The most expensive artifacts our ancestors left behind

Treasure is defined as any kind of expensive metal, gem, or valuable object, but there isn’t a definition as to how old something needs to be in order for it to be classed as treasure. Most of the things our ancestors left behind have little to no value, and even though the remains of a Viking longship or some Celtic clothing may be interesting, they generally don’t have many people looking to pay for them. Every once in a while, someone will uncover a treasure that is priceless, sometimes by accident, and end up setting themselves up for life. Here are some of the most expensive artifacts our ancestors left behind.

The Cosby Garret Helmet – £2.7 million

This helmet was worn by Roman cavalry riders around the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries in England. It’s made mostly of copper and was discovered in 2009 by a college graduate who was unemployed at the time, the following year it sold at auction to an anonymous buyer who ended up paying £2.7 million for it. The helmet now sits in the collection of the private buyer and the finder probably still doesn’t have a job.

The Hoxne Hoard – £3.3 million

Discovered in 1992 by an amateur metal detector, the Hoxne hoard is the largest ever find of late Roman gold and silver coins to be found in the UK. It was found in a farmer’s field in the village of Hoaxe in Suffolk and was sold to the Royal British Museum where it now sits on display in room 49.

The Staffordshire horde – £3.2 million

This find currently holds the record for the largest amount of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver work ever found. It contains more than 3,500 items which weigh up to just over 5 kg of gold and 1.4 kg of silver. It’s thought to have been made between the late 7th and early 8th centuries but when it was buried remains unclear, today the find is located at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

The Saddle Ridge hoard – $10 million

In 2013, a couple were out walking their dog along a route in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California when they noticed something sticking out of the ground. It was 8 rather old-looking tin cans, and when they opened them up to investigate further, they found them packed with coins dating to around the mid-1800s. During this time, the United States had great trouble with money and trying to create their own national currency, and in the process managed to create a number of very rare and very valuable coins.

The SS Central America – $100 to $150 million

This 280-foot steamer ship used to constantly travel a route between the eastern coast of North America and Central America, it carried all kinds of cargo which was occasionally very valuable. In 1857, the ship was making its usual journey but was never seen again after leaving port, whatever happened to the ship caused it to sink and the whole crew drowned. In 2014 an expedition to find the wreck was successful, and inside they found over 3,000 gold coins, 10,000 silver coins, and 45 gold bars.

5th century Magna Carta – £12 million

Sometimes treasure isn’t always recognized as such and can sit around for a very long time before someone sees its value. In a very old archive located in Maidstone of England, someone came across a large piece of paper that just so happened to be a 5th-century copy of the Magna Carta written by King John of England. It has been valued at around £12 million, but if someone has bought it then it’s been done rather quietly and its present location is unknown.