treasure hunt

Rare Roman Helmet Could Fetch $450,000

Filed under: Auctions

Treasure hunters in Britain have been having good luck with their metal detectors. Earlier this summer we wrote about coins that had been found in a field. A similar story surrounds a Roman helmet that is being put up for auction through Christie's. The very lifelike bronze helmet is estimated to bring in £200,000 - £300,000 when it is sold during the Antiquities sale on October 7 at Christie's London, South Kensington. It was found with a metal detector near the village of Crosby Garrett in Cumbria.

The Guardian reports that Tullie House in Carlisle, which has a large Roman collection, has been interested in obtaining the helmet. The helmet is not covered by treasure law which would give a British museum the automatic right to buy it. The treasure law only applies to bronze when found in hoards, because this is a single object it does not qualify. It's a windfall for the finder who is in his early 20s and has been detecting with his father for several years. When he found the helmet he had no idea of the age but reported it to the Portable Antiquities Scheme at the British Museum. The Guardian article says that if a foreign buyer wins the auction it is likely that the government may move in to bar the export of the piece and give a British museum a chance to match that bid. There are just two other helmets that have been found in Britain with complete face masks, one is in the British Museum, the other is in Edinburgh. Although this helmet was found in more than 30 pieces it has now been restored. Some archaeologists are angry that it was restored because the pieces could have offered clues as to how it came to be buried in the ground.

Tags: antiquities, bronze helmet, christies, roman helmet, treasure hunt, treasure-hunting

Huge Coin Hoard Found In Britain

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

One lucky treasure hunter in Britain hit the mother lode. Treasure hunter Dave Crisp was hunting in a field using a metal detector in April when he made an amazing discovery. He found a hoard of around 52,500 Roman coins dating from the third century AD, buried in a field in Frome, England. The coins were buried in a large jar and weighed about 350 pounds. Many of the coins bear the image of Marcus Aurelius Carausius, who seized power in Britain and northern France in the late third century and proclaimed himself emperor. He seized power in 286 A.D. and was assassinated in 293 A.D. The find will help draw attention to this little known historical figure, Britain's own emperor.

When Crisp began digging he unearthed a few coins but did not dig up the whole thing on his own. He wisely enlisted the help of the experts. Archaeologists from the Somerset County Council carefully excavated the jar and its contents. According to a report in the Guardian , archaeologists think they may represent the life savings of an entire community or possibly a votive offering to the gods. Because of the weight of the coins it is guessed that the pot was buried in the ground and then filled up.Part of the coins will be on display at the British Museum from July 22nd through the middle of August. it could take a year to clean up all the coins. If the find is declared a treasure, the value of the coins will be split between the finder and the owner of the land when the coins are bought by the government.

Tags: british museum, coins, dave crisp, england, metal detector, metal detectors, roman coins, treasure, treasure hunt

Secret Note Prompts Treasure Hunt

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

I love a good treasure hunt and the AP has a great story of one that is going on in Illinois. Patty Henken bought an old rocking chair for $200 at an auction and when she removed the seat she found an envelope with "Finders Keepers" typewritten on it. Inside, a key was taped to a note which gave directions for finding a lead chest filled with gold coins buried underground. So far the treasure hasn't been unearthed but that's not for lack of trying. A search of the site, now a vacant lot, with a donated backhoe last week did not yield any major discovery, only a cistern with bricks and antique bottles. The note was signed by a "Chauncey Wolcott" and appears to have been written sometime after World War II since it says the chest "cannot be located by metal detector" and that is around the time that metal detectors first became popular. It could all be a hoax but Henken plans to dig at the site again. Here's hoping she finds something great.

UPDATE: Could this be a prank from beyond the grave? It turns out that the alias belonged to a notorious prankster.

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Tags: gold coins, GoldCoins, treasure hunt, TreasureHunt

A Treasure Hunt's Jewels To Go Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

A couple of years ago we heard about a treasure hunt related to a book, "Secrets of the Alchemist Dar" which contained riddles leading to 100 gems including one rare stone which was said to be worth over $900,000. But the hunt was canceled and now a treasure heads to the auction block.

The rare stone in question was a .59 carat red diamond from Australia's famous Argyle mine and it will be auctioned on September 16, 2009, in New York. Colored Stone Magazine reports that a winning bid at a September 16th auction in the Penthouse of the International Diamond Tower includes four other treasures, rings holding a .54 carat oval blue diamond, another with a 1.01-carat yellow diamond, a pink diamond ring and an enameled ladybug ring. The collection was created for Donald Palmieri of the Gemological Appraisal Association in New York who chose and bought the stones for the author's collection.

As the story goes by the time Palmieri had bought the raw materials for the collection, he had spent close to $1 million but the five-ring collection only has a minimum reserve of $400,000. In May 2006 the collection was appraised at $1,195,500 with the red diamond ring estimated at being worth $1 million.

Why did the jewelry never end up in the hunt? It's a curious tale. Software genius Michael Stadther had self-published the best-selling fantasy novel, "A Treasure Trove: A Fairy Tale About Real Treasure for Parents and Children of All Ages." Clues in the book led to a 18K gold tokens buried at various U.S. national parks which were then redeemed for fine jewelry pieces related to the book. The sequel called for clues hidden all over the world and Stadher wanted even more extravagantly enticing prices, hence the gathering of rare colored diamonds. Palmieri bought the diamonds and designer Aaron Basha began to create the pieces. But something happened on the way to the treasure hunt, Stadther and his publisher fell out and the treasure hunt was canceled.

A recent bankruptcy document on the Tweleve forum shines further light on the situation including the fact that the sequel was a failure, $200,000 was owed to Simon and Schuster and a movie deal with Paramount fell through. Now the rings are up for sale so that some money can be recouped. The rings were available at the JCK Show in Las Vegas earlier this month but did not sell there and so the auction has been scheduled for this fall.

Gallery: The Five Rings Of The Secrets of the Alchemist Dar

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Tags: a treasures trove, ATreasuresTrove, auction, jewels, red diamond, RedDiamond, secrets of the alchemist dar, SecretsOfTheAlchemistDar, treasure hunt, TreasureHunt

100 Fairy Rings in the Secrets of the Alchemist Dar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

We first wrote about a book called "Secrets of Alchemist Dar" back in March. Now the book, which is basically a treasure hunt, is finally out so the hunt for the 100 gems is on. The 100 fairy rings were created by Aaron Basha, the jeweler most famous for his enameled baby shoes. The most valuable prize is a red diamond from the Argyle mine in Austraila. This ring is worth $1 million, fully half of the $2 million treasure total. THe ring is set in 18K rose gold with a one .59 carat radiant-cut natural fancy red diamond and 52 natural fancy and fancy intense pink and natural pink diamonds weighing .79 carats. You can check out the other rings at the Aaron Basha website.
Happy hunting.

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Tags: aaron basha, AaronBasha, fairy rings, secrets of the alchemist dar, treasure hunt

Secrets Of The Alchemist Dar, The Latest Treasure Hunt Book

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Michael Stadther, author of A Treasure's Trove, a literary treasure hunt, is at it again. The sequel "Secrets of the Alchemist Dar" will be a worldwide treasure hunt. The riddles will lead to an astounding 100 gems including one stone which is, according to this article in the Guardian, one of the most precious stones on earth and worth over $900,000. The book is set to come out in September.

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Tags: books, jewels, treasure, treasure hunt, TreasureHunt