69. Austrian man finds fairy-tale treasure while digging in yard
Location: Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Discovered Year: 2011.
Est. Value Unknown
This will not inspire you to dig in your backyard. One Austrian discovered an incredible treasure in the spring 2011 while digging dirt. This trove contained hundreds and hundreds of pieces, such as 200 rings, belt buckles with ornate designs, brooches, sterling silver plates, etc.
The fragments contained fossilized corals, pearls and other precious materials. When the objects were evaluated, they dated back to around 650. The Austrian government did not assign a value to the treasure but it called the discovery one of “the most significant” Middle Age discoveries in Austrian History.
70. Mastodon bones found in New York backyard pond
Location: 2000
Year Discovered: Hyde Park, New York
Est. Value: $6,000*
Dinosaurs once ruled over the Earth. We still find old bones of these giant creatures, even millions of years after they lived. Larry Lozier, of Hyde Park in New York was digging his pond back yard when he came across what he believed to be a huge, mud-covered tree.
Lozier noticed a knobby part when he removed some of the dirt. Lozier knew there was “something unusual” in the area, and was correct. Scientists from all over America congregated in Lozier’s back yard to discover a well-preserved mastodon fragment under his pond.
