.
Mr. H. B. Lasseter, who lost his life in Central Australia recently after pegging a reef which he discovered 30years ago, expressed the opinion some
time before he left that such a cave really existed. Two black boys some years ago told a party of Adelaide prospectors that they could locate the reef,
but the party was never heard of again.
time before he left that such a cave really existed. Two black boys some years ago told a party of Adelaide prospectors that they could locate the reef,
but the party was never heard of again.
Treasures that are still lost in Australia. YouTube |
In this video we will discover and talk about the treasures that are still lost in Australia
My comment on the video: I am glad they were able to glean information and use some images from my website Oztreasure. Sure there were a few inaccuracies and the pronunciation of place names made me laugh :-) Nevertheless, I was entertained by it. Rex Woodmore |
Treasure Found in Empty Australian Lake
Scavenging for the trash and treasure of Lake Mulwala, in Victoria Australia.
My comment on the video:
No matter the value, it is fun finding things. This is what treasure hunting should be- Fun! There is always the possibility of finding something of great value and believe me it is even more 'Fun' finding a fortune. Rex Woodmore http://oztreasure.weebly.com |
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BEGINNER’S BLESSING
£2.5million Religious article
The first time the three-year-old held his Dad’s metal detector he found a gold locket worth around £2.5million. Buried 8in below was what is known as a ‘reliquary’ a gold container used to hold religious relics – items believed to be the remains of religious figures or objects associated with them. |
Experts dated the locket to the 16th century – the era of Henry VIII – and say it could have belonged to a member of the royal family.
The proceeds of its sale where shared between James’s family and the landowner.
In re-telling the story James Hyatt said: ‘I was holding the detector and it went beep, beep, beep. Then we dug into the mud. There was gold there. We didn’t have a map – only pirates have treasure maps.’
James’s Dad said: 'In 15 years treasure hunting as a hobby I'd never found anything like it. If we get any money it will be for the children.’ ‘My son is one of the luckiest people ever. When we were at the doctors he put his hand down the side of the sofa and pulled out a ten quid.’
In re-telling the story James Hyatt said: ‘I was holding the detector and it went beep, beep, beep. Then we dug into the mud. There was gold there. We didn’t have a map – only pirates have treasure maps.’
James’s Dad said: 'In 15 years treasure hunting as a hobby I'd never found anything like it. If we get any money it will be for the children.’ ‘My son is one of the luckiest people ever. When we were at the doctors he put his hand down the side of the sofa and pulled out a ten quid.’
A PERILOUS PLACE FOR $9 MILLION VASE
Cats pawing a piece of perfect porcelain.
In a leading Hong Kong auction house, a single 278 year old vase, from the Qianlong dynasty (1735–1799), sold for over $9 million. It is said to be one of the most complex and exquisite pierced, double-walled porcelain vases, from that period and possibly the best to have ever come onto the market. This kind of interlaced vase was only produced during the seventh and eighth year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign. A ceramics expert says “The perfection of the execution is next to miraculous.”
Previously, 60 years ago, it sold at auction for about $1500. It was seemed lost to the world until it’s elderly owner had it appraised. The Dutch dealer recognised it immediately and was amazed how it survived for over 50 years on an open cupboard shelf in a home full of lots of roaming cats and other pets.
Made in 1742 the vase’s first home was a Royal Palace called ‘Palace of Heavenly Purity’ in Beijing’s Forbidden City |
but now it was treated like a vase purchased from a super market for about nine bucks, not nine million!
There are similar stories of similar findings of valuable Chinese artefacts. In 2018, an 18th-century vase found in a shoebox in France sold for a staggering $19 million USD.
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But before that in a house in London 2010, a Qianlong vase broke the world record for Chinese artwork when it sold for $68 million USD.
DIAMONDS DOWN THE DUNNY
(In Australia ‘dunny’ translates to toilet)
A lady, while cleaning the bathroom, accidentally flushed her diamond wedding ring down the toilet. She thought “That’s that! It is gone forever”. About ten years later, she mentioned it to a shire employee who was working in a manhole outside her house. The timing was perfect. Just at that moment, in the muck he saw something sparkling. Amazingly, it was a ring
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“Is this it, he said to the lady” The lady was stunned.
The ring from the toilet certainly looked like hers and even though it was not cleaned, she couldn’t wait to slip it onto her finger to prove it fitted. It proved to be hers and is now thoroughly cleaned and on her finger permanently.
A Tatty old painting Sold for $26.8 million
Oct 30, 2019
A French lady had this painting hanging in her kitchen for years above her stove . Painted on a 10-inch by 8-inch wooden panel, it was spotted by an auctioneer who was clearing the house and he proved it to be part of a work by a Florentine artist Cimabue (1240-1302). With an estimated value of $6.6 million, the winning bid was $26.8 million! It is part one of eight panels painted by Cimabue about 1280. Only two others are known to exist. |
THE LUCK OF THE DRAW (drawer)!
When a man in Germany purchased a second hand kitchen cupboard from a furniture shop, he probably wondered why it was so heavy...
That was until he found 2.5 kg of gold bars stuck in the back side of a drawer. The cupboard had belonged to a wealthy old man who had recently passed away.
The finder, an honest man, took the gold to the lost property office in Bremen and with the help of the police the origin of the treasure was clarified. But as usual “Treasure is not for the finder”
The Government says that he bought the cupboard but not the gold, worth about €83,500. All he will get is a finder’s fee of around €2,500.(about $4000.00 AUD)
The finder, an honest man, took the gold to the lost property office in Bremen and with the help of the police the origin of the treasure was clarified. But as usual “Treasure is not for the finder”
The Government says that he bought the cupboard but not the gold, worth about €83,500. All he will get is a finder’s fee of around €2,500.(about $4000.00 AUD)
DO YOU OWN THE TREASURE YOU FIND?
May 15, 2019 Story from Kovels
The pendant most likely belonged to a “high-status” woman and is believed to date from the late 6th century to the mid-7th century. It has a cross motif and was found near the site of another jewelry find in 2014. The find, also a gold pendant, was named the Winfarthing Pendant, and was later valued at 145,000 pounds ($192,000 in today’s U.S. dollars). The pendant finds are important, according to British experts, because they date to a turning point in Saxon history, when Christianity was first beginning to take hold. No jewelry has been found in the male graves of this time period.
BLUETOOTH TREASURE
From before 'Bluetooth was invented'
An amateur ‘hobby archaeologist’ and his 13-year-old friend were metal detecting a field near the village of Schaprode on the eastern German island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea and found a single ancient silver coin.
When the two guys reported their find, Government officials asked them to keep quiet about their discovery and invited them to participate in an archaeological dig of an area covering 400 square metres (4,300 square feet), resulting in them uncovering the largest treasure trove ever found in the southeastern Baltic region.
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The thousand year old treasure consisting of hundreds of silver coins, rings, pearls and bracelets is linked to the era of Viking King Harald ‘Bluetooth’ Gormsson. ‘Bluetooth’ lived in the 10th Century and introduced Christianity to Denmark. He was one of the last Viking kings of what is now Denmark, northern Germany, southern Sweden and parts of Norway. His nickname came from the fact he had a dead tooth that looked blue, but it's now best known for wireless ‘Bluetooth’ technology invented by Swedish telecom company Ericsson.
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A PORTUGUESE TREASURE IN NAMIBIA
Hopefully went to poor people of Namibia.
So the result was incredibly good preservation of leather shoes and book covers, peach stones, sacks made of jute and leather shoes. It was costing a fortune to constantly run the water pumps but it was worth it when on the sixth day when they found the treasure chest, containing 25.5 lb of Portuguese and Spanish gold coins.
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International maritime law meant that being a Portuguese vessel the shipwreck and all of the treasure on it belonged to Portugal.
