9. The Hội An Shipwreck
Estimated Current Value: $1 million* Disappeared between 1450 and 1499 Found in the early 1990s
Between the middle and end of the fourteenth century, Hoi An was transporting an enormous load of pottery made in Vietnam. Though unique, the kilns from the Red River Delta would never reach their intended location. A team of fishermen found the location in the 1990s when they unearthed an enormous amount of pottery pieces.
The Hội An Shipwreck @Facebook.com / cantonimports
The 290-foot sea depth prevented the Vietnamese authorities from trying to excavate the Hoi An wreck. When the authorities gave up, looters took charge and dragged nets around the site to collect fragments of the kilns. At last, a Chinese millionaire named Ong Soo Hin spent $14 million hosting his own excavation. A total of 250,000 complete items were found.
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