Archive for July, 2006
16 years later, man is still pursing a dream of treasure
Ma Qingrong, 62, from Dayao County, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, has spent the last 16 years of his life digging for treasure on Mount Maanshan near his village. Every day he toils in a tiny cave he’s caved into the mountain, picking and shoveling his way deeper into the mountain.
The treasure he’s after was supposed left behind by Zhuge Kongming (an accomplished strategist in China’s Three Kingdoms Period) while crusading in the area. Ma expects to find chests of treasure, along with important scriptures and artifacts.
With so much dedication and effort expended you’d expect that Ma has a pretty strong belief that the treasure lies within the mountain. You bet he does! Incontrovertible proof, in the form of a dream.
“In the dream, I was led by a girl clad in black dress to a mysterious stone palace” says Ma. Yes, that’s right. His only evidence is through his dreams. There is hope however, because according to his dream, he’s only got two more years to go.
Via China Daily News
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A guide to the pirates of North Carolina
It’s been a good week for pirates here at the Treasure Report. Lots of pirates in the news these days it seems.
The islands and coastline of North Carolina was home to many a pirate it seems, including of course the famous Blackbeard. The North Carolinians are proud of their pirate heritage, so much so that they’ve put together a “guide book”:http://www.newsobserver.com/535/index.html for you.
It’s a free download, about 16 pages long. You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to read it. Check it out.
Thanks “Dock”:http://jdmyrick.livejournal.com/
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Visit the Reed Mine, America’s first gold mine
I bet you though that Sutter’s Mill, California was the site of America’s first gold mine, didn’t you? Actually it was the Reed Mine in Stanfield, North Carolina which opened in 1800. In fact, before the big California gold rush of 1849 North Carolina was the source of gold for the US Mint.
Gold was first discovered at the site by farmer John Reed in 1799. While working his fields in Cabarrus County, Reed’s son found a large yellow rock that was quite interesting. They hauled the 17lb. rock home where it made a fine doorstop for several years.
About three years later, a local jeweler identified the door stop as a gold nugget. He then ripped off the Reeds by purchasing it for $3.50 — one tenth of one percent of its actual value. A good deal for a door stop, but a bad deal for a giant nugget.
Now the mine is an historic site run by the North Carolina parks department. There’s a a museum, a gold-panning area, guided tours in a mine shaft, a stamp mill, wooded trails and a picnic area. You can even try your hand at panning for gold for just $2. Entrance to the park is free.
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Rare silver coin returned to Greece
This rare silver denarium coin, circa 42 BC, was recently acquired from London and repatriated to its home country of Greece as part of an effort to reclaim lost antiquities by the Greek government. It is scheduled to be displayed in the Numismatic Museum of Athens in 2007.
The coin features the face of Marcus Brutus, of Caesar assassination fame. The coin was struck by a mobile military mint, somewhere in Greece in 43 or 42 BC. Armys often traveled with their own minting equipment in order to supply them with cash.
The reverse of the coin (shown) is a clear reminder of Brutus’s role in Julius Caesar’s assassination. Two daggers and an inscription referring to the Ides of March. The item between the daggers is the cap of Liberty, a common design element in Greek coins.
The Barber Fine Arts Institute has a “similar coin”:http://www.barber.org.uk/coins/ifbrutus.html in its collection, one of only 58 or so examples world wide.
Via the Athens News Agency
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Florida bed & breakfast hosts a tale of pirate treasure
According to local legend, this 5,400 square foot mansion in Gainseville, Florida was originally financed with pirate gold. Now the swanky Magnolia Plantation bed and breakfast, the history of the property is quite interesting — and well known apparently. The current owners are occasionally contacted by treasure hunters wishing to search for more riches they believe to be buried on the property. Even a previous owner fell under the treasure spell, destroying a fireplace in the process.
As the legend goes, the original owner Emmett Baird discovered the pirate treasure buried along the banks of the Suwannee river in 1897. Baird was led to the spot by a treasure mapped purchased from a suspicious old man with a Scandanavian accent. Descendants of Baird are split as to the authenticity of the story.
If you are ever down in Gainseville, consider a stay at the historic Magnolia Plantation — and bring a crowbar. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover something interesting under the floor boards.
Via The Gainesville Sun
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State lays claim to demolition diamonds
Officials in Bangalore are laying claim to a cache of diamonds discovered in the walls of a house that was recently demolished. A man working at the house found the diamonds, and sold them before the officials could get their hands on them.
According to local “Treasure Trove” law, any treasure that is over 100 years old is property of the state and must be reported. Following a judges ruling, the diamonds were seized and turned over to the government. One unhappy workman, I can tell you that.
The diamonds had a value of Rs. 1 “crore”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crore, which I understand to mean 1 million rupees, which is worth about $21,700 US. Somebody who knows what they are talking about please correct me if I’m wrong.
Via The Hindu
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Little treasures, little glimpses into the past
This nice little human interest piece about metal detectorist Glen Spoor does a good job of capturing the the essence of most treasure hunts. No gold bars, not cache of silver coins — just little treasures that while not extraordinarily valuable, are still a joy to find.
A cheerleader’s pin from the 1950’s, a turn of the century National Guard button, and a silver dollar are among Glen’s finds. Each a little victory and a little glimpse into history around us.
Via Maine Today
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In search of Blackbeard’s flagship
This month’s issue of “National Geographic”:http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0607/feature6/ magazine has a great story about the excavation of a shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina that researches believe to be _The Queen Anne’s Revenge_, the flagship of the notorious Blackbeard the pirate.
The 300 ton merchantman, if indeed this is the right wreck, carried upwards of 40 guns, and was probably the most heavily armed pirate ship of its day. Ran aground in 1718, the wreck was discovered in 20 foot of water in 1996.
The “North Carolina Maritime Museum”:http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/maritime/Blackbeard/wreck.htm has a lot of detail about the wreck, as well as Blackbeard himself. Furthermore, check out the official “project website”:http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/qar/default.htm.
No substantial treasure, apart from the canon and other archaeological relics, has yet been found on the wreck.
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Odyssey Marine Exploration expands fleet
Noted shipwreck recovery company Odyssey Marine has purchased another research vessel, complete with ROV and advanced side-scan sonar equipment.
The additional ship will allow Odyssey to pursue three different expeditions this year, a first for the company.
Odyssey is best know for their “recovery of the S.S. Republic”:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/12/1201_031201_republic.html, a Civil War era side wheeler loaded with gold bullion.
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Treasure hunters plunder ancient kingdom of Dacia
Treasure hunting gangs have been pludering gold and other treasures from “Dacia”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia, an ancient kingdom that lies in what is now Romania.
Much of the gold the lotters are after was hidden away by King Decebalus in 106 AD, while the Roman invaders were at his heels. Apparently, the Romans didn’t find the bulk of the gold, but international smugglers armed with modern equipment are having better luck.
Since 1990, more than 20,000 Dacian gold coins dug up have been smuggled out of Romania and sold on the Western coin black market for more than 20 million euros. A further 7,845 ancient gold coins, 190 gold works of art and plates smuggled out of the country have been recovered.
Via the Sunday Herald
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