14. A revelation
Estimated current value: $11.7 million, inflation-adjusted*; year of disappearance: 1857
Discovered in 1988
A gold ingot named Eureka was found almost 150 years after the SS Central America went down to the bottom of the ocean from its wreckage. The Panic of 1857 began when the steamboat carrying over 30,000 pounds of gold and other valuables sank.
Eureka ©The Collection of History/Alamy
In 1988, Eureka, which weighed eighty pounds, was removed using a remotely driven truck. The ingot was thought to be the most valuable coin in the world when it was first extracted. It was sold to an unnamed “Forbes 400 business executive” for an astounding $8 million.
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