Hidden treasures worth billions still out there

YOU are no doubt familiar with the saying ‘life is short’.

So why not become a professional treasure hunter?

ALSO READ: What makes South Africa unique?

Listed below are ten undiscovered treasures of the world, collectively worth billions of dollars.

The awesome part about this crazy proposition is that one can combine the treasure hunt with a nice holiday at exotic locations.

1. The Forrest Fenn hidden treasure

The Fenn treasure is reportedly worth more than a million dollars, supposedly hidden by art dealer and author Forrest Fenn in the Rocky Mountains in North America.
So, in South African terms, it works out to a payday of more than R13-million.

2. The treasure of Jean LaFitte

French pirates Jean LaFitte and his brother Pierre made their living attacking merchant ships in the Gulf of Mexico.
After their deaths between 1823 and 1830, the legend of their treasures buried somewhere in Lake Borgne off the coast of New Orleans made the rounds.
Rumour has it that the treasure may also be found five kilometers east of the Old Spanish Trail near the Sabine River in a gum tree grove.

3. The Oak Island money pit

The pit, located off the shores of Nova Scotia, can either make you super rich or send you on a wild goose chase.
According to the legend, back in 1975 a teenager named Daniel McGinnis claimed he saw a mysterious light coming from the island, and upon investigating found a small circular hole.
Even though he and his friends found nothing at the site, the legend continued to gain more traction, so much so that everyone, even President Roosevelt it is believed, tried to discover the treasure.

4. The Golden Owl 

Max Valentin decided to hide a golden owl somewhere in the French countryside in 1993 and left 11 clues about its whereabouts.
He said that anyone who finds it will be awarded 1 million francs (R2.2-million).
Someone did apparently come very close in 1999, so all hope is not lost.

5. The $63-million hidden in Bedford County

There is $63-million (R863-million) hidden somewhere in Bedford, which works out to a sweet retirement package for anyone who manages to find it.
Thomas Beale wanted his and his colleagues’ kids to work hard for the wealth they had accidentally discovered while mining somewhere in the Rocky Mountains in North America.
Thus, he decided to create three ciphers, one with the name of Thomas and his colleague’s kins, one that contained the exact description of the treasure and one with the exact location.
The men entrusted an inn keeper called Robert Morriss with the secret. He was supposed to wait for 10 years before opening it.
At this point, if Beale did not return for the box, a key to the cipher was supposed to be mailed to Morriss – but it never arrived. 

6. The Mosby’s treasure in Virginia

Confederate Commander Colonel John Singleton Mosby found a burlap sack containing $350 000 (more than R47-million) worth of gold silver and family heirlooms.
He trusted some of his men to bury the treasure between two large pine trees, but they were captured and hung and he could never return to his treasure.

7. Leon Trabuco’s gold

During the Great Depression, Leon and some of his business partners decided to hide 16 tons of gold (current value $655-million) in the New Mexico desert.
After the depression, private ownership of gold became illegal.
Within a few months after the Gold Act was passed, Trabuco and his partners were found dead and the gold in the desert remains untouched.

8. The lost treasure of the Alamo

The gigantic San Saba treasure which is supposedly buried somewhere on the grounds of the Alamo, contains millions in dollars of gold, silver and religious artifacts that has never been found.

9. The Victorio Peak treasure in New Mexico

Doc Noss found more than 200 gold bars near the Hembrillo Basin in New Mexico, but made the shaft of the tunnel collapse on itself after an explosion, making it impossible to reach the treasure.

10. The $200-million Key West treasure

In 1622 many cargo ships carrying approximately $700-million worth of gold and silver perished when they were caught in a raging hurricane.
In 1985 treasure hunter Mel Fisher found $500-million of the buried treasure less than 160km off the coast of Key West.

Experts believe there is still plenty of treasure to be found.

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