treasure hunters

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Contractor Allegedly Stole $1M in Gold During Treasure Dive

Florida's Eric Schmitt charged with dealing in stolen property

(Newser) - Three dozen gold coins stolen from 18th-century shipwrecks off Florida's Treasure Coast, worth more than $1 million, have been recovered. The 37 stolen gold coins include a so-called "Holy Grail coin," a one-of-a-kind gold piece from 1709 that was incorrectly hammered with a silver coin stamp, per...

Treasure Hunter Finds $26K in Gold by Looking at Clouds

Meteorologist Dan Leonard comes forward as Project Skydrop winner

(Newser) - The man who found a $26,000 gold treasure hidden in western Massachusetts says he had a leg up on the competition: "meteorology skills." As a meteorologist, Dan Leonard says he paid close attention to readings of temperature and cloud cover visible on a live trail camera showing...

After 31 Years, Somebody Has Found the Golden Owl

French treasure hunt had driven puzzle-solvers 'to the point of madness'

(Newser) - When French puzzle designer Max Valentin created the Golden Owl treasure hunt in 1993, he predicted it could be up to a year before it was solved. He died in 2009—and the treasure wasn't found for another 15 years. The BBC reports that Michael Becker, who illustrated the...

$26K Treasure Hidden in Northeast Has Been Found

Project Skydrop has yet to learn the identity of the person who found it

(Newser) - The treasure has been found. A $26,000 gold trophy at the center of an East Coast treasure hunt was discovered Tuesday evening, according to Project Skydrop's website , which showed a trail-camera image of a person wearing Adidas sneakers reaching down to pick up the trophy amid a wooded...

A Treasure Hunt Is Unfolding on the East Coast

Video game designer Jason Rohrer says safety is baked into the rules

(Newser) - Somewhere in one of eight states on the East Coast, a modest gold sculpture is sitting out in the open on the forest floor. Whoever finds it gets to keep the object, worth about $25,000, along with half the money collected from people who shell out $20 apiece to...

Infamous Treasure Hunter Is a Hedge Fund Exec
Infamous Treasure Hunter
Is a Hedge Fund Exec
LONGFORM
Dec 2, 2023 5:30 AM CST

Infamous Treasure Hunter Is a Hedge Fund Exec

'Businessweek' spent 11 months finding 'the Originator'

(Newser) - While most of us handed in our treasure maps sometime during childhood, finding lost bounties at sea has become something between a hobby and an investment for a mysterious shipwreck hunter connected to major finds. Through ironclad NDAs and business maneuvering, he's evaded recognition despite devoting significant time and...

'Digging Frenzy' for Nazi Treasure Comes to a Halt

Search for jewels, gold, silver rumored to be buried near tree in Dutch town of Ommeren is called off

(Newser) - The "digging frenzy" is over. A treasure hunt near the Dutch village of Ommeren, prompted by the release of a map that purported to show where Nazi soldiers had buried $20 million worth of loot, has been called off, per Dutch News . A number of digs looking for the...

Believers in 1930s Tale Hunt for a River of Gold
Old Map, 1930s Tale Spurs
Modern Hunt for Gold
longform
Apr 23, 2023 8:45 AM CDT

Old Map, 1930s Tale Spurs Modern Hunt for Gold

'Los Angeles Times' digs into the fabled treasure of Mount Kokoweef in the Mojave Desert

(Newser) - It's a great American yarn. Whether there's any actual gold at the heart of it is a whole other matter. Writing for the Los Angeles Times , Daniel Miller digs into the legend of a veritable river of gold said to exist somewhere in the caverns beneath Mount Kokoweef...

FBI Photos Have One Man Convinced Agency Did Find Gold

Dennis Parada's quest to get more FBI records on Dents Run continues

(Newser) - The court-ordered release of a trove of government photos, videos, maps, and other documents involving the FBI's secretive search for Civil War-era gold has a treasure hunter more convinced than ever of a coverup—and just as determined to prove it. Dennis Parada waged a legal battle to force...

