I have always enjoyed treasure hunting stories. One I heard in a bar in New Mexico about a prospector who found a cave in the Caballo mountains filled with bars of gold the Spanish had had hidden while fleeing the native Americans. Absolutely elated he took a couple bars with him and sold them and began to brag about his find. One day the prospector disappeared and the police found his shirt full of bullet holes and soaked in blood. His body was never found. I guess the moral of the story is if you find lost treasure it's best to keep your mouth shut. Is it a true story? Who knows?
That brings me to another more recent story that occurred off the eastern coast of Spain. Two free divers had been exploring the reef when they saw something odd. They saw a shiny object while diving on a reef and went to check it out. There they found a bunch of Roman gold coins in about twenty feet of water and proceeded to dig them out of the reef using a Swiss army knife corkscrew for the next two hours. They walked away with five Roman era gold coins in their hands.
Now as a treasure hunter myself the conundrum kicks in. Do I keep my mouth shut about my "secret spot" and keep digging out the coins under the rule of "what I finds I keeps" or report it to the proper authorities. I think I probably would have kept my mouth shut honestly, but these guys reported the find and a full archeological study was done of the the site revealing 53 pristine Roman coins. They also found evidence of an ancient wood chest they believe contained the coins. It's believed someone hid the chest prior to an invasion to keep them safe but obviously didn't survive to collect them. They think they have been there for at least 1,500 years.
archaeonewsnet.com
A few of the coins still in place on the reef
cnn.com
Archeological documentation being done at the site
I have not been able to find any follow up articles or information on if the divers got to keep any of the treasure or got a reward. I suspect they probably got a pat on the head and a big thank you for your troubles, the coins belong to the government now. A truly lousy end for finding priceless Roman gold coins on the bottom of the ocean...
What do you think you would have done? Kept the coins or notify the government?
There are literally lost treasures all around the world, there might even be some in your backyard... I enjoy searching for gold nuggets and enjoy searching the beaches in Florida for old Spanish shipwreck treasure. Nuggets I have found but have yet to find ship wreck coins, but that won't stop me from looking! And if I find it I think I might just keep my mouth shut...
Thanks for stopping by to read my post, I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave any suggestions, comments, or questions below. Thank you everyone for your support! Have a great weekend!
References
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/roman-coins-spain-divers-scli-intl-scn/index.html
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Re-blog lottery for the chance to win 3 HSBI
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 26 people re-blog my post, thank you so much! You guy are the best! The people who re-blogged were:
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Good luck to everyone!
And the Wheel of Names results:
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You will receive 3 HSBI!
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win 3 HSBI units! Just one prize for the lucky winner. An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prize. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
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