Whether you are young or old, love adventure and discovery or the thrill of riches, there is a certain allure about sunken treasure that appeals to all of us. Learn about 4 real-world examples of sunken treasure ships and their lost-then-found-again precious cargo of gold coins in this presentation from Bellevue Rare Coins. If you…

Back in June of 2015, Eric Schmitt and his family made an unthinkable discovery of over $1.5 million in coins and various artifacts later determined to be those of a sunken Spanish fleet. Heading to Spain from Havana, Cuba, the fleet compiled of 11 ships were caught and eventually succumbed to a hurricane. Each ship…

One stormy night on Lake Michigan in the late 1800s, a ferry overloaded with boxcars and other freight was being tossed around like a toy. With the vessel in danger of sinking, the crew lightened the load by throwing some of the empty boxcars overboard. It saved the ship. That would have been where the…

In 1763, a British ship named Lord Clive was sailing off the coast of what’s now Uruguay. The ship was allegedly stocked with massive amounts of rum, as well as treasure chests full of gold and silver coins. During a raid, Spanish troops attacked the city of Colonia del Sacramento with cannon fire. The Lord…

Many centuries ago, a Roman citizen who was likely a farmer stashed nearly 300 coins for safekeeping. Experts theorize that the farmer placed the coins in a pot, and buried them deep in the earth to hide them from potential threats. But it appears that the farmer hid the coins a little too well, because…

Summer is coming. Which means barbeques, beaches, camping, and, if you’re lucky, grand adventure. This summer, people all over the country will head to the Rocky Mountains. Some will come to hike, some to whitewater raft, some to mountain bike, and some in search of fortune. That’s because millionaire Forrest Fenn has hidden a box…

Last time you went to a state park, what did you find? Maybe some sea glass or an interesting shell. Or maybe you just found a beautiful mountain view and some serenity. What you likely didn’t find is a giant diamond. Well, in Arkansas, that’s exactly what one woman recently discovered. Susie Clark and her…

In early February, six divers decided to go for a casual dive near an ancient harbor known as Caesarea. But what they thought would be an ordinary day underwater turned out to be a life-changing experience. During the dive, the divers spotted something that looked like play money lying on the seabed. Playing it safe,…

Last month on Sunday, December 21st, many of us were going to holiday parties or baking cookies. But not the Weekend Wanderers Detecting Club. They went out hunting for treasure with their metal detectors. One member, Paul Coleman, almost didn’t go, because the cost of gas was straining his budget. In fact, he had to…

Can you imagine finding an ancient treasure map? One where “X marks the spot,” leading you to riches beyond belief? Well, one man lucked upon such a map, except he didn’t find it at an antique map shop, or even a flea market. He just Googled it. Howard Jones used Google Maps to discover an…

Imagine you’re out walking your dog, and you see something glittering out of the corner of your eye. You initially assume it’s something mundane, but, curious, you investigate. It’s not mundane. Not at all. It’s looks like an ancient ring. You have it evaluated and discover the ring’s history—it’s changed hands from queens to noblewomen,…

It’s the dream of every treasure hunter who’s ever scoured the local beach with a metal detector: the big score. And Odyssey Marine Exploration has pulled in its biggest haul yet — and reportedly the largest precious metal recovery in history — from the bottom of the North Atlantic. The Florida-based marine salvage company recovered…

A friend was recently cleaning out his family home’s basement when he came across a locked box that hadn’t been opened in perhaps decades. He dusted it off, turned the lock and was surprised to find it contained a cache of out-of-circulation coins: Liberty coins, Morgan silver dollars, Mercury dimes, Franklin half-dollars and more. Not…