SUPER COMIC - SUPER PRICE
Nicolas Cage’s Superman Comic - Action Comics No. 1
Then in 2000 (together with Batman’s first appearance, in Detective Comics No. 27 and Marvel Mystery No. 71, it was stolen from the security frame on the wall of his home. The Marvel Mystery comic was found a few months later but the other two remained lost.
But in 2012 the Superman comic was found , when a guy in Southern California bid on and won the contents of an abandoned San Fernando Valley storage locker.
But in 2012 the Superman comic was found , when a guy in Southern California bid on and won the contents of an abandoned San Fernando Valley storage locker.
LOST TEMPER
Found dolls
An old couple had been married for 60 years. They shared everything together and the only secret between them was what the little old lady had in a box hidden in her closet
One day she got sick & didn’t think she would live, so the house duties fell on her husband. In tidying up the house the old guy found the box and asked his wife what was in it. She thought now was the time to tell him, so she said “Open it” When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and about $30,000.00 in cash. |
He was stunned & asked her about this treasure. His wife told him ‘My grandma said the secret to a happy marriage was, if I lost my temper with you, I should keep quiet and crochet a doll.'
Her husband had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the chest, so he assumed that she had only ever been angry with him twice in 60 years! |
'Darling,' he said. 'That explains the dolls, but what about all the cash, where did it come from?' She said 'That's the money I made from selling the other dolls at a couple of dollars each.'
FIXING A TOILET becomes FINDING A TREASURE
An amazing underground world! February 2019
When they began digging they found a false floor,then a small opening in the floor revealed underground corridors and chambers hidden under their home. Underneath the false floor was another level with ancient pavement When inspected by an archaeologist, the pavement proved to be an extremely rare find from the medieval period and of incredible historic importance.
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"WELL! WELL!"
What do we have here!
TREASURE IN THE WELL!
A small bronze pot containing 24 gold coins and an earring believed to be hidden from the Crusaders 900 years ago, was found wedged between two stones in the side of a well in the ancient Mediterranean Port of Caesarea, in northern Israel, which was built by Herod the Great between 20 and 11 BC. Archaeologists believe the pot of gold was stashed as invaders ransacked the city, about 900 years ago. The coins date to the end of the eleventh century and are possibly linked to the treasure of the Crusader conquest of the city in 1101.
A small bronze pot containing 24 gold coins and an earring believed to be hidden from the Crusaders 900 years ago, was found wedged between two stones in the side of a well in the ancient Mediterranean Port of Caesarea, in northern Israel, which was built by Herod the Great between 20 and 11 BC. Archaeologists believe the pot of gold was stashed as invaders ransacked the city, about 900 years ago. The coins date to the end of the eleventh century and are possibly linked to the treasure of the Crusader conquest of the city in 1101.
THE SKIPPER WAS IN DEEP TROUBLE
When he ditched $130 billion in gold!
A Russian ship the Dmitri Donskoii, said to have contained a treasure of $130 (USD) billion in gold has been re-discovered where she was scuttled off the coast of Korea in 1905.
In May 1905 the Donskoii was damaged in the Battle of Tsushima, which was a decisive victory for Japan. After the battle the cruiser fled north, pursued by Japanese ships. A day after the battle, probably in an effort to avoid capture and losing the ship’s cargo to the enemy, the ship’s commanding officer, Captain First Rank Ivan Lebedev (perhaps not realising they were in 1,423 feet of water)scuttled her off the coast of Ulleung and evacuated his crew to the island.
The Shinil Group, a South Korean salvage company, located the remains of the shipwreck in the Sea of Japan, about a mile from Ulleung island.
It was identified by the images sent from the camera on a submersible. The ship’s name was clearly depicted on the stern of the wreck. An international consortium of companies from China, Canada and the U.K. plans the extremely difficult and expensive task of salvaging the gold later this year.
The Russian government has a claim on half of anything recovered from the wreck. In addition to this payment, the salvagers intend investing in a railroad line linking North Korea, South Korea, and Russia.
In May 1905 the Donskoii was damaged in the Battle of Tsushima, which was a decisive victory for Japan. After the battle the cruiser fled north, pursued by Japanese ships. A day after the battle, probably in an effort to avoid capture and losing the ship’s cargo to the enemy, the ship’s commanding officer, Captain First Rank Ivan Lebedev (perhaps not realising they were in 1,423 feet of water)scuttled her off the coast of Ulleung and evacuated his crew to the island.
The Shinil Group, a South Korean salvage company, located the remains of the shipwreck in the Sea of Japan, about a mile from Ulleung island.
It was identified by the images sent from the camera on a submersible. The ship’s name was clearly depicted on the stern of the wreck. An international consortium of companies from China, Canada and the U.K. plans the extremely difficult and expensive task of salvaging the gold later this year.
The Russian government has a claim on half of anything recovered from the wreck. In addition to this payment, the salvagers intend investing in a railroad line linking North Korea, South Korea, and Russia.
However, probably because of wartime secrecy around cargoes of this type, there appears to be no official record to confirm the Donskoii really was carrying the hoped for treasure of 5,500 boxes of gold bars and 200 tons of gold coins, valued today at around $130 billion. The salvagers are betting heavily on their belief that what they saw among the wreckage is one of the 5,500 ‘treasure’ boxes.
BULGARIA BULGING WITH TREASURE
A pot full of Gold & Silver
August 17th, 2018. In a building that was burned in the 14th century, Archaeologists from the National History Museum (NHM) in Sofia, discovered a pot filled with soil and a treasure, consisting of a total of 957 objects including 873 gold and silver coins, 11 fittings and buckles, 28 silver and bronze buttons, 11 gold earrings, one gold ring, a second metal ring and four gold beads studded with gems. The coins include both Ottoman and Bulgarian silver. About 60% of them are Ottoman and most of these date to the Sultan Bayazid Yildirum (1389-1402). The Bulgarian coins were minted under the reign of Ivan Alexander (1331-1371). They are very small, a symptom of the economic crisis in Bulgaria at the time. There are nine coins minted in Vidin by governor John Sratsimir and a few Byzantine silver coins are also in the mix.
OTHER TREASURE FROM BULGARIA
TREASURE IN SAFE HANDS!
Buried treasure in suburban backyard!
A U.S. couple planting trees uncovered what they at first thought was a rusty old box and they joked about it being a buried treasure chest. But although it wasn’t the traditional pirate treasure chest, it was certainly a treasure and it was worth over $50,000 in gold, diamonds, pieces of jade and bundles of damp $100 bank notes stuffed into a rusting metal safe buried in their suburban backyard. There was also a note with an address that led them to a neighboring house that had been burgled seven years before. The police confirmed that the safe was stolen during a burglary at the neighbors’ home The neighbors were thrilled when their treasures were handed back to them.
A 'MAKEUP' STORY
“What a beauty!” 2018
For about a year they kept it secret until other graves in the area had been explored but now we know, German Archaeologists working on an ancient highway in Western Germany connecting early Roman settlements in areas that ate now called Trier and Cologne, found an incredible 3rd century sarcophagus containing an amazing & unusual find; the remains of a young, presumably beautiful woman, together with her beauty makeup, jewellery, hair pins, a folding knife with its handle shaped into a Hercules figure, stoneware perfume bottles and a silver hand mirror. Most reports are saying the body of the woman was ‘Dead gorgeous’
#sarcophagus #Beautymakeup #perfumebottles #silvermirror #Archaeologicalfind
#sarcophagus #Beautymakeup #perfumebottles #silvermirror #Archaeologicalfind
GOLD in the TANK'S TANK
"Thanks!"
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A man in the UK purchased an old Iraqi tank for £30,000.While it was being restored they uncovered £2million in gold bars stashed inside.
It is believed the gold was looted during the Kuwaiti invasion in 1990 and stashed in the tank's diesel tank. |
THE TV TOILET TREASURE
Dollars down the dunny!
