Gold coins that actually turned out to be props
The two men, armed with a metal detector, were very worried when they discovered a cache in which they thought 50 gold coins were found. This happened in England, in the countryside. Having previously estimated the cost of the find, treasure hunters estimated them at 250 thousand pounds, which is approaching 2 million rubles.
They began to dream about how to spend their wealth, which they got so unexpectedly. But the men did not have to rejoice for long, because they soon saw that the coins were not very similar to gold. As a result, it was found out that this is the prop used by the Air Force during the filming of a television detective comedy.
"Antique" clay jug
This funny story happened in the United States. One man bought an inexpensive clay jug on the flea market, which was presented as antiques. He was very proud of his find and brought the product to one of the television shows. There, the jug was estimated by experts at 50 thousand dollars (more than 3 million rubles) and was dated to the middle or end of the 19th century.
Everything went fine until one of the spectators living in Oregon intervened in this matter. In the "antique" jug, she recognized the very handicraft that she had created in the 1970s during a labor lesson in high school.
Winston Churchill as a poet was unclaimed
In London in London, a poem by Winston Churchill was put up for auction at the Bonhams house in London. It is called "Passwords of our days" and is the only one that has come down to us from those written by him in adulthood and consists of forty lines. It dates from the year 1899 or 1990. Then the future Prime Minister of Great Britain served in the army.
It is known that in childhood, a politician indulged in writing poetry, and he was awarded a prize during the competition of young poets. In his mature years, he was engaged only in prose. In 1953, he was even awarded the Nobel Literary Prize.
Then, at an auction, experts suggested that for a poem by a young Churchill, one of the buyers could lay out about 20 thousand dollars (more than 1 million rubles). But, as it turned out, the prime minister’s poetic gift was not appreciated, and no one bought his poem.
Cache Al Capone not found
Although the famous gangster Al Capone has been nearly half a century since he died in prison, the US tax authorities continue to search for capital illegally acquired by him. They were supposed to be hidden in Chicago at the Lexington Hotel, called the gangster's refuge. There was his headquarters.
In the mid-eighties of the last century, part of the hotel was demolished for the purpose of reconstruction. As a result of the treasure hunt, Al Capone was not found there. But despite this, the broadcast of this event received very high ratings from the audience, and to this day, interest in gangster money, sheltered from taxes, does not fade.
A piece of ambergris turned out to be an ordinary stone
Ambergris is a solid, combustible, wax-like substance. It is formed in sperm whales in the digestive tract. Sometimes it is found washed ashore or floating in the sea. Ambergris is highly valued by perfumers who use it as an odor control agent.
Once on a beach in Australia, a couple discovered a large piece of ambergris, for which she managed to gain 186.5 thousand pounds (about 14 million rubles). But not everyone is so lucky. The man who walked the dog on the English coast thought that he also found ambergris, but, to his great regret, it was only a useless stone.
Fake Stonehenge
In the countryside in England, archaeologists have found a circle consisting of meter stones. Its diameter is about seven meters. The find, which greatly pleased the scientists, reminded them of Stonehenge. Previously, her age was determined in the range of 3.5-4.5 thousand years. But two weeks later it turned out that this circle was just the work of the farmer who owned the land at the end of the last century.
"Treasures" of Captain Kidd
William Kidd is known as a 17th-century pirate. In 2015, a group of archaeologists off the coast of Madagascar discovered traces of a shipwreck. As it seemed to scientists, they found the captain Kidd's treasure. But in fact, the "treasures" turned out to be a pile of rubble.
Lawyer accuses the FBI
For several decades, Dennis Parada has been searching for gold in northern Pennsylvania, according to rumors, lost in 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg. When he allegedly finally found the treasure, he invited FBI representatives to the excavation site. But suddenly he was asked to leave the site due to the need for an investigation.
Subsequently, the report submitted by the FBI noted that nothing valuable was found by its staff. The parade was outraged, saying that the intelligence agency was playing a dishonest game. And his lawyer said that he did not understand for what reasons the federal service was hiding gold.
Odyssey lost to Spain
In 2007, the Odyssey Marine Exploration company from Florida (USA), engaged in the rescue of wrecked ships, found a Spanish vessel off the southwestern coast of Portugal. Inside it were discovered treasures worth $ 500 million (31.5 billion rubles). However, nothing came out of this huge amount of Odyssey.
The Spanish authorities have sued, challenging the ownership of the treasures extracted from under the water. The trial lasted five years, and the American company lost it. Today, the found artifacts are displayed in Spanish museums.
Lira cannot be exchanged
Claudia Moretti, a resident of Italy, inherited a house from her uncle. She was very worried when she found a safe in it, which contained 100 million lire in cash. But the woman’s joy was premature, since the lira was the currency of Italy until the introduction of the euro in 2002.
At the same time, it was stipulated that the exchange of lira will occur until December 6, 2011. Unfortunately, Senora Moretti was late, not meeting the deadlines set by the government. Therefore, her find was zilch.
The artifact turned out to be a spark plug
Three amateur archaeologists who were looking for in Olancha, California, geodes (geological formations, enclosed cavities in sedimentary and volcanic rocks) discovered in 1961 some interesting "mechanical contraption." She was in a fossil rock.
Archaeologists have decided that it dates back to ancient times and proves that all the ideas about the evolution of man that existed before this will have to be reviewed. But when it came to authentication, it turned out that it was only a spark plug dating back to the 1920s, covered with hardened earth.
Was there a treasure?
According to Forrest Fenn of New Mexico, a writer and treasure hunter, in 1988, he placed a $ 2 million (126.6 million) worth of treasure in a chest and hid it in the Rockies. After some time, he published a poem, which was a kind of guide for finding treasure. And there were many enthusiasts who did not fail to take advantage of it.
However, to this day nothing has been found, although six people died during the searches.At the same time, law enforcement authorities have requested that Fenn stop conducting quests related to the search for treasures. But she was ignored. It remains only to find out if there really was a treasure?