List of lost treasures

This is an incomplete list of famous treasures that are currently lost or missing.

Name	Year lost	Image	Description
Ark of the Covenant	586 BC	Replica	Gold plated vessel, 2½ × 1½ × 1½ cubits (as 2+1⁄2×1+1⁄2×1+1⁄2 royal cubits or 1.31×0.79×0.79 metres).
Copper Scroll treasures	circa 25–75	Part of the Copper Scroll	The text on the scroll is a list of treasures of gold and silver, with locations.
Kusanagi	1185	Artist's depiction	A sword and one of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan that legitimize the rule of the Emperor of Japan. Lost at sea in the Battle of Dan-no-ura in the Genpei War.[1] Current government claims possession, but has not permitted outside verification.
Dracula's Treasure	1462–1476	—	Treasure vault of Snagov monastery lost when Vlad Dracula's brother Radu took it in 1462, when Turks took it in 1463, or after Vlad's death in 1476. Buried, thrown into Lake Snagov, or transferred elsewhere.[2]
La Noche Triste treasure	1520	—	Gold artwork looted from the palace of Moctezuma II. Occurred during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.[3]
Treasure of Amaro Pargo	1678-1747 d.C.	Portrait of Amaro Pargo located on the canvas of the "Christ of Humility and Patience" of the Hermitage of Our Lady of El Rosario in Machado (Tenerife).	The treasure would be composed of "carved silver, gold jewelry, pearls and stones of value, Chinese porcelain, rich fabrics, paintings and perhaps 500,000 pesos".[4] The stories about this treasure are varied, some place it in the environment of the Roques de Anaga, while others place it in the zone of Punta del Hidalgo and the cave of San Mateo, northeast of Tenerife. At present, said treasure has not been found nor identified.
Polish Crown Jewels	1795	Replicas	Polish crown regalia consisting of several crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords and jewels. Looted by the Germans after the Third Partition of Poland and destroyed on the order of Frederick William III of Prussia in March 1809.[5]
Treasure of Lima	1820	—	Gold, silver and jewellery stolen from the Spanish in 1820. The treasure is thought to be buried on Cocos Island in Costa Rica and it is estimated to be worth £160 million.[6]
Benito's treasure	1821	—	Pirate loot of Benito Bonito, said to be worth about US $300 million. Accounts vary: buried in area of present-day Melbourne or Queenscliff, Australia; or on Cocos Island.
Confederate gold	circa 1865	—	Gold. Lost after the American Civil War.
Tokugawa's buried treasure	circa 1868	—	A legendary treasure said to be buried in Mt. Akagi by Tokugawa shogunate (disputed).
Irish Crown Jewels	1907	The Crown Jewels	Insignia of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, which had lots of jewels on it. Stolen from Dublin Castle.
Eight lost Imperial Fabergé eggs	1922 or later	The Alexander III egg	1886 – The Hen with Sapphire Pendant egg 1888 – The Cherub with Chariot egg 1889 – The Nécessaire egg 1896 – The Alexander III Portraits egg 1897 – The Mauve egg 1902 – The Empire Nephrite egg 1903 – The Royal Danish egg 1909 – The Alexander III Commemorative egg
The Just Judges	1934	Replica	Lower left panel of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, which was displayed at the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. It was stolen during the night of 10 April 1934.
Royal Casket	1939	The Royal Casket	Memorial containing 73 precious relics[7] that had once belonged to Polish royalty. Looted during World War II.
Peking Man	1941–1945	Replica	Fossil remains of Homo erectus pekinensis; dated about 500,000 years old. Lost during World War II: in China in 1941 or may have been on the Awa Maru when it sank in 1945.[8]
Amber Room	circa 1945	Reconstruction	Removed from Catherine Palace, Saint Petersburg, by Germans during World War II and transported to Germany. Worth about $142 million.[9]
Yamashita's gold	circa 1945	—	War loot stolen by Japanese and said to be hidden in the Philippines. Named for General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
Awa Maru treasure	1945	—	Gold, platinum and diamonds worth more than $5 billion. It was lost when the Japanese ship Awa Maru was hit by a torpedo and sank in April 1945.[10]
Patiala Necklace	circa 1948	The Patiala Necklace	A necklace containing 2,930 diamonds. This included the world's seventh largest diamond, the 428 carat "De Beers". Some diamonds were later found. Made by the House of Cartier in 1928 for Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, then ruling Maharaja of Patiala.
Nelson's Chelengk	1951	Chelengk in Nelson's hat	A medal made of diamonds given to Admiral Horatio Nelson for his naval service. Stolen from the National Maritime Museum in London.
Lufthansa heist	1978	—	Cash and jewels from a robbery at Lufthansa's cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in December 1978. With a value of about $5 million, it was the largest cash robbery in the United States at the time.[11][12]
Antwerp Diamond heist	2003	—	Diamonds, gold and other jewels worth $189 million. Said to be the "heist of the century".[13]
Graff Diamonds robbery	2009	—	43 pieces of jewellery. They were stolen in London on 6 August 2009. Worth nearly £40 million.[14]
Ivory Coast Crown Jewels	2011	—	Gold pendants, necklaces and bracelets worth $6 million.[15]
Brussels Airport diamond heist	2013	—	Diamonds stolen from airplane at Brussels Airport, worth $50 million.[16]
Funeral regalia of King Charles IX and Queen Christina of Sweden	2018	—	Two crowns and an orb stolen from Strängnäs Cathedral.[17]

References

1. McCullough, Helen Craig (1988). The Tale of the Heike. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-1418-5.
2. Raymond T. McNalley and Radu Florescu (1994). In Search of Dracula. Houghton Mifflin Co. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
3. Prescott, William H. (4 December 2001). History of the Conquest of Mexico. ISBN 0-375-75803-8.
4. Sánchez, Almudena. "La ruta del pirata Amaro". Canarias7. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
5. "Crown Treasury and Armoury". wawel.krakow.pl. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
6. Copping, Jasper (5 August 2012). "British expedition to Pacific 'treasure island' where pirates buried their plunder". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
7. (in Polish) Barbara Kobielska. "Cenne, Bezcenne, Utracone (Valuable, Priceless, Lost)". Cenne, Bezcenne, Utracone. Pagina. ISSN 1428-6467. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
8. "Sinking and salvage of the Awa Maru" (PDF).
9. Blumberg, Jess (1 August 2007). "A Brief History of the Amber Room". Smithsonian. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
10. Seagrave, Sterling; Seagrave, Peggy (2003). Gold Warriors: America's Secret Recovery of Yamashita's Gold. Verso. p. 203. ISBN 9781859845424.
11. Fox, Margalit (13 June 2012). "Henry Hill, Mobster and Movie Inspiration, Dies at 69". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
12. Gardner, David (13 June 2012). "After years spent dodging bullets and avoiding sleeping with the fishes, Henry Hill - the real-life mafia turncoat immortalized in the film Goodfellas - dies naturally aged 69". Mail Online. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
13. Goldman, Russell (13 August 2009). "Stolen Jewels, Art and Cash: World's Biggest Heists". ABC News. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
14. Edwards, Richard (11 August 2009). "Graff Diamonds £40 million jewellery robbery is Britain's biggest gem heist". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
15. Tovrov, Daniel (13 July 2011). "Thief! Ivory Coast's Crown Jewels Stolen". International Business Times. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
16. Chrisafis, Angelique (19 February 2013). "Diamond heist at Brussels airport nets gang up to £30m in gems". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
17. "Swedish crown jewels: Speedboat thieves steal priceless treasures". BBC News. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

Other websites

• List of Lost Treasures Archived 2013-06-02 at the Wayback Machine