It is said that in 2011, at Channel Nine TV Studios in Melbourne, Australia; the security cameras recorded 5 hours footage of an unknown man in the toilets for the disabled. The cleaners discovered a thousand $100 notes in the rubbish bins. Then when the sewage pipes blocked a plumber was called in and he found many more thousands of dollars stuck in the pipes!
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The mystery has never been explained. One suggestion was that the paper had run out, so a wealthy visitor used what he had plenty of… $100 bills!
A GOLDEN CHRISTMAS
Treasure in a 2000 year old tomb!
The excavation of the royal tombs of Haihunhou that date back to the Western Han Dynasty, are the best preserved of the Western Han Dynasty ever found in China. Work has been carried out on them since 2011. Artefacts include a portrait of Confucius, thousands of wooden tablets, bamboo slips, bronze, gold and jade items . On Christmas day (December 25) 2015, a massive treasure of gold was excavated. There were around 378 pure gold coins each weighing 250 grams, many thin gold plates measuring 23cm long, 10cm wide and 0.3cm and Hoof-shaped gold items. This amount of gold indicates that China had significant gold deposits in that period.
THE BAG WOMAN OF LAGOS
“Proceeds of unlawful activity in Nigeria?” Surely not!
April 2017 Wealthy residents of an exclusive apartment block in Lagos Nigeria, are talking about a police raid on one of the four bedroom apartments in their building.
When asked, the apartments’ security guards at the gate said
“Nobody lives in the apartment, but some persons come in & out occasionally”.
When asked, the apartments’ security guards at the gate said
“Nobody lives in the apartment, but some persons come in & out occasionally”.
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The anti-graft agency instigated the raid on the apartment after a tipoff about a "haggard" woman in "dirty clothes" taking bags in and out of the apartment.
Apparently the anti-corruption unit stormed the seventh floor and entered into the apartment. In the raid they discovered $43 Million in neatly packaged bills. Some was stuffed into brightly coloured bags (looking a bit like Christmas presents) and most of it was in three fireproof cabinets hidden inside a dresser. |
The cash totalling US$43 million was mostly US Dollars plus GBP27615 (U.K. pounds ) and Nigerian naira 23591250 in "neatly arranged" inside cabinets hidden behind wooden panels of a bedroom wardrobe.
At the time of writing no arrest had been made. The anti-corruption unit said "The funds are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity"
At the time of writing no arrest had been made. The anti-corruption unit said "The funds are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity"
A FLOOD of COINS - SAFE & SOUND
(Kindly sent in by Jon Woodworth, Queensland, Australia)
I got this story from an old metal detector guy in Mackay. He had a friend who used to go to Clermont, Qld looking for nuggets. Clermont got hit by a major flood in the 1880s which wiped out most of the township which was rebuilt on a higher area. There was a park area in the old township area which this guy ran his detector over. He got a massive signal, and thought it might be a 44 gallon drum. After hours of digging it, he found an old safe. He got a local workshop to cut the door off. Inside were remains of old paperwork and wrapped up in some rotten rags were six near mint 1880s florins that were worth in total over $200,000 due to their condition. Many people had probably picked up the signal over the years but not bothered to dig. Persistence is an often underrated virtue.....
(... 'to coin a phrase!' ) Thanks Jon!
(... 'to coin a phrase!' ) Thanks Jon!
A GRADE OF GREEN
(I never did find out what his green gemstones were) Rex Woodmore
(I never did find out what his green gemstones were) Rex Woodmore
A young grader driver working alone grading a dirt road for an outback shire council, was finishing up for the day and drove the grader off the road and into the bush to leave it there until morning. He dropped the grader’s blade to flatten out an area to park and in so doing he uncovered a big patch of glassy green rock.
He was unsure as to what it was, but he knew enough about gemstones to realise it was something of value.
He carefully spread dirt back over it, drove the grader out and parked it further down the road.
Then he walked back and brushed out the grader’s tyre tracks and scrapings with a tree branch.
He carefully spread dirt back over it, drove the grader out and parked it further down the road.
Then he walked back and brushed out the grader’s tyre tracks and scrapings with a tree branch.
He knew exactly what he was going to do about his exciting find. He drove the shire truck 30klms back to base where he was greeted by his annoyed boss who looked at his watch and said “Your an hour an a half late mate! How far did you get?”
His boss thought he was joking but the young man was adamant. “I’m not kidding, I am finished!” To that his flabbergasted boss said “Take it easy mate an hour late isn’t that bad I wasn’t going to sack you. It’s just that we can’t pay overtime” The young man reached out shook his ex-boss’ hand and said “No problems. Can I have a quick shower and get changed before I go? I’ll be back in town soon and I will tell you then why I quit” “OK. Pull the door locked when you go and I’ll buy you a beer at the pub” was the answer.
After one quick beer and still no explanation to his ex-boss, he walked out and bought a pie and sauce at the local roadhouse across the road and hitched a ride with a truck driver he knew, for the two day trip to the city.
After one quick beer and still no explanation to his ex-boss, he walked out and bought a pie and sauce at the local roadhouse across the road and hitched a ride with a truck driver he knew, for the two day trip to the city.
He seemed to sleep and dream of rocks almost the whole way and as soon as he reached his destination he visited the Government Mines Department, where in their museum he identified the green rock as a valuable gemstone and when he checked the maps he saw that it was, as he hoped, on crown land and not yet claimed.
He left their and collected some money owed to him by an insurance company (Enough to allow him to set up his mining venture)
He left their and collected some money owed to him by an insurance company (Enough to allow him to set up his mining venture)
I gave him a coffee and he shared his story with me, while carefully omitting the locality and what sort of rock it was. As he left he patted my dog and said “I need a little dog like this to be my burglar alarm, I will call him ‘Barker’
“He’s not for sale! Said I!”
Then off he went on his adventure.
In recent years a retired police Sergeant, who knew the story, told me it is still being mined by the ex-grader driver. Interestingly the ex-policeman said "If you are up there when he is not working it, go in and help yourself to a few samples!”
To start with I would not do that and anyway
I still don’t know where it is or what the rock it is.
“He’s not for sale! Said I!”
Then off he went on his adventure.
In recent years a retired police Sergeant, who knew the story, told me it is still being mined by the ex-grader driver. Interestingly the ex-policeman said "If you are up there when he is not working it, go in and help yourself to a few samples!”
To start with I would not do that and anyway
I still don’t know where it is or what the rock it is.
TREASURE BURIED BENEATH THE THRONE
Rex Woodmore
There was still a bit of daylight left so I fossicked around looking for and finding the occasional complete old bottle, rusty horseshoe or bit of junk, when I found some sort of box sticking partly out of the sand among the weeds. I dug around it with my bare hands and let my imagination run to me finding a treasure chest. The stolen wages of the stockmen perhaps?
The box had no lid and as I dug into it I began to pull out pieces of very old newspaper with dates of late 1800s and early 1900s still readable after decades in the dry ground “What could be wrapped so carefully in this paper?” Rare antique porcelain? Gold & silver jewellery & precious gems?. ...Handful after handful of strangely musty smelling, sepia stained squares of paper... I was in to my armpits when it dawned on me...
"Oh! No! a pit toilet!” Rex Woodmore
The box had no lid and as I dug into it I began to pull out pieces of very old newspaper with dates of late 1800s and early 1900s still readable after decades in the dry ground “What could be wrapped so carefully in this paper?” Rare antique porcelain? Gold & silver jewellery & precious gems?. ...Handful after handful of strangely musty smelling, sepia stained squares of paper... I was in to my armpits when it dawned on me...
"Oh! No! a pit toilet!” Rex Woodmore
A BIG ALBATROSS for THANKSGIVING DINNER
When shipwrecked & hungry, food is more valuable than treasure.
