# What Are Some Artifacts, Artworks, Treasures, etc. That Are Probably Somewhere, But No One Knows Where? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825 "2023-11-08T14:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/61 "2023-11-10T18:01:11Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > And of course, there’s the [Oak Island Mystery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island_mystery), which fascinated me as a kid. > > It fascinated me as a kid as well and I gobbled up everything I could find to read about it. > > But as an adult, it became quite obvious that the whole thing is bunk and has been nothing but a vehicle for investment money from almost the beginning. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve long been skeptical of the Oak Island Treasure, too. Yeah, as a kid I also ate up that ‘Chariots of the Gods’ stuff too, then I got older and grew a healthy sense of skepticism. I still thought until recently there was _some_ small germ of truth to the Oak Island story though, at least in the sense that the pit had some sort of purpose-built, man-made origins. But yeah, it seems like an awful lot of trouble and expense to have gone to, and to what end? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/62 "2023-11-10T18:15:48Z")
> **[Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Dutchman's_Gold_Mine)** > > The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine (also known by similar names) is, according to legend, a rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States. The location is generally believed to be in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona. There have been many stories about how to find the mine, and each year people search for the mine. Some have died on the search. > The mine is named after German immigrant Jakob Waltz (c. 1810–1891), who purportedly discovered it in the... ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/63 "2023-11-10T19:43:22Z")
> [@solost](#): > > And of course, there’s the [Oak Island Mystery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island_mystery), which fascinated me as a kid. A pit on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia where some tantalizing small pieces of treasure have been excavated, There never was any treasure, and they found no treasure. > [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > But as an adult, it became quite obvious that the whole thing is bunk and has been nothing but a vehicle for investment money from almost the beginning. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/64 "2023-11-10T20:04:19Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > McInnis and two friends started digging and found a layer of flat stones two feet down. At 10 feet down, the friends found a layer or platform of oak logs. They found two other such platforms at 20 and 30 feet down… > > OK, hold up. A couple of teenage in 1795, with shovels, dug a hole 30 feet deep!? Right. I agree that doesn’t sound possible. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/65 "2023-11-10T20:15:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I agree that doesn’t sound possible. Not only that, but it is “oral tradition”- nothing was recorded, and in some cases the “teenagers” are called “men” or “young men”. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/66 "2023-11-10T20:28:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > And of course, there’s the [Oak Island Mystery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island_mystery), which fascinated me as a kid. A pit on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia where some tantalizing small pieces of treasure have been excavated, > > There never was any treasure, and they found no treasure. (Sigh)… I said “_ **some tantalizing small pieces of treasure** _”. A bit of gold chain brought up by an augur bit in the 1800s, a few coins hundreds of years old. A piece of jewelry, I think. Not much at all, but like a slot machine that coughs up a few tokens every several dozen pulls, just enough to keep several groups over the years investing lots of money, effort and lost life looking for a real payoff that yes, never came. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/67 "2023-11-10T20:35:47Z")
Another lost Shakespeare play is _Cardenio_. Who knows how much of it was by Shakespeare, though; supposedly a good amount is by his collaborator Fletcher. [The History of Cardenio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_Cardenio) And hopefully somewhere are some of the lost poems of Sappho? [Poetry of Sappho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetry_of_Sappho) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/68 "2023-11-10T20:45:42Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I said “_ **some tantalizing small pieces of treasure** _”. A bit of gold chain brought up by an augur bit in the 1800s, a few coins hundreds of years old. A piece of jewelry, I think. The gold chain was apparently like that from a watch- i.e. planted or lost by a digger. Go over any place that has been inhabited with a metal detector and you will find a few coins, jewelry, etc. Other than the watch chain, the rest was not found in the pit. PS- the lead “Templar Cross” found in the show was so obviously planted it was disgraceful. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/69 "2023-11-10T21:02:06Z")
I get it, the Oak Island thing is a complete hoax, and I agree. You seem to keep cherry-picking little pieces of what I say out of context to make it seem like I’m arguing for there being something to the mystery, when I’m not. Yes, I did bring up Oak Island in the first place, but only in a larger context of the legends around Captain Kidd’s lost treasure, and now I’m kinda sorry I did. > [@DrDeth](#): > > PS- the lead “Templar Cross” found in the show was so obviously planted it was disgraceful. Never watched the show. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/70 "2023-11-10T21:11:02Z")
