With Google at our fingertips, we're in an age where it feels like our digital savvy can answer anything and everything, and anything left unexplained is chalked up to myth and magic. But in reality, there are plenty of very real, very tangible mysteries out there that neither Google can solve (though some online sleuths may try) nor magic can explain.
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Beyond the unexplained phenomenon of mysterious destinations besieged by rumors of celestial or paranormal activity or the unexplained civilizations that vanished throughout history, the tantalizing nature of these mysteries is more Nancy Drew than it is Scooby-Doo. These are the stories of very real treasures all around the world that one day disappeared, never to be seen again.
Ghosts, witches, and aliens aren't the potential culprits in these cases, but rather the work of humans, politics, and history have hidden these priceless artifacts away from the spotlight. Try as treasure hunters might, the location of many of these lost valuables has yet to be revealed, nor are there any really solid leads to where they could be.
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Ranging from priceless jewels to masterworks of art, these missing, long-lost treasures may not be recoverable for many years to come (if not, at all).
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10 "Poppy Flowers" By Vincent Van Gogh
So valuable, that it was stolen twice
"Poppy Flowers," Vincent Van Gogh, 1887
Imagine a piece of art that was so desirable that it was stolen not once, but twice. Such is the case of famed Impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh's "Poppy Flowers," an oil on canvas painting the artist crafted in 1887, merely three years before he passed away.
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It was nothing short of an art history victory when Egyptian collector Mohamed Khalil Pasha purchased the piece in the 1920s. The museum in Khalil's name, the Mohamed Khalil Museum in Cairo, displayed "Poppy Flowers" with great pride, that is, until June 1977, when the piece vanished during a move between buildings.
The government did not divulge any details about the theft, but eventually the painting was recovered a couple of years later. However, it was re-stolen in 2010; the piece had been cut out of its frame with a box cutter.
Communications from the Egyptian government about the theft were quite wishy-washy at the time. At one point, the government claimed the thieves were apprehended, a statement that was retracted not too long after it was made. Only a handful of the museums' dozens of cameras were working at the time of the theft, so there was very little to pursue in terms of surveillance data.
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Despite the theft occurring in broad daylight, there are no leads on whom the thief may be. Some government insiders do allege that it was a museum employee who is likely the culprit.
Date of Creation:
1887
Date of Lost:
2010
Last Known Location:
Mohamed Khalil Museum, Cairo, Egypt
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
Suspected whereabouts unknown, but it is believed that a museum employee participated in the heist
9 The Peking Man
The fossil mysteriously disappeared during World War II
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In the 1920s, paleontologists and anthropologists celebrated the discovery of a massive deposit of primitive human remains and fossils in the Zhoukoudian caves, 30 miles away from the tourist-favorite city of Beijing - formerly called Peking.
It was the first time in history that these kinds of primitive remains were ever found on mainland Asia, and some 200 collected bones belonged to the men, women, and children of ancient Beijing. The collection was dubbed the "Peking Man Fossils," and were exceedingly rare examples of early man in the region. Some researchers even believed the fossils pointed to the discovery of a new species of hominid.
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The study of these bones was cut short, however, as Japanese attacks in 1941 during World War II halted any significant further research. U.S. archaeologists desperately sought a way to get the Peking Man Fossils out of the country, eventually hiding the remains in a military footlocker to be smuggled out of the conflict zone.
Unfortunately, after subsequent raids by the Axis Powers on the lab in which the fossils were rumored to be in, the bones were lost to the chaos of war. The most popular current theory is that the military locker that was carrying the fossils is likely buried on the former site of Camp Holcomb, the last location of the fossils.
Today, the site is home to parking lots and warehouses, but with future development imminent, perhaps an opportunity to hunt for the Peking Man Fossils will become a reality.