In the 1820s, seal hunter Charles Goodridge, was shipwrecked for two years on the Crozet group of Islands and survived by eating unfledged Albatross chicks.
In 1857 on the same Islands an emigrant ship ‘Strathmore’ was wrecked and again the Albatross was a main meal for the survivors. On a cold winter’s day when they first got onto the shore, the only female survivor, Frances Wordsworth took great delight in wrapping her icy cold feet in the hot and steamy skins of two freshly killed Albatross. The survivors soon learned to use Albatross oil to burn in the crude lamps they made and when firewood ran out, the skins made good fuel. The skins also became clothing and when the castaways bathed, they used eggs as soap, the inside of Albatross skin as a wash cloth and the feathered side as a towel.
In 1857 on the same Islands an emigrant ship ‘Strathmore’ was wrecked and again the Albatross was a main meal for the survivors. On a cold winter’s day when they first got onto the shore, the only female survivor, Frances Wordsworth took great delight in wrapping her icy cold feet in the hot and steamy skins of two freshly killed Albatross. The survivors soon learned to use Albatross oil to burn in the crude lamps they made and when firewood ran out, the skins made good fuel. The skins also became clothing and when the castaways bathed, they used eggs as soap, the inside of Albatross skin as a wash cloth and the feathered side as a towel.
In about 1877 survivors from the ‘Tamaris’ caught an adult Albatross and fitted a strip of tin with a message punched into it.
They released the bird and sometime later he bird’s dead body was found 5,700km east on the coast of Western Australia, and this eventually led to their rescue.
They released the bird and sometime later he bird’s dead body was found 5,700km east on the coast of Western Australia, and this eventually led to their rescue.
It was my privilege, while fulfilling a short contract with a services company in the 1980s, to have a close encounter with a massive adult Albatross, when it landed for a rest on the deck of the construction barge ‘Herema Thor’ (Working on the construction of North Rankin ‘A’ gas platform, 135 km north-west of Karratha).
SILENCE is GOLDEN! 2017
Perhaps when they first saw an old upright piano, sitting silently in a sales yard, they saw it as a ‘golden’ opportunity to own a piano made by John Broadwood & Sons of London. They purchased it and when they took it to be tuned they discovered stashed inside a hoard of gold sovereigns minted between 1847 - 1915.
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Investigators have determined that the piano was built in London in 1906 and sold to a pair of piano teachers in Saffron Walden, eastern England. They are seeking information on its ownership before 1983.
If the gold's rightful owner doesn’t come forward by April 20th 2017 the loot is officially declared treasure, and is handed over to the piano's current owners who don’t yet know the value of the coins, but I am sure it will be ‘Music to their ears’
(Call me pedantic if you must! But it would be interesting to know the serial number of the piano. In 1905 John Broadwood & Sons of London made upright pianos called ‘Cottage uprights’ serial number 100500. But they did not make any uprights in 1906)
If the gold's rightful owner doesn’t come forward by April 20th 2017 the loot is officially declared treasure, and is handed over to the piano's current owners who don’t yet know the value of the coins, but I am sure it will be ‘Music to their ears’
(Call me pedantic if you must! But it would be interesting to know the serial number of the piano. In 1905 John Broadwood & Sons of London made upright pianos called ‘Cottage uprights’ serial number 100500. But they did not make any uprights in 1906)
GOLD COINS not for COMMONERS
A guy in England bought a metal detector, described as ideal for children’s fun. The next day when the shopkeeper saw the man back in the shop, he thought there was going to be a complaint. But instead, he was shown 40 gold coins & the shopkeeper was asked if he knew what should be done with them.
At first the guy in the shop thought it was some kind of prank. But when it sank in that it was for real, he followed the correct protocol & together they were granted the necessary permits and armed with higher powered detectors, found a further 119 gleaming, undamaged 22 carat gold coins, worth £400 to £1,000 apiece.
Local heritage experts described the hoard of coins as 'a nationally significant find, a rare example of the Solidus, dating from the last days of Roman rule in Britain.
The last examples of these coins reached England in 408AD.
Only the Roman elite, wealthy merchants & perhaps soldiers receiving bulk pay would have ever had these coins, which were used for big business deals like buying land, or shiploads of goods. Common people may not have ever seen them. That was.....Until the guy with the kids’ detector & a humble shopkeeper laid eyes on them.
At first the guy in the shop thought it was some kind of prank. But when it sank in that it was for real, he followed the correct protocol & together they were granted the necessary permits and armed with higher powered detectors, found a further 119 gleaming, undamaged 22 carat gold coins, worth £400 to £1,000 apiece.
Local heritage experts described the hoard of coins as 'a nationally significant find, a rare example of the Solidus, dating from the last days of Roman rule in Britain.
The last examples of these coins reached England in 408AD.
Only the Roman elite, wealthy merchants & perhaps soldiers receiving bulk pay would have ever had these coins, which were used for big business deals like buying land, or shiploads of goods. Common people may not have ever seen them. That was.....Until the guy with the kids’ detector & a humble shopkeeper laid eyes on them.
STAR OF THE SHOW
The largest blue star sapphire in the world, has been discovered in Sri Lanka.
The stone was found near Ratnapura, a city in the South of Sri Lanka often referred to as ‘The City of Gems’ The stone is too large to be set in jewellery, and will probably be displayed in a museum. |
The rare egg shaped stone weighs 1,404.49 carats and has been authenticated as the biggest of its kind by the Gemological Institute of Colombo (GIC).
Industry experts say “We can’t put a price on something like this. It is so rare and unlike other, smaller sapphires, this is not a stone that can be replaced,” A leading gemmologist said. “This is something only collectors or museums can afford.” However, the owner has an asking price of around$300m which is based on the Black Star of Queensland which reportedly sold for $100m in 2002.
The gem, typical of blue star sapphires, is opaque but when light catches the surface it reveals a beautiful six-line star and has been named Lankan Star of Adam.
It beats the previous record for the biggest stone of its kind by about nine carats.
Both sapphires were found in Sri Lanka’s central region of Ratnapura, known as the island’s gem capital.
Industry experts say “We can’t put a price on something like this. It is so rare and unlike other, smaller sapphires, this is not a stone that can be replaced,” A leading gemmologist said. “This is something only collectors or museums can afford.” However, the owner has an asking price of around$300m which is based on the Black Star of Queensland which reportedly sold for $100m in 2002.
The gem, typical of blue star sapphires, is opaque but when light catches the surface it reveals a beautiful six-line star and has been named Lankan Star of Adam.
It beats the previous record for the biggest stone of its kind by about nine carats.
Both sapphires were found in Sri Lanka’s central region of Ratnapura, known as the island’s gem capital.
SWAMPED IN TREASURE
On the coast of Indonesia a village woman dug for oysters in a swamp, while standing in thick mud, she found a box covered in coral and oyster shells, she levered open the lid of the box and was stunned to see it was filled with ancient gold coins.
The coins dated from 1200 to 1600. They had been buried in an ancient cemetery and then uncovered by the 2004 tsunami.
The wave ripped up the ancient cemetery and its graves containing the bones of 13th century rulers who were buried with their treasures.
The discovery led to a rush of treasure hunters to the area. They dug into the mud and scraped sand from the bottom of a river that runs near the site of the ancient tombs.
Some were successful in finding a few coins and sold them to gold traders who had also rushed to the area.
The woman reported the find to the authorities who took possession of the coins.
One official said 'All the coins should have been collected by the authorities and compensation paid to the residents who found them,'
Prior to this discovery, the locals had always known of buried treasure in the cemetery, but their superstition and fear of the spirits of the dead, meant they had not dared to interfere with the graves.
Today the tombs of the ancient rulers are in a state of neglect & still buried in mud from the tsunami.
The coins dated from 1200 to 1600. They had been buried in an ancient cemetery and then uncovered by the 2004 tsunami.