A very simple question - if someone dug a pit 90 feet deep, yet big enough to work in - where’s the dirt? Of al the stupid ideas, a pit 90 feet deep to bury a few chests is only stupider than spending days spreading out a huge pile of dirt instead of just tossing it aside, because dirt thrown into a hole after is originally nowhere near as packed as what came out. A bunch of treasure need only be 6 feet or so under to remain hidden. If they needed to retreive it in a hurry, how many men how many days to dig it up? People with more money than brains and no shortage of time have trouble digging 90 feet deep. (I’ve never watched or read anything in depth about Oak Island, but what do you do to avoid cave-ins as you get 30 or more feet down? Especially where the water flows into the hole… Did the pirates really remove the wood walls shoring up the hole as they filled it in? This is another layer of stupidity - assuming someone would haul dirty and/or waterlogged wood logs or planks up 90 feet and then disperse them into the forest so they were not found… There should be a stack 10 feet tall just off to the side… Why hide the logs but leave the tackle block? (How much metal hardware wasted to nail up all those wood sides later removed?) It’s not hard to pick the logic holes… ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/71 "2023-11-10T22:12:12Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > PS- the lead “Templar Cross” found in the show was so obviously planted it was disgraceful. I’ve never watched the show either, but I read about the “Templar cross” online, and thought, _It was only a matter of time._ No conspiracy theory worth its tinfoil hat is complete without: A., the aliens who built the pyramids; B., the Illuminati; or C., the Templars. Like dust on a bottle of wine, the presence of the Templars proves that the CT has matured into full-blown batshittery. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/72 "2023-11-10T22:24:03Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > PS- the lead “Templar Cross” found in the show was so obviously planted it was disgraceful I hope you didn’t have a templar tantrum. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/73 "2023-11-10T22:47:25Z")
There was one of those roving archeologist shows and every time they did a small dig a very clean artifact needing just a light brishing to romve loose sand came up. Soooo stupid. And he’s trying sooo hard to look astonished at the amazing luck of such a find. Spare me. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/74 "2023-11-10T22:50:51Z")
There’s another lost play, but as @gkster mentioned, it’s a Shakespeare / Fletcher collaboration called _Cardenio_. We don’t have any reason to think it was ever printed, though, and surviving play _manuscripts_ from this period are super-rare, so I figured it probably doesn’t qualify for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/75 "2023-11-11T00:17:22Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I get it, the Oak Island thing is a complete hoax, and I agree. You seem to keep cherry-picking little pieces of what I say out of context to make it seem like I’m arguing for there being something to the mystery, when I’m not It’s not you. Sorry if it seems like I picked on you. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/76 "2023-11-11T14:03:12Z")
It’s cool. I was a little irritable over something else at the time, so I may have overreacted a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/77 "2023-11-11T16:24:09Z")
I just happened upon this one randomly last night… The journalist Webb Miller, who was the inspiration for Martin Sheen’s character in the film _Gandhi_, had a cigarette case with him when he met Gandhi in 1930. Gandhi agreed to inscribe his name on it if Miller promised it would never again hold cigarettes, and he agreed. FDR, Mussolini, Hitler and others later did the same. It was stolen after Miller died and has never been seen again. That would be a cool relic to turn up at a garage sale. ---
**Author:** ![Digger11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Digger11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digger11)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/78 "2023-11-11T17:07:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **The paintings stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum** in 1990, including _Storm on the Sea of Galilee_, invariably described as “Rembrandt’s only seascape” The Museum offers reproductions of some of its pieces for sale, including the Rembrandt. I’m not sure how they do that–maybe they photographed it before it was stolen. A couple years ago I bought a 21" x 26" copy of the Rembrandt. It cost $300, including shipping. It’s probably the closest I’ll ever come to owning one of the Old Masters. ---
**Author:** ![Digger11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Digger11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digger11)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/79 "2023-11-11T17:11:48Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > OK, hold up. A couple of teenage in 1795, with shovels, dug a hole 30 feet deep!? Right. They came back nine years later, when they got together with other investors and formed the Onslow Company, so they could come back to the Money Pit with manpower and machines. I’m guessing you’ve never heard of the Big Well in Greensburg, KS. It’s 109 feet deep and it was dug by hand. It’s so wide that it has a staircase inside that you can walk down. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825/80 "2023-11-11T17:17:14Z")
Nice to have an expert weigh in on the subject, **Digger11** 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-artifacts-artworks-treasures-etc-that-are-probably-somewhere-but-no-one-knows-where/992825.md?page=5)