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Date of Creation:
About 770,000 to 230,000 years ago
Date of Lost:
1941
Last Known Location:
Camp Holcomb in Qinhuangdao, China
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
Buried under the former site of Camp Holcomb
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8 The Just Judges Panel Of The Ghent Alterpiece
They even left a ransom note ...
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The Ghent Altarpiece, a stunning assemblage of realistically painted panels depicting scenes of the "redemption of humanity," was first commissioned for the Vijd Chapel (now St. Bavo Cathedral) in the 15th century. Upon the pieces' installation, Belgian painter Jan van Eyck was lauded for the masterwork; it has since been considered a pioneering masterpiece of Renaissance Art.
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The pieces, of which there are several, are no strangers to separation throughout history, however. Consistently looted by invading conquerors from other European countries, the altarpiece was finally reunited post World War I in Ghent. But only 14 years later, the altarpiece would be missing a significant component once again.
The "Just Judges" and "St. John, the Baptist" panels of the polyptych were again stolen in 1934, and the thief left a colorful, not-so-cryptic note alleging that the piece was wrongfully taken from Germany after the war. The note demanded a ransom of 1 million francs (or $66,200 in 1934 and a whopping almost-$1.6 million today) for its return.
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Eight months worth of letters were consistently sent to the cathedral, until suddenly the ransoms stopped. By this point, the "St. John, the Baptist" panel had already been recovered, and police believed the culprit was a 57-year-old man named Arsène Goedertier, a local stockbroker.
Goedertier had suffered a heart attack and suddenly passed away when the ransom notes stopped. Allegedly, on this deathbed, the stockbroker admitted to the theft, and he even had copies of all the ransom notes, but the "Just Judges" panel was never found. A replica stands in its place today in Ghent.
Date of Creation:
1432
Date of Lost:
1934
Last Known Location:
St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
Buried under Kalandeberg Square, a central Ghent shopping area or owned by a private family who won't reveal its whereabouts.
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7 The Florentine Diamond
The last hope of Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Charles I
A large yellow diamond
The origin story of the stunning diamond begins in India, where it's believed that the 137-carat canary gemstone was cut from a larger diamond and was brought to Europe by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, sometime in the 15th century.
Much like its blue sister, the Hope Diamond, the history of the Florentine Diamond is riddled with mythical (and possibly cursed) intrigue - it's rumored that Charles the Bold was killed while carrying the diamond in battle. By the early 20th century, the diamond had passed into the Austrian royal family and, during the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Charles I, fled to Switzerland with the diamond in hand.
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It was there Charles I purportedly gave the jewel to lawyer Bruno Steiner, who was supposed to sell the Florentine Diamond along with other royal valuables, so that the deposed monarch could live a comfortable life outside of Austria. However, the diamond disappeared thereafter, and to this day no one knows what actually happened to the massive yellow stone.
In 1924, Steiner was arrested and tried for fraud but was acquitted of the charges. Theories suggest that the diamond was eventually recut into a series of smaller diamonds, which have made their way into collections around the world.
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Date of Creation:
15th century
Date of Lost:
1918
Last Known Location:
Switzerland
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
The diamond was possibly cut into a series of smaller diamonds.
6 "Nativity With St. Francis & St. Lawrence" By Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Maybe it was the mafia?
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Caravaggio's famed "Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence" graced the Oratorio di San Lorenzo (the Oratory of St. Lawrence) in Palermo, Sicily for over 350 years when, on a random October night in 1969, the piece seemingly vanished.
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Under the cloak of darkness, it is believed two thieves cut the piece from its frame in the lavish hall. Rumor has it that the Sicilian Mafia (or amateurs who then handed the piece off to the Mafia) facilitated the theft after the estimated worth of the painting, nearly $20 million, was revealed on a television program only weeks before the heist.
There are many rumors of the stolen painting's whereabouts. Some believe that it was sold off to a Swiss art dealer, while others, including the Italian authorities, have strong theories that it remained in the country.
