Want to go on a GOLD hunt? Scientists believe treasure is STILL hidden in these places
HIDDEN treasure and lost riches are at the heart of hundreds of fairy tales, novels and adventure films.
From Captain Hook to Indiana Jones, some of the most celebrated characters have stolen a place in our hearts through their quests to uncover lost treasure.
Whether it's for the heroic spirit of adventure or thought of discovering the unknown, the hunt for hidden riches seems to be a timeless theme.
While children and adults alike are thrilled by the stories of treasure hunts, they are largely accepted as simply fantasy and fiction reserved for escapism only.
But hidden treasure doesn't only exist in storybooks.
In fact, scientists believe there are some lost treasures yet to be discovered in real life.
Throughout the centuries, adventurers, royals and rich families have come across items of enormous financial value.
Warfare, superstitions and other dangers are said to have made them want to hide their treasures, with the intention of retrieving them at a later and safer time.
But as the stories go, that time never eventuated. From priceless hidden Nazi possessions to cold, hard cash from the mining boom - here are the sites scientists believe still hold real treasure.
The Flor Do Mar - Malacca Strait, Malaysia
Named 'The Flower of the Sea', The Flor Do Mar was the largest sailing ship built in its day - the 16th Century. While deemed dangerously unseaworthy, the ship was the pride of the Portuguese fleet due to its sheer size.
The ship was tasked with delivering the vast fortune taken from the King of Siam home to Portugal when it is believed to have been caught in a huge storm on the strait of Malacca. The shipwreck has never been discovered, though it is believed to be holding over sixty tonnes of gold.
Lake Toplitz Treasure - Austria
Situated in the dense forest of the Austrian Alps, Lake Toplitz originally served as a Nazi Naval testing station. But as allied forces advanced during the end of WWII, retreating Nazi soldiers plunged their valuables into the lake.
The exact contents of the boxes are unknown, but experts infer there could be gold, silver and priceless pieces of art lying at the bottom of the lake. Excavaters have made attempts to recover them however there are three large tree trunks midway through the lake which have rendered them unsuccessful.
Lost Faberge Eggs - Russia
In 1917, the Imperial Rovanov family was taken from power violently by Russian Bolsheviks and the treasures of the Czar's family were then confiscated.
Reportedly, 52 extravagantly crafted and jewelled eggs were among them.
Their valuables and the eggs were meant to be taken to the Kremlin, but eight of them went missing in transit and to this day remain unaccounted for...
Bedford County Cash - Virginia, America
According to the legend, a man named Thomas Beale and his travel comrades happened upon a huge sum of silver and gold while mining in the Rocky Mountains. Reportedly, the sum is estimated to equate to just shy of 50 million pounds today.
Rather than making a run with the money, Beale wrote three ciphers, which revealed the location of the treasure, what it consisted of, and the men it should go to along with their next of kin.
As the story goes, Beale entrusted the ciphers to a man named Robert Morriss, with instruction to open it in 10 years' time with a key that would be mailed to him. But the key never arrived, and the men could only decode two of the three ciphers - not the location.