The wave ripped up the ancient cemetery and its graves containing the bones of 13th century rulers who were buried with their treasures.
The discovery led to a rush of treasure hunters to the area. They dug into the mud and scraped sand from the bottom of a river that runs near the site of the ancient tombs.
Some were successful in finding a few coins and sold them to gold traders who had also rushed to the area.
The woman reported the find to the authorities who took possession of the coins.
One official said 'All the coins should have been collected by the authorities and compensation paid to the residents who found them,'
Prior to this discovery, the locals had always known of buried treasure in the cemetery, but their superstition and fear of the spirits of the dead, meant they had not dared to interfere with the graves.
Today the tombs of the ancient rulers are in a state of neglect & still buried in mud from the tsunami.
THERE'S MONEY IN PALM TREES
‘Thanks for nothing!’
It is said that a Colombian farmer found $millions of dirty notes buried amongst the palm trees on land that had been owned by his family for hundreds of years. He did the right thing & took the money to the police. The police, claiming that it was part of the missing fortune of a known drug lord, confiscated the lot. They said the money would be used to “finance social programs” and “We encouraged people to go out and search for the rest of the drug money” (said to be $300million) No mention of a reward and the farmer got nothing!
FOUND BURIED, THIS DINO IS NO DINOSAUR
A Dino 246 GTS Ferrari was discovered in 1978 by two boys while digging for fun in their Los Angeles backyard.
Police investigations found the car, at the time worth $22,500, was stolen in 1974 and buried in the yard by the thieves. It is said that it had been an insurance scam. The thieves were contracted to destroy the vehicle but instead buried it with the intention of retrieving it some years later.
The Ferrari was returned to the insurance company that had paid out on the car. It was auctioned & bought by a local businessman.
In great condition & today worth $75,000, the metallic green Ferrari with its new number plate ‘DUG UP’ is proudly owned by a mechanic.
Police investigations found the car, at the time worth $22,500, was stolen in 1974 and buried in the yard by the thieves. It is said that it had been an insurance scam. The thieves were contracted to destroy the vehicle but instead buried it with the intention of retrieving it some years later.
The Ferrari was returned to the insurance company that had paid out on the car. It was auctioned & bought by a local businessman.
In great condition & today worth $75,000, the metallic green Ferrari with its new number plate ‘DUG UP’ is proudly owned by a mechanic.
MUDDY TRASH turns into MEDIEVAL TREASURE
In Austria, a man digging a hole for a backyard pond found about 200 objects encrusted with so much dirt that their form was unrecognisable and seemed at the time to be not much more than ‘lumps’ of dirt. It wasn’t until 2 years later in 2009, when the house had internet connection, that the finder posted pictures, of these strange lumps, that he was made aware of what they were
The objects dating from the 13th-14th century, were thought to have been buried for about 650 years and included gold-plated silver plates, jewellery & fragments of gold & silver, brooches, belt buckles & rings, some with pearls, rare coral ornamentation & other jewels.
The finder of this Medieval treasure handed it over to the Bundesdenkmalamt (the Austrian Federal Monument Agency (BDA) who said the find was “sensational" The treasure is now on loan to a museum.
The objects dating from the 13th-14th century, were thought to have been buried for about 650 years and included gold-plated silver plates, jewellery & fragments of gold & silver, brooches, belt buckles & rings, some with pearls, rare coral ornamentation & other jewels.
The finder of this Medieval treasure handed it over to the Bundesdenkmalamt (the Austrian Federal Monument Agency (BDA) who said the find was “sensational" The treasure is now on loan to a museum.
SOME PEOPLE TREASURE MY PAINTINGS
"International Artist?".."Who? Me?"
TREASURE TRAIN
September 1st 2015
The Polish Government reports that two men, whose names have not been released, used ground penetrating radar to locate what they claim is a legendary World War II train filled with weapons and a treasure of Nazi gold, buried in a secret tunnel. An official said the two men’s theory was based on the "deathbed testimony" of a man who claimed to have helped, at the end of the war, to load the train, with the treasure of gold.
Even though there was no evidence that it ever existed, rumours about the ‘Gold train’ have been around for decades. An 84 year old retired miner and local resident, Tadeusz Slowikowski, first heard the legend forty years ago, from a German man who told him that as the Soviet army approached, in the spring of 1945, a train loaded with Nazi gold, left the German city of Breslau. But the train & its gold seemed to have vanished like a ghost. Slowikowski said that during the war the Castle, then called Fuerstenstein was destined for Hitler’s base of operations so the Germans constructed a system of tunnels and bunkers. He believes the system included a secret tunnel where the Germans hid the train from the Soviets and that they blew up the entrance to the tunnel when they saw defeat.
Even though there was no evidence that it ever existed, rumours about the ‘Gold train’ have been around for decades. An 84 year old retired miner and local resident, Tadeusz Slowikowski, first heard the legend forty years ago, from a German man who told him that as the Soviet army approached, in the spring of 1945, a train loaded with Nazi gold, left the German city of Breslau. But the train & its gold seemed to have vanished like a ghost. Slowikowski said that during the war the Castle, then called Fuerstenstein was destined for Hitler’s base of operations so the Germans constructed a system of tunnels and bunkers. He believes the system included a secret tunnel where the Germans hid the train from the Soviets and that they blew up the entrance to the tunnel when they saw defeat.
One local amateur investigator said she knew of an elevated area in the shape of a railway tunnel that rises unnaturally in the woods with fractured stones, as if from an explosion, at its entry. Slowikowski said he knew the two finders and had shared with them his knowledge, pre-war German maps of the area, current photographs and his theory of the spot where he believes the train disappeared.
He wouldn’t give their names but said both are engineers, one is Polish the other a German and major excavation work is expected to start soon.
Meanwhile, the military is on a fact-finding mission and explosives experts are warning that if the train exists it could be booby-trapped. Police are patrolling the area to prevent opportunistic treasure hunters from tampering with the site. If the treasure exists it belongs to the Government but the finders could receive 10 percent of the value of treasure. Some cynics say although documents exist even for top-secret projects including some for the subterranean tunnels beneath the Ksiaz Castle, no documents have ever been found to indicate a secret railway tunnel was built into the hill near existing railroad tracks that are in frequent use....
“The whole thing is preposterous!’’
Obviously not optimistic treasure hunters! “Hey guys! Where is the fun & enthusiasm in that kind of thinking?”
He wouldn’t give their names but said both are engineers, one is Polish the other a German and major excavation work is expected to start soon.
Meanwhile, the military is on a fact-finding mission and explosives experts are warning that if the train exists it could be booby-trapped. Police are patrolling the area to prevent opportunistic treasure hunters from tampering with the site. If the treasure exists it belongs to the Government but the finders could receive 10 percent of the value of treasure. Some cynics say although documents exist even for top-secret projects including some for the subterranean tunnels beneath the Ksiaz Castle, no documents have ever been found to indicate a secret railway tunnel was built into the hill near existing railroad tracks that are in frequent use....
“The whole thing is preposterous!’’
Obviously not optimistic treasure hunters! “Hey guys! Where is the fun & enthusiasm in that kind of thinking?”
THE BLACK BOX ON A SHIP?
Western Australian Mystery
In a plane wreck, they search for the black box but has anyone thought to search for the black box on a shipwreck?
According to a Western Australian lady: "When my father, was stationed at Gingin as police constable, he used to patrol the beach between the Moore River and Dongarra. |
The local aboriginal people had told him of a ship that was wrecked there a long time ago and showed him a black box made of iron or steel that was firmly wedged between rocks deep down in the water and could be seen on clear days when the tide was low.
When I was a child I often heard him speak about it. It was only 18 months before he died that he spoke about it again and said if he were a young man he would head a search party and possibly recover the lost treasure from that ship. An aeroplane maybe the means of locating the place. The locality was the Moore River out from Gingin".