If the stories about the Sicilian Mafia are to be believed, other speculations about the painting's whereabouts range from a Mafia boss's house to a barn in Palermo. Some even think "Nativity" is lost forever, destroyed by an earthquake or fire, or perhaps eaten by pigs.
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Date of Creation:
1609
Date of Lost:
1969
Last Known Location:
Palermo, Sicily
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
The Sicilian Mafia (mafia wannabes) carried out the theft and sold it to a Swiss art dealer or kept it somewhere in Sicily.
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5 The Royal Casket Of Poland
One of the greatest collections of European royal jewels lost to history
The Royal Casket of Poland assembled by Izabela Czartoryska, c.1800
Princess Izabela Czartoryska was an influential Polish intellectual in the 18th and 19th centuries, who founded Poland's first museum and rubbed elbows with many prominent figures in history, like Benjamin Franklin, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire.
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By the 1790s, though, Poland was caught in political unrest and warfare between and from neighboring belligerents, and the country ultimately lost its autonomy and sovereign status as a nation for 123 years.
In the aftermath of those wars, Czartoryska assembled a collection of relics, all of which had belonged to members of the Polish royal family, and stored them away in a memorial casket, ultimately finding a home at the museum Czartoryska founded during the century thereafter.
Among the casket's contents were: a portrait of Queen Constance of Austria (younger sister of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor), several watches that belonged to Polish kings and queens, jewelry, silverware, and the pectoral cross of King Sigismund the Old.
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Despite surviving intact during the entirety of Polish "non-existence," the likes of World War II would prove to be the casket's undoing. As lore has it, a local German man betrayed the location of the casket either in the Czartoryska Museum where it had been hidden away, or in Sieniawa where objects from the museum had been transported out for safety.
Accounts differ about where the ultimate ransacking took place, either in Kraków at the museum or in Sieniawa, but regardless, it's said that German soldiers promptly looted the casket when it was discovered. It's believed that the soldiers split up the 73 relics among themselves, and the casket and its pieces have never resurfaced in public again.
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Date of Creation:
1800
Date of Lost:
1939
Last Known Location:
Kraków or Sieniawa, Poland
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
The casket was possibly destroyed, and the contents looted and distributed among German soldiers in World War II.
4 The Treasures Of The Flor De La Mar
The classic tale of a treasure ship lost at sea
Replica of the Flor de la Mar
First constructed in Lisbon, Portugal in 1502 as a behemoth sailing vessel to transport treasures from India to Portugal, the Flor de la Mar ship was riddled with construction issues from its first voyage.
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Over 100 feet long and necessitating a crew of 500 to operate the ship and its 50 guns, the Flor de la Mar was already springing leaks and stopping for repairs from the get-go.
For the next, near-decade, during the Portuguese conquest of India and Southeast Asia, the Flor de la Mar was present transporting riches from the defeated combatants back to Lisbon.
It was after one such colonial feat in 1511 when the ship, carrying a robust cargo of gold, silver, and other precious treasures, was caught in a storm in the Straight of Malacca between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Flor de la Mar, with its troubled past, was wrecked on the shoals and sank.
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Some sources believe that the treasures were looted by locals, while others suggest that some of the treasure was recovered before the ship ultimately sank too deeply. Many still believe that large portions of the treasure, if not all of it, remain buried beneath the sediment in the strait, or the treasure was washed away to sea, never to be seen again.
Date of Creation:
1502
Date of Lost:
1511
Last Known Location:
Strait of Malacca
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
Looted, recovered, lost at sea, or a combination of all of the above.
3 Ireland's Crown Jewels
Even psychics have been consulted on the jewels' whereabouts
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Not so much symbolic of any royal family, Ireland's Crown Jewels were actually a star and badge regalia set, made from 394 precious stones that came from the English Crown Jewels. The badges were set with a series of Brazilian diamonds, rubies, and emeralds sourced largely from Queen Charlotte's (of "Bridgerton" fame) collection of jewelry.