Claim on Joe Rogan Podcast Sparks a 'Bone Rush' in NYC

Gold miner John Reeves says mammoth bones were dumped in East River in the 1940s

(Newser) - Ask people what you might find buried in the muck at the bottom of New York City's East River and they'd likely say "mob boss" before thinking of mammoth bones. But several groups of treasure hunters have taken to the waterway in recent weeks after hearing a...

Hunt for 9 Tons of Lost Gold Leads to ... a Long Story

There are facts, but they may not point to actual lost treasure

(Newser) - There are some verifiable, undeniable facts in this winding story about an alleged lost hoard of Civil War gold. First there's the document describing it, titled "The Lost Gold Ingot Treasure," in the archives at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It tells of a Union...

The Clues Were Ingenious, but Staging the Hunt Would Kill Him

Inside the treasure hunt that would claim Hunter Lewis' life

(Newser) - A California college student who created an adventurous treasure hunt for family and friends as a Christmas gift is presumed to have died while hiding the treasure: Hunter Lewis, 21, was last seen on Dec. 30 paddling a canoe into the Pacific; the waters were frigid, he was clad in...

After 6 Years in Jail for Staying Mum on Gold, a New Roadblock

Treasure hunter Tommy Thompson has 2 months to find new lawyer in contempt of court case

(Newser) - The long-running case of a former deep-sea treasure hunter marking his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of missing gold coins has hit yet another roadblock. Research scientist Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since Dec. 15, 2015, for that refusal. He's...

Treasure Hunters Sue to Find Out If FBI Found Gold

Dennis, Kem Parada think they found gold lost in 1863, told FBI of it

(Newser) - Treasure hunters who believe they located a huge cache of fabled Civil War-era gold in Pennsylvania are now on the prowl for something as elusive as the buried booty itself: government records of the FBI's excavation. Finders Keepers filed a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department over its failure...

Tight-Lipped Treasure Hunter to Mark His 6th Year in Jail

Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since Dec. 15, 2015

(Newser) - A former deep-sea treasure hunter is preparing to mark his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing coins made from gold found in an historic shipwreck. Research scientist Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since Dec. 15, 2015, for that refusal....

$10K Utah Treasure Hunt Sparks Warning From Authorities

Utah officials warn treasure hunters after search-and-rescue team is called out

(Newser) - For the second year running, two Utah men have hidden thousands of dollars somewhere in the wilderness and are urging treasure seekers to go out hunting for it. But many of those seekers are not exactly prepared for the hunt, leading officials to issue a warning to those in pursuit...

Court Docs Prove Feds Sought Fabled Pennsylvania Gold

FBI agent applied for warrant in 2018 to keep Civil War-era cache out of state's hands

(Newser) - An FBI agent applied for a federal warrant in 2018 to seize a fabled cache of US government gold he said was "stolen during the Civil War" and hidden in a Pennsylvania cave, per court documents unsealed Thursday. The newly unsealed affidavit confirms previous reporting by the AP that...

Treasure Hunter Hits Pay Dirt in Attic of Family's Home

Keith Wille proved decades of rumor right

(Newser) - A New England treasure hunter has proven decades of rumor right for a family who've long believed a box of cash was stashed in a home's attic. After multiple fruitless attempts of their own, Keith Wille was hired by the family to search the Western Massachusetts home prior...

There's $20K Hidden Somewhere in Maine

Some playing cards will help you find it

(Newser) - A pair of Mainers have hidden $20,000 somewhere in the state and they're inviting treasure seekers to come and get it. The creators of the treasure hunt and the company behind the hunt, Dirigo Treasures LLC, are Kurt and Kelly Stokes of Newcastle, the Lincoln County News reports....

Treasure Hunters Say FBI Cheating Them Out of Old Gold

Lawyer is pushing to unseal records following 2018 dig in Pennsylvania

(Newser) - A lawyer says he's one step closer to uncovering the truth about a legendary treasure of Civil War gold said to have been lost in the Pennsylvania wilderness, reports Penn Live . The FBI excavated a site in Elk State Forest in 2018, acting on a tip from treasure hunting...

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