The Hunt Is Still On

Blockbuster movies and gripping documentaries have told tales of lost fortunes, showing exactly how history’s greatest treasures remain a constant fascination. These ancient riches and priceless relics that have vanished sparked centuries of fascination and wild hunts across the globe. And if you’re curious which treasures continue to tempt explorers, keep reading to discover 20 missing legends that might still be waiting to be found.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

1. Gold Of The RMS Republic

The RMS Republic sank off Nantucket in 1909, allegedly carrying $3 million in gold. Nicknamed "The Millionaires' Ship" due to its wealthy passengers, this sunken treasure has intrigued hunters for decades, but all searches have come up empty.

White Star Line on Wikimedia

2. The Three Brothers

This spectacular 14th-century jewel featured a massive red spinel surrounded by diamonds, representing medieval artistry at its peak. Last owned by Charles I of England, it disappeared during his execution in 1645 amid the English Civil War chaos.

Original painter unknown. Photograph by Peter Portner, Historisches Museum Basel. on Wikimedia

3. Heirloom Seal Of The Realm

Crafted from sacred jade during China's Qin Dynasty, this seal once signified the divine right of emperors. Unfortunately, the treasure was lost sometime around the end of the Tang dynasty or during the tumultuous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. 

d/k on Wikimedia

4. Graff Diamonds Robbery Items

The 2009 Graff Diamonds robbery in London saw £40 (approximately $62) million worth of jewelry vanish. Using wigs and prosthetic disguises, the thieves evaded identification. Of all the stolen pieces, just one has resurfaced, with the remainder believed sold on the black market.

The net closes on £40m Mayfair gem raiders by movieplanets

5. Florentine Diamond

Known for its unique double rose cut, the 137-carat yellow Florentine Diamond was once owned by the Medici and Habsburg families. After WWI, it vanished with rumors suggesting it was smuggled to South America, but its exact whereabouts remain unknown.

Gryffindor on Wikimedia

6. Menorah From The Second Temple

The golden menorah from Jerusalem's Second Temple was a precious metal that represented Jewish spiritual heritage. Roman forces looted it in 70 AD during Jerusalem's destruction, displaying it in Rome's Temple of Peace until a fire in 192 AD. There is no definitive account of its destruction or whereabouts.

Jebulon on Wikimedia

7. Sceptre Of Dagobert

Dating back to the 7th century, the Sceptre of Dagobert stands as the oldest French royal artifact. This golden masterpiece with intricate filigree was stolen from the Saint-Denis Basilica in 1795 during a turbulent period and remains missing to this date.

Master of the Livre du Sacre on Wikimedia

8. The Just Judges

This panel of the Ghent Altarpiece, part of one of early Flemish art's most important masterpieces, was mysteriously taken in 1934. Despite ransom offers and confessions, investigators have never recovered it. A replica now fills its place in St. Bavo's Cathedral.

Jan van Eyck on Wikimedia

9. Royal Casket

Polish national pride was shaken when the Royal Casket was looted during WWII. It contained royal insignia and personal items of Polish monarchs. The fate of this treasure remains unknown—possibly destroyed or hidden by Nazi forces.

Jannasch, Warsaw (Signature: zrobił Jannasch w Warszawie); author of photo unknown on Wikimedia

10. Romanian Treasure

During WWI, Romania sent over 90 tons of gold and valuables to Russia for safekeeping, which included royal jewels and artworks. To this day, the treasure has never been returned, remaining a diplomatic mystery between the two nations.

Henric Trenk on Wikimedia

11. Crown Jewels Of Ireland

Among Ireland's greatest unsolved mysteries are the Crown Jewels stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907. These jewels included the jeweled star and badge of the Order of St. Patrick. Despite investigations, no arrests were ever made.

Dublin Police (Life time: 1907) on Wikimedia

12. Amber Room

The Amber Room was a lavish chamber made of amber panels that was looted by Nazi forces in 1941. It was last seen in Königsberg Castle before the castle's destruction in 1944. While reconstructed in 2003, the original artifacts were lost somewhere out there.

Branson DeCou on Wikimedia

13. Honjō Masamune

Considered one of the finest blades ever forged, the Honjō Masamune was a legendary samurai sword and a powerful symbol of the Tokugawa shogunate. Tragically, it disappeared during the U.S. occupation of Japan after WWII, and has yet to be recovered.

Tsuguhira on Wikimedia

14. Patiala Necklace

Crafted by Cartier and dazzling with 2,930 diamonds that include the famed De Beers diamond, the Patiala necklace vanished from the Patiala treasury in 1948. Years later, a partial skeleton of the necklace was found in London, and it has since been restored with replicas.

Unknown, 1930s on Wikimedia

15. Nelson's Chelengk

Sometimes, treasures have incredible backstories. This Ottoman diamond aigrette was gifted to Admiral Nelson in 1798, featuring a rotating diamond star that could actually spin. Stolen out of the National Maritime Museum in 1951, this engineering marvel has never been recovered.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

16. Tucker's Cross

A stunning 22-karat gold and emerald cross was found in Bermuda in 1955, believed to be linked to the wreck of the Spanish galleon San Pedro. In an audacious theft before Queen Elizabeth II's visit, thieves replaced it with a plastic replica. The real cross’s whereabouts stay elusive.

Sanntweb on Wikimedia

17. Brink’s-Mat Robbery Gold

One of Britain's largest robberies, the 1983 Brink's-Mat heist saw £26 (roughly $39)   million worth of gold bullion looted from a Heathrow warehouse. Most of the gold was melted down and laundered; only a partial recovery was made. The robbery ultimately became linked to organized crime and multiple murders.

Thomas Nugent  on Wikimedia

18. Isabella Stewart Gardner Artworks

In 1990, thieves pulled off history's largest art theft by stealing 13 priceless masterpieces that include works by Vermeer and Rembrandt at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Valued at $500 million, the artworks remain missing alongside the unclaimed reward of $10 million.

Johannes Vermeer on Wikimedia

19. Antwerp Diamond Heist Loot

Known as the "heist of the century," the 2003 Antwerp robbery saw $100 million in diamonds taken from a secure vault in Belgium. The mastermind posed as a diamond merchant to execute the plan, and the stolen treasure is still unaccounted for to this day.

Thorsten1997 on Wikimedia

20. Lost Imperial Fabergé Eggs

Seven of the 52 imperial eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé for Russian tsars have yet to be found since the Revolution. These pieces combined gold, enamel, and precious stones with hidden mechanisms and whimsical surprises. One was rediscovered in a U.S. scrap dealer's home in 2014.

Testus on Wikimedia