The World’s Most Valuable Lost Treasure

Estimated Worth: $1 million+*
Lost or Found: Lost

You could be forgiven for thinking the Royal Casket housed the remains of some long-forgotten king – after all, it certainly sounds that way. However, in this case, the contents of this casket are far more valuable. Way back in 1800, Princess Izabela Czartoryska collected numerous different objects of value from Poland’s most affluent royals. 

A Royal Casket ©National Heritage / Wikipeidia.org

The casket contained all sorts of precious items from jewels to artwork, creating a kind of time capsule that harkened back to the time when Poland was an independent state. However, 140 years after its creation, it was lost to Nazi rule, never to be seen again. Its fate remains unknown.

Estimated Worth: $9,000*
Lost or Found: Found

Not all treasures date back hundreds of years. In fact, some that go back just a few decades are just as valuable. Back in 2019, Scott Amos was looking inside the attic of his family home when he stumbled across something completely unexpected. Tucked away inside a JCPenney bag was an unused, unopened Nintendo game. 

Old Nintendo video game @Piclick / Pinterest.com

As it turns out, it wasn’t just any game, either. It was Kid Icarus, which was worth a pretty penny to collectors. Amos put it up for auction, never expecting that it would eventually sell for $9,000. It might be worth looking in your attic to see if there are any hidden gems from Nintendo or even Sony’s Playstation. 

Estimated Worth: $200,000+*
Lost or Found: Lost

Most soccer fans might be aware of this, but the Jules Rimet Cup is the name of the trophy handed to the winning World Cup team. What’s more, it has a very complex history. First created way back at the start of the 20th century, it has been stolen more than once. The first theft occurred in 1966, but it was recovered. 

Jules Rimet Cup @FIFAMuseum / Twitter.com

However, nearly two decades later, it was lost again – this time, for good. The Brazilian team held the trophy from 1970 as a permanent gesture after winning the tournament three times. The prized possession was kept in a locked cabinet until it was stolen. While you may be able to buy replicas on eBay, the real thing is gone for good. 

Estimated Worth: $130,000*
Lost or Found: Lost

Diamonds are forever…at least until they get stolen or lost to the sands of time. Known as the Florentine Diamond, this beauty is the stuff of legends. Thought to be worth an estimated $130,000 the exact origins of this particular gem are unclear. 

"The Florentine Diamond" @scihit / @ask_knoji / Pinterest.com

We do know that it wasn’t bought at Tiffany’s. The last known record of the 133-carat stone dates back to 1918 when it was reportedly owned by the Habsburg royal family of Austria-Hungary. It’s thought the family asked a trusted lawyer to keep it safe during World War I, but he wasn’t so trustworthy after all. They never saw it again. 

Estimated Worth: $150,000*
Lost or Found: Found

To most of us, owning a very old bottle of booze simply means we haven’t brought ourselves to get rid of the dregs leftover from last Christmas. However, for one family, an old bottle of Cognac turned out to be life-changing – and they didn’t even have to suffer a hangover to find out. 

Old bottle of cognac @tweetyloveslyn / Pinterest.com

While the family chose to remain anonymous, the bottle of brandy went on sale at Sotheby’s back in 2020. It turned out to be incredibly old, dating back to 1762. It might seem crazy, but one bidding was so intent on getting it that they shelled out $150,000. That’s a darn sight more than you would spend on Walmart’s own brand. 

Estimated Worth: $2.5 million*
Lost or Found: Found

The story behind this particular piece of found treasure is even more fascinating than the item itself. Back in 1942, a 23-year-old young woman called Solange Beaugiron fled Paris in terror, running from the atrocities of World War II and leaving her apartment behind her. For some unknown reason, she never went back. 

Original Giovanni Boldini painting ©Giovanni Boldini / Wikimedia Commons

It wasn’t until she passed away in 2010 at the grand old age of 91 that her heirs realized it existed at all. Amazingly, it was like a time capsule – and it contained an original Giovanni Boldini painting that dated back to 1898. The incredible piece of art sold for $2.5 million.

Estimated Worth: $1 million*
Lost or Found: Found

Can you imagine winning the lottery, only to realize that you accidentally threw away the ticket? One Massachusetts resident did just that, unwittingly setting the stage for the biggest case of “Finders Keepers” that America has ever seen. 

Winning Lottery Ticket @meldam / Pinterest.com

Edward St. John happened to find the discarded ticket when he was searching through some trash in a dumpster. When he made a claim, the original owner of the ticket came forward and a lawsuit ensued. The ticket itself was worth a cool $1 million, but Edward didn’t get to keep all of it. He did get to keep some though. He may not be as rich as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, but it’s a start.