(A treasure hunter might imagine the box could be from the 1656 wreck of the V.O.C. treasure ship The Gilt Dragon)
When I was a child I often heard him speak about it. It was only 18 months before he died that he spoke about it again and said if he were a young man he would head a search party and possibly recover the lost treasure from that ship. An aeroplane maybe the means of locating the place. The locality was the Moore River out from Gingin".
(A treasure hunter might imagine the box could be from the 1656 wreck of the V.O.C. treasure ship The Gilt Dragon)
AMERICAN EAGLES in an English Garden.
Later in England he was interned as an ‘enemy alien refugee’
Prior to his internment he had placed his coins in a safe in the City of London, but the family feared the Germans would break open safe deposits, as they had done in Amsterdam, so his brother took the coins from the safe and buried them in the back garden of the family home in Hackney. According to a family friend, sadly the five family members who knew the exact spot where the coins were buried, were all killed in September 1940, when the house was bombed. In 1952, before the latest hoard was found, builders on the site found eighty two $20 American gold coins dating to 1890, in a glass jar on the same site. The court awarded them to Mr Sulzbacher.
Recently, Archaeologists from the British Museum and University College London have investigated the site to ensure that no further treasure remains.
Prior to his internment he had placed his coins in a safe in the City of London, but the family feared the Germans would break open safe deposits, as they had done in Amsterdam, so his brother took the coins from the safe and buried them in the back garden of the family home in Hackney. According to a family friend, sadly the five family members who knew the exact spot where the coins were buried, were all killed in September 1940, when the house was bombed. In 1952, before the latest hoard was found, builders on the site found eighty two $20 American gold coins dating to 1890, in a glass jar on the same site. The court awarded them to Mr Sulzbacher.
Recently, Archaeologists from the British Museum and University College London have investigated the site to ensure that no further treasure remains.
THE EXCITEMENT WAS IN TENTS!
A massive treasure worth up to £100,000 and consisting of 22,000 copper-alloy 4th century Roman coins was found by a builder, while metal detecting near Seaton in East Devon UK . To protect his find, the finder camped out for three nights while archaeologists excavated the site.
It is thought to have been buried for safe keeping, by an individual, perhaps a soldier, but obviously it was never recovered.
It is thought to have been buried for safe keeping, by an individual, perhaps a soldier, but obviously it was never recovered.
GOLD COINS & INGOTS - SHIPWRECK TREASURE
The ship went down off the coast of North Carolina during a hurricane in 1857. The ship’s cargo included approximately 5,200 mint $20 gold pieces produced in 1857 at the San Francisco Mint, other circulated gold coins and gold coins and ingots produced by government-supervised assayers.
RENOVATION RICHES
COIN CACHE OF CROOKED CHIEF CLERK
The coins were never recovered, but a home owned by a Mint superintendent was used to cover part of the loss.
COUPLE & CANINE Collect Canned Coin Cache!
While walking their dog along a path in the grounds of their property in California a middle aged couple stumbled across a rusty tin can, sticking out of the eroded ground under an old tree that they had walked past many times, over many years. On investigation they found there were six cans containing 1,427 gold coins, dating from 1847 to 1894, with a face value of $28,000. Most of the coins are in uncirculated, mint condition and some of them are so rare they could be worth $1 million each. An estimated auction value for the lot is around that $10 million.
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The husband and wife, who are choosing to remain anonymous, have lived for several years on the rural property in California's Gold Country, where the coins were found. The coins were stored almost in chronological order, with the 1840s and 1850s coins going into one can until it was filed, then new coins going into the next one and so on. They have no idea who put them there, but it looks like whoever put them there was using it as their personal bank.
Had the couple attempted to clean the surface of the most valuable coins, they could have reduced the value from $1 million to $7,000 or $8,000
The coin collection has been called the Saddle Ridge Hoard and is believed to be the largest discovery of its kind in U.S. history.
In the 1980s Gold ingots & coins worth up to $130 million were retrieved from the wreck of the SS Central America. The ship sank off the coast of North Carolina during a hurricane in 1857.
Had the couple attempted to clean the surface of the most valuable coins, they could have reduced the value from $1 million to $7,000 or $8,000
The coin collection has been called the Saddle Ridge Hoard and is believed to be the largest discovery of its kind in U.S. history.
In the 1980s Gold ingots & coins worth up to $130 million were retrieved from the wreck of the SS Central America. The ship sank off the coast of North Carolina during a hurricane in 1857.
SCRAP DEALERS Dig up a good deal!
The coins, including Dutch East India Company (VOC) coins, are well-preserved with clear markings. Most of the items are Portuguese, which prompted the Portuguese-Eurasian Association to say that they would start a fund-raising drive to buy the artefacts and conserve them properly.
A spokesperson for the State Tourism, Culture and Heritage Committee said that the items should be handed to the museum, but people are only interested in making money.
A spokesperson for the State Tourism, Culture and Heritage Committee said that the items should be handed to the museum, but people are only interested in making money.
GOLD BAR ON SANDBAR
Gold bar found on beach
In April 2012 a young woman found a solid gold bar valued at $18,000 in the sand of a Beach in New South Wales Australia. She immediately handed the gold in to the police station, but after four months of extensive inquiries and several public appeals for information the treasure remained unclaimed.
The mint says it is genuine!
Gold Bar
The last report was that if there was no result after a final appeal for the owner of the gold to come forward, the honest finder of the gold could claim it as her own.
A Police Inspector said a search for similar items, reported stolen or missing had resulted in a blank. The Royal Australian Mint said both the serial number & gold, was genuine.
A Police Inspector said a search for similar items, reported stolen or missing had resulted in a blank. The Royal Australian Mint said both the serial number & gold, was genuine.
400 gram bar?
No! Not that sort of gold bar!
Someone suggested the gold bar may have come from an overseas market because a gold bar worth $18,000 would weigh around 400 grams.
The only 400g gold bar I could find on the net is a chocolate bar.
Australian minted gold bars are 100 grams, half a kilogram, a kilogram, half an ounce or an ounce. "It can't have washed up on the beach, that's impossible. It's heavy - gold has a very specific gravity and, if anything, it would disappear under the sand."
Anyone who believed they had a legitimate claim to the gold bar was warned there would be stringent checks to determine the rightful owner.
The only 400g gold bar I could find on the net is a chocolate bar.
Australian minted gold bars are 100 grams, half a kilogram, a kilogram, half an ounce or an ounce. "It can't have washed up on the beach, that's impossible. It's heavy - gold has a very specific gravity and, if anything, it would disappear under the sand."
Anyone who believed they had a legitimate claim to the gold bar was warned there would be stringent checks to determine the rightful owner.
TREASURE IN THE SUBURBS Perth Western Australia
Silver Bar
ugust 2006- A buried treasure consisting of silver bullion, was discovered by Labourers as they demolished an old house in suburban Perth, Western Australia.
An excavator was being used to knock down the house and remove the footings, when it churned up about $20,000 of silver ingots that were hidden in plastic pipes underground.
When he realized what it was, the amazed excavator driver phoned his boss and asked “So what's silver worth?” and the puzzled boss said 'What are you talking about?' He was probably more confused when the excavator driver said “It just came up in the bucket!’’
The silver was handed over to the Police and later, although the demolition company had a legitimate claim to the salvage rights, they generously agreed that the owner of the house (who believed that the silver had been buried years ago by his late father) should keep it and the Police handed it over to him.
An excavator was being used to knock down the house and remove the footings, when it churned up about $20,000 of silver ingots that were hidden in plastic pipes underground.
When he realized what it was, the amazed excavator driver phoned his boss and asked “So what's silver worth?” and the puzzled boss said 'What are you talking about?' He was probably more confused when the excavator driver said “It just came up in the bucket!’’
