15 LOST AND STOLEN TREASURES WORTH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

There are many lost treasures that hide behind a great mystery about how they could be lost. Although in many cases they are due to theft or looting, there are still relics of which there is no trace.

Throughout history there are many adventurers who have dedicated a large part of their lives to find them, however, to this day they have had no luck and their whereabouts remain unknown.

Fabergé Egg, a tsarist piece that has suffered multiple thefts and losses throughout history. The original uploader was Sotakeit at English Wikipedia.

Among all these relics, there are lost treasures that stand out, either for their history or for their cultural value. From jewelery and precious stones, to huge sums of money and works of art. We list them below:

The most valuable lost or stolen treasures

15- Menorah

The menorah was an ancient Hebrew seven-lamp candelabrum made of gold. It was carried through the desert inside a portable sanctuary, to later settle in the Temple of Jerusalem. Since then, it has been one of the main symbols of Judaism and is the emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel.

Its location is uncertain since 455 AD. C., being several the legends about his disappearance. Some believe that it was melted down or destroyed by the conquerors, while other researchers believe that it was transferred to Carthage and then to Constantinople.

However, the most widespread version is that it sank in a shipwreck or melted in a fire.

14- Imperial Seal of China

Also known as the Seal of the Inheritance of the Kingdom, it was a sacred piece made of jade, an ornamental rock. It symbolized the inner beauty of humans and was in the hands of the emperor.

Created during the Five Dynasties period, it is thought that around 960 its track was lost, as it was no longer mentioned in the documents of the time. Since then, several have been claimed as the Seal of the Inheritance of the Kingdom, however, thus far none have been confirmed as the real one.

13- Twin sisters

The Twin Sisters are a pair of cannons that were used by the Texas Military Forces during their revolution. They are among the most famous artillery in the military history of the United States, since they were part of the first revolts against the Mexican state.

In addition, they were also part of the artillery used during the Mexican invasions of 1842 and the American Civil War. After these military events, the "twins" disappeared.

Curiously, they have gained notoriety since then, with many who have tried to search for them. Colloquially they are known as the "Holy Grail of Texas."

12- Irish Crown Jewels

The Irish Crown Jewels are insignia of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick. They were created in 1831 and were used by the sovereign in the ceremonies of the knights.

These relics were stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907, when the necklaces of five knights of the Order also disappeared.

There are many theories surrounding the disappearance and, in fact, there were multiple suspects related to the royal family. There are even rumors that the culprits were punished. However, the royalty never gave an official statement and, to this day, the jewels have not been recovered.

11- Lufthansa robbery

On December 11, 1978, the largest cash robbery in the United States took place: $ 6 million, in addition to various high-value jewelry. Note that, with inflation adjustments, today the robbery would exceed $ 22.6 million.

It all happened in the Lufthansa vault at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. It must be taken into account that millions of dollars were entered there that were destined to the monetary exchange for the military and tourists in West Germany.

The robbers simply subdued the security guard and an hour later they disappeared without a trace. Perhaps the plot may sound like you, since it has been the inspiration for films like One of Ours (1990) by Martin Scorsese.

10- The Florentine

Chris 73 / Wikimedia Commons

The Florentine is one of the most famous diamonds in history. At 137.27 carats, it was characterized by being light yellow, with slightly green hues and weighed approximately 27.5 grams.

His origin was Hindu, but he belonged to the royal family of the Habsburgs, which were made with him through royal marriages. It was deposited in the Austrian Crown Chamber of the Treasury, but was stolen in 1921.

Before, the family had to go into exile from Austria due to World War I. This led to many royal belongings being neglected, which a person close to the Habsburgs took advantage of to steal it.

The diamond, in addition to other gems owned by the Austrian crown, crossed the pond until they reached South America, where they completely lost track of it.

9- Fabergé Egg

Fabergé eggs are 69 jewels created by the well-known Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé and his artisan company. These pieces were made for the tsars of Russia, some nobles and bourgeoisie, being considered as masterpieces of universal jewelry.

However, there are 8 missing or missing imperial eggs. After all, the dictator Stalin ordered them to be sold to raise funds. Although there are photographic records of these lost pieces, there are three that do not have any visual support.

8-

The Just Judges is one of the oil painting tables made on a panel in the 15th century. Exhibited at that time in the church of San Juan de Ghent, it was stolen one morning in April 1934.