Estimated Worth: $20 million*
Lost or Found: Lost 

We have all heard of the Crown Jewels of England, but did you know that the Emerald Isle had its very own set, once upon a time? While they aren’t quite as valuable as the Queen’s collection, these gems held a special place in Ireland’s history. 

Crown jewels of Ireland  / Wikimedia.org

Consisting of a diamond star of the Order of St. Patrick, a brooch, and five gold collars, the entire collection was stolen from Dublin Castle back in 1907. No one knows what happened to them after that. They could have been taken apart and sold on the black market equivalent of eBay.  It’s anyone’s guess. 

Estimated Worth: $22,000*
Lost or Found: Found

Finding a lost $20 on the street is one thing, but can you imagine waking up one day and casually stumbling across $22,000? Mike Rogers got lucky in Kentucky when he happened to come across an abandoned barrel. When he looked inside it, he was shocked to find $22,000 in U.S. savings bonds. 

U.S. Savings Bonds Just Lying In a Barrel ©U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Wikimedia.org

Rogers dedicated a lot of time and energy to hunting down the original owners of the bonds and giving them back their property. It just goes to show that there are good people in the world, even if Rogers did miss out on being able to buy a brand new Tesla with his findings. 

Estimated Worth: Priceless
Lost or Found: Lost

Famed artist Michelangelo is known for all sorts of fabulous works of art. However, not all of them are present and accounted for. The Mask of a Faun depicts the face of a half-human, half-goat creature that doesn’t exactly look friendly. The official owner of this piece is the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy, but it’s no longer in their possession. 

Michelangelo's Mask of a Faun ©spatuletail / Shutterstock.com

The mask was stolen back in 1944 from a Tuscan castle. No one is quite sure what happened, but it’s thought to have been taken by German soldiers. Sadly, it was one of many precious works of art that were taken during this period that never resurfaced. 

Estimated Worth: Various
Lost or Found: Lost

Once upon a time, the ancient city of Nimrud was a bustling mecca that was the capital city, ruled over by Ashurnasirpal II between 883-859 B.C. That being said, Nimrud was home to many valuable items that it continued to hold onto right up until modern times. Sadly, it was captured by Islamic State in 2014 and largely destroyed. 

Treasures of Nimrud ©Morphart Creation / Shutterstock.com

Many different items were taken and either completely annihilated or lost forever as a result of the ensuing issues. It’s difficult to know if some items will ever be recovered, but according to sources found on Google it’s hoped that some damaged areas could be reconstructed.

Estimated Worth: $320,000*
Lost or Found: Found

There are many things in life that we know are valuable, but some other items may not even cross our minds. Back in 2019, Thai fisherman Jumrus Thiachot found a giant yellow lump that had been washed ashore, buried in the sound. It turned out to be ambergris. Essentially, it’s whale vomit, a substance created in the stomach of a sperm whale. 

A 14-pound chunk of ambergris (aka whale vomit) @dehavdtv / Pinterest.com

It might sound disgusting, but this piece of biomatter is used to make fragrances last longer – therefore, it turned out to be worth a good amount of money. $320,000 to be exact. Thiachot kept it for a whole year before getting it officially valued.

Estimated Worth: $200,000*
Lost or Found: Found

Rare coins can be worth a fortune, but it’s not every day that you happen to find a secret stash hidden in a wall. The story is fascinating. A woman in Pennsylvania remembered a family pastime when she was a child of people throwing old coins into a wall. The house had long since been abandoned, but when she returned, she was astounded to find them still there. 

Rare Coins Hidden in a Wall ©Wikimedia.org

What’s more, a local collector told her they weren’t just any old coins. Some of these were incredibly rare, meaning the entire stash was worth over $200,000. Now, that’s not something you would see on Discovery Channel. 

Estimated Worth: Priceless
Lost or Found: Lost

Paintings from the greatest artists ever known are incredibly valuable. Works by Raphael certainly fit that bill, but the sad fact is that some of them are missing. A stunning painting of a young man by the talented artist was originally housed in the Czartoryski Museum in Poland in the ‘30s. 

Lost Raphael painting ©Wikimedia.org

Sadly, like many artifacts at that time, it fell prey to the Second World War. When the German Army overtook the country, the painting was stolen and, although the Germans originally planned to put it in another museum, it wound up in a senior Nazi official’s chalet. When he was captured and tried after the war ended, the painting vanished.