The silver was handed over to the Police and later, although the demolition company had a legitimate claim to the salvage rights, they generously agreed that the owner of the house (who believed that the silver had been buried years ago by his late father) should keep it and the Police handed it over to him.
SILVER COIN FREAK ‘The West Australian’ Wednesday June 17, 1953
A regular 1879 sixpence.
A Freak Coin Dates Back To Queen Victoria
A woman now living in Perth has a coin with the Queen's head upside-down--but it is the head of Queen Victoria. The coin, which belongs to Mrs. Daisy Liddle, of Devonleigh Hospital, Cottesloe, has a sixpence dated 1879. It was dug up by her husband two years ago when he was laying underground cable for the P.M.G. Department near Brunswick, Victoria. A friend pointed out the abnormality of the coin when Mrs Liddle came to Western Australia in January.
A 1953 florin with the head of Queen Elizabeth upside-down has been found in Sydney. (I would like to find one!)
A woman now living in Perth has a coin with the Queen's head upside-down--but it is the head of Queen Victoria. The coin, which belongs to Mrs. Daisy Liddle, of Devonleigh Hospital, Cottesloe, has a sixpence dated 1879. It was dug up by her husband two years ago when he was laying underground cable for the P.M.G. Department near Brunswick, Victoria. A friend pointed out the abnormality of the coin when Mrs Liddle came to Western Australia in January.
A 1953 florin with the head of Queen Elizabeth upside-down has been found in Sydney. (I would like to find one!)
NUGGET BOOT POLISH
For a golden shine.
Doing what wives do, while her husband was away prospecting, she went through his side of the wardrobe and chucked out his old clothes & a pair of old boots that he had not warn for years. When the prospector came home he immediately noticed that his boots had gone & was horrified to learn that his wife had given them to the local charity shop a couple of days before. |
'TAIL' of the dog food ring. (Lost & found in a week)
Many people might have said nothing, but this lady did the correct thing and decided to call the manufacturers, but no one at the dog food plant had lost their ring, so she tried calling the store where she bought the food and there the rightful owner of the wedding ring, was extremely grateful. The ring must have slipped off his finger as he was scooping the dog food from a bulk bag to weigh out smaller quantities.
(This story could have finished being about a wedding ring found in a dog!)
(This story could have finished being about a wedding ring found in a dog!)
COMPOST KARATS (Lost 1995 Found 2012)
A lady on a farm in Sweden found her wedding ring, lost for 16 years, on a carrot.
In 1995 the ring fell into a sink and was lost in vegetable peelings that were turned into compost for their vegetable garden. According to her husband the carrot was sprouting in the middle of the ring. (They don’t say if the ring was 14 or 20 karat.. Ha! Ha!). |
RING AROUND TO FIND A RING (Lost 1940 found 2012)
At the age of 90 a man once again proudly wears his school class ring. In 1938 as an 18-year-old at work he accidentally flushed the ring down the toilet. A city worker found the ring and recognized the crest as the same high school from which he had graduated. Based on the few clues the ring provided, like the year 1938 and the initials etched inside the band, he set about to hunt down the owner of the ring.
A MOO-VING STORY (Lost 2009 & Found 2012)
Three years before, a visitor had told him that a calf had sucked his wedding ring from his finger, but at the time, there was nothing that could be done about it and the visitor’s name was forgotten.
Eventually the animal finished up in the butcher’s shop, where the butcher was told the story of the ring. After about 30 minutes of sorting through 150kgs of cows guts, the ‘glint’ of gold emerged and the ring was recovered.
The ring that has been on an extraordinary journey is engraved and has a date on it. The owner is asked to come forward, provide a description, and claim it.
Eventually the animal finished up in the butcher’s shop, where the butcher was told the story of the ring. After about 30 minutes of sorting through 150kgs of cows guts, the ‘glint’ of gold emerged and the ring was recovered.
The ring that has been on an extraordinary journey is engraved and has a date on it. The owner is asked to come forward, provide a description, and claim it.
LOVE IS GARBAGE! (Lost & found -same day)
When the 77 year-old put her wedding and engagement rings into an old tin cup for safe keeping, she wasn’t expecting the adventure that followed. It all started when her husband thought the cup was rubbish and tossed it away with the rest of the garbage.
Unfortunately, by that time, the garbage truck had already taken the couple’s garbage bags. They immediately called the local garbage depot, only to have the supervisor tell her that the truck couldn't be stopped until the end of the route.
At the end of the day, the lady’s husband met up with the two drivers of the truck and then they sifted through over ten tons of garbage, until they discovered the right bag of rubbish. After about 45 minutes of searching, the relieved and exhausted husband was able to return to his wife of 55 years with a smile on his face and the rings in his hand.
Unfortunately, by that time, the garbage truck had already taken the couple’s garbage bags. They immediately called the local garbage depot, only to have the supervisor tell her that the truck couldn't be stopped until the end of the route.
At the end of the day, the lady’s husband met up with the two drivers of the truck and then they sifted through over ten tons of garbage, until they discovered the right bag of rubbish. After about 45 minutes of searching, the relieved and exhausted husband was able to return to his wife of 55 years with a smile on his face and the rings in his hand.
A SMASHING TOILET (Lost 1974 found 2010)
In 1974 a lady set her engagement ring on the tank lid of her toilet. The ring fell into the bowl. Despite her husband’s best efforts, including unbolting the toilet and shaking it vigorously, the ring was stuck inside the hole at the bottom of the bowl and couldn't be removed. |
Because the young couple could not afford a new loo the fixture, together with the ring, was put back in place.
After a few years the couple moved out of the home and it was sold over and over. Then one day, while the husband was roofing a house across the street from his old home he noticed the new owners carrying the toilet to the trash. He climbed off the roof and volunteered to throw the toilet away for them. He took it away and smashed it with a sledgehammer. Amazingly, after all that time and other things had passed it by, the ring (after a thorough cleaning) still looked brand new.
After a few years the couple moved out of the home and it was sold over and over. Then one day, while the husband was roofing a house across the street from his old home he noticed the new owners carrying the toilet to the trash. He climbed off the roof and volunteered to throw the toilet away for them. He took it away and smashed it with a sledgehammer. Amazingly, after all that time and other things had passed it by, the ring (after a thorough cleaning) still looked brand new.
THE WEEDING RING (Lost 1976 found 1984)
She lost both her wedding ring and engagement ring when they fell off her finger as she closed her garden gate. After a thorough search through the grass and shrubs, the engagement ring was found. Eight years later, she and her husband moved out of the house then, amazingly, 33 years after the ring was lost, they received a call from her old neighbour who said she had found the wedding ring while weeding. The ring was buried in amongst weeds underneath a hedge that was shared by the two homes.
GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLE (Lost 1975 found 2012)
She said it was incredibly spooky to see it inside an apple. It was a £5 ring given to her by her parents. She lost it at the local pool when she went swimming with her primary school in 1975 and it turned up 27 years later when someone bit into an apple.
A newspaper gardening expert said the ring could have been dropped in a tree, before blossom, by a bird and it is possible the fruit could have developed and sealed around the ring.”
A newspaper gardening expert said the ring could have been dropped in a tree, before blossom, by a bird and it is possible the fruit could have developed and sealed around the ring.”
FLUSHED WITH GRATITUDE (Lost 2010 Found 2012)
Sewer workers found a $6000 diamond wedding ring that had accidentally been flushed down the toilet 18 months ago.
The ring’s owner claimed the seven-diamond ring after showing the finders her photo of the ring and the 2001 appraisal from the jeweller manufacturer. She also thanked the two workers who spotted the ring along with loose coins in a filtration basket while doing routine sewer maintenance. |
HI! TO HIGH SCHOOL RING! (Lost 1954 found 2007)
The high school ring was found in about a metre of water and 15 to 20 feet from shore. It was inscribed with the owner’s initials and the graduation date. The finder contacted the school and was able to track down the owner who had lost it 53 years before.