The thief asked for a million francs to deliver it to its owners, but they refused to pay. The thief only returned the reverse where the figure of Saint John the Baptist appeared, possibly to show that he was in possession of the work of art. But his blackmail had no effect.

The bishop of Ghent simply ordered the work to be replaced by a copy by the artist Jef Vanderveken. The tablet, although some people claimed to know its whereabouts, was never seen again and the thief took everything concerning it to the grave.

7- Sword of Islam

See page for author

The Sword of Islam was a ceremonial weapon bestowed on Benito Mussolini when he was proclaimed the Protector of Islam in 1937. This very symbolic object had a straight double-edged blade and a solid gold hilt. In addition, it was decorated with arabesque patterns.

However, over the years the object fell into disuse and was kept in a small glass reliquary along with other precious and valuable objects.

On July 25, 1943, still in the middle of the war, the sword was looted and it was never again known about it and its possible whereabouts.

6- Theft of diamonds at Brussels airport

On February 18, 2013, the largest robbery in history was perpetrated in Belgium, specifically at its international airport.

The events occurred when eight men armed with Kalashnikov-type weapons entered the airport's runways to attack a Fokker 100 bound for Switzerland.

In addition to passengers, the plane was carrying a load of diamonds valued at $ 50 million. In an organized way they managed to get hold of all the precious stones, put them in a van and flee the airport without making any noise or having to shoot. In fact, no passenger found out what happened, only the personnel in charge of the plane.

The only thing the security forces found was the abandoned and burned van. The fate of the loot is a mystery yet to be elucidated.

5- Peking man

Homo erectus pekinensis, better known as Peking man, is a subspecies of Homo erectus that lived in China, hence its name. It is estimated that it lived 500-250 thousand years ago, during the middle Pleistocene period.

Its fossils were found in the town of Zhoukoudian between 1921 and 1937 and its importance lies in the fact that it is considered the first "missing link", which gave credibility to the theory of evolution of the scientist Charles Darwin.

This relic to know the history of the human being was lost in 1941, in the middle of the Sino-Japanese confrontation, possibly being destroyed. Fortunately, photographs, descriptions or hand drawings gave the opportunity to recreate replicas.

4- Amber Chamber

Located in the Catherine Palace, near Saint Petersburg, the Amber Chamber was a residence of the Russian tsars built in the 18th century. Its wonder was that its ornaments were made with amber, a precious material whose value is much higher than what gold is worth.

In 1941, the German army stormed the palace and took everything they could, the Amber Chamber of course being looted despite attempts by the Russians to keep it hidden behind panels.

The Nazis exhibited what was stolen from the Castle of Königsberg from November 1941 until the last months of the war. The Russians tried to recover their riches, but they were never found again, possibly damaged by British bombardments or even Soviet artillery itself.

The only hope of being able to return the remains of these works of art is based on the hypothesis that the Germans managed to move them in a ship, which ended up sinking and, therefore, that they are found somewhere on the bottom of the sea.

3- Patiala necklace

The Patiala necklace was a jewel created by Cartier in 1928, which consisted of 2,930 diamonds and several rubies. The most significant part of the necklace was in its central piece, which was set with the seventh largest diamond in the world at that time.

Protected in the Royal Treasury of Patiala, the necklace disappeared around 1948 without leaving any trace. It wasn't until 1998 that part of it was rediscovered, when Eric Nussbaum, a Cartier curator, found a clue.

Specifically in London, where he found some pieces, but totally devoid of the central diamond and other stones such as rubies. The expert of the French firm acquired these pieces and it was restored using new pieces.

2- Chelengk

A chelengk is a military decoration used during the Ottoman Empire. The structure is a flower-shaped jewel with a feather-shaped crest. A distinction that received, among others, Vice Admiral Nelson.

Precisely, this distinction awarded to Nelson was acquired by the Society for Nautical Research to be exhibited in the National Maritime Museum. However, after a raid in 1951, the jewel was stolen never to be seen again.

1- Theft of safe deposit in Hatton Garden

Hatton Garden is an insurance deposit company located in London. To the surprise of many, it was looted in 2015 through its vaults, which are underground!

Known as the "greatest robbery in the history of England", it is estimated that just over 260 million dollars were extracted.

Within a year, six men were arrested, accused of being involved in the robbery. They were tried and sentenced, but they never revealed where the huge amount of money was stolen.