COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the late 1980s, Tommy Thompson was the hunter, searching for and retrieving millions of dollars in gold bars and coins from a ship that sank in a hurricane off the North Carolina coast. Now, he’s the hunted, the subject of an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court in Ohio in one of the lengthy legal fights that followed the discovery.
A federal judge in Ohio ordered the warrant for Thompson this week after he failed to appear in court in a case that has gone on for more than six years. U.S. Marshals said they’re following tips from the public in hopes of locating Thompson, who is believed to have a home in eastern Florida. . . . Read Complete Report
An amateur diver says he’s discovered tens of thousands of raw emeralds at the bottom of the ocean — but it may be years before he can profit. Armen Keteyian reports. . . . Text posted with video
Photo: Top archaeologist, Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, known as the Bulgarian Indiana Jones, present the coins recently discovered at Perperikon. (SOURCE Novinite.com)
Bulgarian archaeologists expect to find at the holy rock city of Perperikon the largest ever medieval coin treasure in the country.
The announcement was made by leading Bulgarian archaeologist, Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, after his team recently found a total 11 gold and 6 silvercoins.
The goldcoins are from the 14th century while the silver ones are from the end of the 13th century.
The coins have been found dispersed in what has been used as a toilet hole with a 2-meter diameter, leading the experts to believe that they were hidden and buried during the Ottoman invasion of the area. Such treasures were usually placed in clay pots or similar vessels and then concealed, while for the latest find it is believed that the coins were put in some sort of a purse, which has decomposed over the years. . . . Read Complete Report
Divers find wreck of legendary pirate treasure ship
Divers in Tonga have discovered the wreck of a vessel said to be a historic pirate ship containing a legendary hoard of sunken treasure.
The wreck is thought to be of the Port-au-Prince sunk by local islanders after its pirate crew had filled the ship’s hold with gold and treasures looted from British vessels.
The British ship sailed into Pacific water in search of whales in 1806 after straying from its main mission of ambushing and capturing treasure ships.
But upon finding the Port-au-Prince in Tongan waters, the local king Finau Ulukalala II and his
people seized the ship and massacred most of the crew. . . . Read Complete Report w/ photos
“A father dies at the hands of pirates and his noble son vows to avenge his death. So he infiltrates the pirate gang. He helps capture a ship, but discovers that there is a young woman on board whom he wishes to protect from the threat of rape. Will he sacrifice his identity for the lady?” . . . Text with Video posted to youtube.
An original Pirate of the Caribbean’s loot from the 17th century has been recovered from the ocean and will go on show
By Anthea Gerrie 31 July, 2012
The belongings of a real-life Pirate of the Caribbean have been discovered off the coast of Panama and are set to go on show for travelers keen to see how 17th-century buccaneers lived.
The pirate was Captain Henry Morgan, of rum bottle fame, a Welshman who looted throughout the Spanish Main in the 17th century before losing five ships in the West Indies.
Fritz Hanselmann, an underwater archaeologist with the River Systems Institute and the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University, found swords, barrels and chests belonging to one of Morgan’s ships after a three-year search.
“Morgan was one of the most infamous privateers of all time, so this was a chance to use archaeological research to bridge the gap between science and pop culture,” Hanselmann says.
The recovery follows the discovery of six of Morgan’s cannons off the Panamanian coast in 2010. . . . Read Complete Report w/photos
from youtube
Henry Morgan – the real pirate of the caribbean : Documentary
“He was one of history’s shrewdest military minds, a human chameleon who combined brutality with personal charm. Latest underwater forensic techniques reveal the truth about history’s most notorious pirate, Sir Henry Morgan. Three years into his quest to find the real Henry Morgan, salvage specialist Klaus Keppler made a sensational discovery — battleships from Sir Henry’s time, the 1660s. The ships were lying in only 5 meters of water in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Haiti, all accessible and perfectly preserved. We join Keppler and his team as they scour the ocean floor and unlock the secrets behind history’s most notorious pirate. Lovable rogue, brutal mercenary, successful businessman, alcoholic and loyal servant of the British Crown, The Real Henry Morgan tells a tale that puts ‘Treasure Island’ to shame” . . . Posted with video.
As Kenny Rogers once said, “You’ve got to know when to hold’em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.” Reg Mead and Richard Miles decided to “hold ‘em” for a long time when they spent 30 years combing the same Jersey U.K. field with metal detectors. It may sound like they were just banging their heads against a wall, but their ludicrous devotion paid off when they stumbled upon 50,000 ancient silver and gold coins, the largest stash ever to be discovered in Northern Europe.
The two had been searching the field ever since they heard tales that a farmer who once owned the farm had come across silver pieces on his land. Over the years, the pair found . . . Read Complete Report
Last Modified: Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 11:54 p.m.
Fowler’s Bluff
A pirate’s curse is afoot, and it could be keeping some valuable booty several feet underground.
Here in this swampy hamlet on the east bank of the Suwannee River, where the air thickens with mosquitoes, a legend of buried treasure is firmly entrenched in local lore.
For years, through many landowners, treasure hunters have tried and failed to come up with the loot they believe was buried by 1800s French privateer Jean Lafitte — some say because such endeavors carry a curse preventing the treasure from being uncovered.
None have dug up the treasure, with the exception of one rumored recovery that may or may not have happened. . . . Read Complete Report
“The famous pirate Jean Laffitte made his home in Galveston, Texas after being run out of New Orleans by the U.S. Navy. He called his island home “Campeche” and he led a group of “privateers” on countless shipping raids around the Gulf of Mexico for 5 years. When he left Galveston, it is believed by many that he left stockpile of hidden treasure behind and intended to return to reclaim his pirate treasure – the treasure was never recovered and his fate remains somewhat of a mystery. Shot by M. Daleo for “Postcards from Texas” 2010 contact: mdaleo@wildcatterproductions.com”
Divers have recovered a number of 16th century silver coins from the wreckage of the legendary Swedish warship Mars, which was discovered last year off the coast of the Baltic sea island of Öland.
“The coins are in excellent condition and of great historic interest, especially considering where they were found,” the diving expedition organizers which found the wreck, Ocean Discovery/Deep Sea Productions, said in a statement, according to local news website Barometern.se.
According to the divers, the silver coins date from the time of Sweden’s King Erik XIV, who ruled over Sweden between 1560 and 1568. . . . Read Complete Report
The crew aboard the 220-foot Sea Hunter is on the hunt for an exceedingly rare catch, nearly $4 billion in gold and platinum from a World War II era shipwreck.
The Maine-based Sub Sea Research crew aboard the vessel have searched for the Port Nicholson wreck for nearly five years and are now on their way to retrieve their first piece of treasure.
Sub Sea Research co-founder Greg Brooks believes the wreck could be carrying platinum and gold ingots that were originally a payment from the Soviet Union to the U.S. for war supplies. The Port Nicholson was sunk in 1942 by German U-boats only 50 miles off the coast of Provincetown, Mass.
Brooks talked to ABC News affiliate WCVB-TV about what it means to reach the wreck after five years of effort. . . . Read complete Report
This year a truly liminal book release is coming our way. Very little is known about the book so far as it has only recently been rediscovered. Yet the impact of its vast content could easily require us to rewrite some chapters in the history of Western Magic. Reason enough for us to take a brief sneak preview at the little we know about the book today…
The book is called the Summa Sacre Magice and has been compiled and redacted in 1346 by some Berengario Ganell (also known as Berengarius Ganellus in the latinized version). To begin with here are a couple of key points that explain why this release will be such an important contribution to the history of Western Magic . . . Read Complete Report
