One couple from Northern California was lucky to find a rare gold coins valued at $ 10 million, buried in the backyard of their home. If you are not lucky as they do not give up and do not despair! Perhaps in the future your fortune will be more favorable to you, and you will find a wealth of welcome as the people on this list.

1. Lose hammer, find treasure 
 

In November 1992, a farmer who lived near the village Hoksn (Suffolk, UK), working in the field, lost a hammer. He decided to ask Eric Laus to help him find a tool with a metal detector. When conducting searches Laus stumbled on to more interesting things: 24 bronze coins, 14,191 silver coins, 565 gold coins, plus hundreds of gold and silver spoons, jewelry and statues dating from the times of the Roman Empire.  

As required by the UK legislation, the so-called "Hoksnskom treasure "informed local authorities, who declared it a national treasure. However, in such cases, the British government is obliged to pay a finder treasure its full value in monetary terms, which means that the farmer and Eric Laus shared between a pleasant surprise in the form of £ 1.75 million. Hoksnsky treasure is now in the British Museum, attracting thousands of visitors annually.  

A hammer? It was never found. Although whom he now needs? 

2. Girls best friend - it's Arkansas

In 1924, Wesley Oley Bassum found a giant gem - a diamond weighing 40 carats - near Murfreesboro (Arkansas, USA ), in a place where there is the state park "Diamond crater." Perched atop kemberlitovoy tube (vertical geological body formed as a result of an ancient underground volcanic explosion), the park - the only diamond mine in the world, which is open to the public. Park policy principle states: "All that you will find yours, regardless of value."  

Huge find Bassum, which was called "Uncle Sam Diamond", is the largest diamond ever found in North America. After treatment and weight of the diamond cut down to 12.42 carats, and in 1971 it sold for $ 150,000 (today its cost would be $ 800,000). But it was not the only precious stone found in the lands of Arkansas.  

in 1964 on the same site was found "Star of Murfreesboro" - diamond weighing 34 carats, and later, in 1975 - "Amarillo Starlight" (16 carats) and even in 31 years - "Diamond Rodin." But the gem of the park is considered a "Diamond Straun-Wagner", found in 1990 His initial weight was only 3 carats after cutting even less - 1.90 carat.Despite the relatively small size, "Diamond Straun-Wagner" stands out among the others in that the American Gemological Society named it the perfect gem - the first diamond that has ever received such a high rating.  

Interestingly, in the park "Diamond crater" in are on average two diamonds every day, certainly not as big as "Uncle Sam Diamond", but still ...  

3. Declaration (financial) independence

Have you ever heard the story about the man who bought the painting at a garage sale for $ 4 and found within its original U.S. Declaration of Independence, later sold for $ 2.4 million? "It happens once in a lifetime" - you say. And here and there.  

A certain man named Michael Sparks in one of the commission shops Nashville acquired vintage candlestick, set of halophytes and pepper, as well as a yellowed sheet of paper on which was printed the United States Declaration of Independence. Sparks believed that the document does not cost anything - most likely the usual modern reprint, so he paid the asking price almost 2.5 dollars, and went home.  

carefully examined purchased Declaration Sparks began to doubt that the document does not represent any value. He fumbled on the Internet, and analyzed the information found soon realized that he had purchased one of the 200 official copies of the Declaration of Independence, signed and common John Quincy Adams in 1820 Of all the two hundred copies were found in good condition only 35 pieces; Sparks bought 36th .  

took a year to confirm the authenticity of the document purchased Sparks, then he put it up for auction and sold for $ 477.650.  

4. "Magnolias on gold velvet"

One worker instrumental die company, a resident of Indiana, purchased for $ 30 a few pieces of second-hand furniture and old picture with flowers. When he brought home a new thing, then immediately began to hang on a wall painting acquired in order to close the gap in the wall that CORN his eyes.  

Several years later, a man playing a board game «Masterpiece» (translated to English - a masterpiece), whose members are trying to outdo each other in the purchase of pictures on an imaginary auction. To his surprise, he found that one of the game cards was depicted exactly the same picture that hung on his wall. He started looking for information on the Internet and found that the picture, bought them a few years ago, very much like in style to the work of Martin Johnson Heda, American artist and naturalist known for his landscapes and still lifes.  

He also contacted representatives of art galleries in Manhattan Edward Kennedy , which holds many of Heda, and asked them to look at his picture. They agreed and confirmed that a work of art, which closes the hole in the wall in his home, is a previously unknown painting Heda called "Magnolias on gold velvet." In 1999, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston purchased the painting for $ 1.25 million.  

5. £ 2,500000> £ 38,000

Every Sunday afternoon during the seven years Hannabay Mary goes for a walk with the metal in his hands. During this time, she did not find anything valuable, but the point was different: she just liked it very hard to do. One day in June 2009, during a regular Sunday walks her metal load, she stooped to dig up another copy for your collection in the form of ordinary coins or old nail, but very surprised when I got out of the ground root small gold pendant engraved with the image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Maybe it's good luck!  

pendant After inspecting the British Museum experts came to the conclusion that the thing certainly is "an important finding," but its market value ranges from £ 4,000. They also decided not to buy it for your collection, so Mary had to go to Sotheby's. Experts considered the auction house gold pendant costly and said that the minimum price of such gizmos is £ 250,000, but it can be sold and £ 2.5 million because of the similarity with Middlhemskim jewelry, also found with a metal detector.  

However, as the proverb says: " do not count your chickens before they are hatched. " In July 2009, Sotsbi set gold pendant for auction. Naturally, expectations were high.However, things are starting price was only £ 30,000, and did not rise above £ 38,000 - for so much of her and sold.  

6. "Who the * $ &%, this Jackson Pollock?"

In 1992, Teri Horton, a former truck driver came to a local pawnshop to choose for his girlfriend, stays in a depressed state, some cool gift. She found a very unusual, but rather, as it seemed to her a terrible picture of pretty large size (168 x 119 cm) for only $ 8. Horton bargained $ 3 and went to her friend. That picture is not liked, she found her ugly, and, in addition, a "masterpiece" does not fit into the door of her trailer. Teri had to take the picture home, later she put it on a garage sale. Local teacher who teaches art, saw the picture and suggested that this could well be the creation of Jackson Pollock. In response he heard from Teri just one sentence: "Who the * $ &%, this Jackson Pollock?"  

Since that day, Teri Horton desperately trying to prove that the picture, which it acquired in a thrift shop is nothing but a product of the lost Art potential value of more than $ 100 million. However, due to the lack of any credible evidence of the authenticity of the paintings and the so-called provenance (history of ownership of a work of art, its origin), many experts agree that the work belongs to another artist, which is probably just inspired its creation creation of Jackson Pollock. Teri even showed a picture of forensic expert, who claims to have discovered her fingerprints matched those that were found in the studio of Jackson Pollock. But it also does not help. Picture so no one bought. But about Teri Horton bought her picture and struggle with the art world took off in 2006, a documentary called "Who the * $ &%, this Jackson Pollock?". 

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