When the 72-year-old retired schoolteacher had her long lost High School class ring returned to her she was astounded. She said that it was unbelievable that the ring was in such good condition after all these years.
She had the ring for less than a year when she lost it. She was never sure, but thought that she had lost it while picnicking with a church group at the beach, where it was eventually found with a metal detector underwater. At the time she just accepted its loss and never expected to ever see it again.
When the 72-year-old retired schoolteacher had her long lost High School class ring returned to her she was astounded. She said that it was unbelievable that the ring was in such good condition after all these years.
She had the ring for less than a year when she lost it. She was never sure, but thought that she had lost it while picnicking with a church group at the beach, where it was eventually found with a metal detector underwater. At the time she just accepted its loss and never expected to ever see it again.
NO LEAF UNTURNED (Lost 2004 found 2007)
The newly engaged young lady was in a park and lost her engagement ring in the leaf litter. A guy was called to search for it with his metal detector, but he couldn't get there until late in the evening and he was unsuccessful in his search.
Three years later, a few weeks before Valentine's Day, the ring was found by the same guy with his detector and he was able to return the 0.85 karat diamond platinum engagement ring to the husband to give to his wife as a Valentine surprise. |
THE DIAMOND SMUGGLING CASE (Lost & found)
A lady borrowed her Mother’s suitcase to go on an overseas trip. While she was away she lost a diamond earing. She searched every inch of the suitcase and the hotel room floor and no luck! As upsetting as it was, she realised these things happen and nothing can be done except to accept it and forget about it.
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About six months later after the daughter returned home the mother also went on a short trip overseas and used the same suitcase. When she returned home she unpacked the case and put it away. Later that night as she was getting into bed, there on the floor she saw a little "sparkle". It was her daughter’s missing earing! She thought it must have been hooked up in the lining of the case and hung in there until she unpacked at home. She didn’t know in what little corner it was or how they had missed it - but there it was!
The Mother said
"We were lucky that we were not accused of concealing & smuggling diamonds".
The Mother said
"We were lucky that we were not accused of concealing & smuggling diamonds".
A CAT'-ASTROPHE! (Lost 2000 found 2003)
She tore the apartment apart and could never find it. She assumed it got swallowed or vacuumed up, never to be seen again. Three years later, the ring showed up on the floor in the middle of the hallway. Just like that! Perhaps the cats found it and started kicking it around again (?) Whatever it was the ‘cat’astrophe was over.
A TIP FOR TREASURE HUNTERS (Finders not Keepers!)
Three scavengers, discovered and recovered a lot of gold jewellery in a rubbish tip. They quickly sold it to buy food and thigs they needed and then shared some of the cash with neighbours and had a night of partying and drinking. The discovery soon reached the attention of the local police.
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When accused of theft, the now frightened scavengers turned over what items and cash was left. Including 3 gold and diamond bracelets, one gold necklace with a pendant, two gold rings and an Official Receipt from the Pawnshop and Jeweller for a pawned gold bracelet and they also handed over the remaining cash which was only about a third of what they received.
They said they shared some with a scrap buyer, bought lumber and materials for the repair to their houses and helped to pay for a neighbour’s hospitalization and generously gave away money and bags of rice to fellow scavengers.
The jewellery had been accidentally thrown out by a member of a very wealthy man’s family.
His overjoyed wife earlier went to the City to light a candle and offer prayer of thanksgiving when the bounty was found.
The local village police said that “Finders is not keepers!”
The law in the Philippians says “Whoever finds a moveable, which is not (hidden) treasure, must return it to its previous possessor. If the latter is unknown, the finder shall immediately deposit it with the mayor of the city or municipality where the finding has taken place.” Otherwise, the finder could be charged with theft.
The mayor has to publicly announce the finding for two consecutive weeks. After six months, if no owner comes forward to claim the item, “its values shall be awarded to the finder.”
But “if the owner should appear in time, he shall be obliged to pay, as a reward to the finder, one-tenth of the sum or of the price of the thing found”.
The owner of the treasure through his lawyer said “If the scavengers hadn’t found the jewellery, we wouldn’t have known it was gone. We should thank them,”
According to the lawyer, the owner who is 83 years old suffered memory lapses after an accident at home where he fell from a ladder. Since then, he occupies a room in the ground floor and didn’t know at first the jewellery was missing because his wife and children were the ones who cleaned up his room in the upper floor. Family members who found some belongings eaten by termites transferred several boxes downstairs and burned some of them. The rest were put in sacks and collected by the garbage truck.
They said they shared some with a scrap buyer, bought lumber and materials for the repair to their houses and helped to pay for a neighbour’s hospitalization and generously gave away money and bags of rice to fellow scavengers.
The jewellery had been accidentally thrown out by a member of a very wealthy man’s family.
His overjoyed wife earlier went to the City to light a candle and offer prayer of thanksgiving when the bounty was found.
The local village police said that “Finders is not keepers!”
The law in the Philippians says “Whoever finds a moveable, which is not (hidden) treasure, must return it to its previous possessor. If the latter is unknown, the finder shall immediately deposit it with the mayor of the city or municipality where the finding has taken place.” Otherwise, the finder could be charged with theft.
The mayor has to publicly announce the finding for two consecutive weeks. After six months, if no owner comes forward to claim the item, “its values shall be awarded to the finder.”
But “if the owner should appear in time, he shall be obliged to pay, as a reward to the finder, one-tenth of the sum or of the price of the thing found”.
The owner of the treasure through his lawyer said “If the scavengers hadn’t found the jewellery, we wouldn’t have known it was gone. We should thank them,”
According to the lawyer, the owner who is 83 years old suffered memory lapses after an accident at home where he fell from a ladder. Since then, he occupies a room in the ground floor and didn’t know at first the jewellery was missing because his wife and children were the ones who cleaned up his room in the upper floor. Family members who found some belongings eaten by termites transferred several boxes downstairs and burned some of them. The rest were put in sacks and collected by the garbage truck.
FABULOUS FABERGE (Not lost yet but here's hoping)
Today it is valued at Half a Million Dollars. The ring belonged to the Russian family until 1994 then was sold at auction in New York to a Spanish citizen. Now it is in the private collection, of a man in the oil business, who is one of the richest men in the word. (I hope he and his wife holiday on the beach in Western Australia with the ring.
I wonder what reward he would offer if he lost it & I found it?)
I wonder what reward he would offer if he lost it & I found it?)
TREASURE IN STORE (1918 - 2009)
In London 2009, jewelry that once belonged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia was recovered and later sold at auction. The jewelry was found at the Swedish foreign ministry, where it had been stored for 91 years. A spokesperson for the auctioneers said "Unknown to generations until their its rediscovery, the objects, some of which still contain evidence of use by the Romanovs, truly evoke the grandeur and sublime taste of their original owners. The allure of this intimate and precious group, with its links to historical events, holds the highest appeal for discerning collectors. "The treasure is thought to have been lost during the Russian revolution against the Romanov dynasty. Reports that it had been smuggled out of Russia by a British aristocrat were unconfirmed.
TISSUE BOX TREASURE (Lost & found 3 weeks later).
When her daughter was 2, her mother let her hold and admire her engagement ring, which in no time at all was "lost". They searched everywhere but no luck. After three weeks, she would still get upset when she thought about it. She was a bit teary and pulled the last tissue out of the Kleenex box and as she went to throw the box out, there was a rattling sound and there in the bottom of the box was the missing ring! The 2 year old must have gone to get a tissue & the ring fell off in the box.
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Email Rex Woodmore: [email protected]
#Wealth #Fortune #Tomb #Safe #Coins #Money #Dollars #Sovereigns #Gems #Ingots