Presented by King William IV in 1831 to the Grand Master of the Order of St. Patrick, an aristocratic order founded in 1783 akin to the Order of the Garter in England, the bedazzled badges were meant for use by the lord lieutenant of Ireland, the Viceroy.
On the eve of an impending visit from British monarch King Edwards VII to Dublin, the Irish Crown Jewels vanished from its safeguarded location in Bedford Tower at Dublin Castle, the center of historical Dublin today. The Ulster King of Arms, Sir Arthur Vicars, was in charge of the jewels' safekeeping.
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However, he was notoriously bad at it, often showing off the pieces to visitors, losing track of the key to the vault, and allegedly allowing the badges to be stolen by a friend previously, only for the jewels to be shipped back via post. Ultimately, in 1907, it appeared a thief allowed themselves into the vault without forcing entry - suggesting they had a key.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of "Sherlock Holmes", was a distant cousin to Sir Arthur Vicars, and it's believed Conan Doyle based one of his novellas on his unfortunate cousin's mishap. Today, the badges are estimated to be worth close to five million euros.
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Date of Creation:
1831
Date of Lost:
1907
Last Known Location:
Dublin Castle, Ireland
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
Potentially stolen by a member of the aristocracy to settle debts. Some believe the jewels were sold back to the British royal family quietly.
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2 The Romanov Faberge Eggs
A $30 million Easter Egg hunt
Imagine you go antiquing and treat yourself to a bedazzled, beautifully intricate golden egg made by Faberge and decide it'll look wonderful as a decorative piece on your kitchen counter.
After spending an eye-watering $14,000 at your local antique shop in the Midwest, the egg just sits there for years, collecting dust. It's pretty, yes, but not all that functional, so you plan on melting it down eventually for some scrap metal.
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Hopefully, you'll get a return for your investment. But something is telling you to get the egg checked out ... and as it turns out, it's one of over 50 Imperial Faberge Eggs made by the jeweler for the Russian Imperial, Romanov Family. And since the last Tzar's deposition, several of the eggs have been missing, and the egg you have is one of them.
This tale may sound far-fetched, but it is the true story of a man in 2014 who unknowingly bought the egg only to find it once belonged to Tzar Nicholas II. At auction, the recovered egg sold for a whopping $33 million, an extremely generous return on this Midwestern man's investment.
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And the thing is, seven eggs are still missing from the lineup of 50+ that the Romanov Family had made throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Where these eggs are in the wake of the Russian Revolution and World War I, whether in the private collections of billionaires or in some random antique shop somewhere, is still a mystery.
Date of Creation:
1885-1917
Date of Lost:
1917
Last Known Location:
Russia
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
Missing eggs are possibly destroyed and/or in private collections.
1 Stolen Artwork From The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
This was the biggest art heist in U.S. history
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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a highlight of Boston's museum scene, but it's also forever linked to the most notorious art heist in American history.
The brainchild of New England socialite, Isabella Stewart Gardner, the museum is housed in her former home in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. Built like an Italian palazzo with many historic architectural features shipped in from those parts of the world, the house-turned-museum today also displays an expansive collection of Gardner's art.
In 1990, 13 of those prominent works were unceremoniously spirited away and remain missing today. With works by Rembrandt, Manet, Vermeer, and Degas among the lost, the museum is still offering an over $10 million reward for any information that'll lead to the paintings' discovery.
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On the night of the robbery, two security guards were detained while thieves cut the paintings from their frames. It's estimated that over $500 million worth of artworks was ultimately pilfered.
Due to an interesting mandate in Gardner's will, none of the empty frames could be moved from the museum's walls, so visitors can see the empty shells where these masterworks once resided on display at the museum.
Date of Creation:
Ancient Chinese to 19th century European Works
Date of Lost:
1917
Last Known Location:
Boston, Massachusetts
Popular Theory of Whereabouts:
The Irish Mafia is thought to be involved in the theft and stashing of the art.
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