Still lost: The Beale ciphers
Thomas J. Beale came across an abandoned mine full of gold, silver, and jewels in Santa Fe, New Mexico during the early 1800s. Beale, along with 30 other adventurers, transported the goods to Bedford County, Virginia, and buried them. He then created three ciphers (encoded letters), detailing what the treasure was, where it was located, and the contact information of the people that helped him bury it. Beale put the letters in an iron box, and gave them to a friend, instructing him to only open them if he hadn’t returned in ten years. The ciphers were eventually published in 1885 but only one has been cracked: the second cipher, detailing the fabulous contents of the hidden treasures. Its cipher key? The Declaration of Independence. So far, investigators have been unable to crack either of the other two and find the treasure. These are the most famous cold cases of all time.
Still lost: Ted Binion’s Nevada stash
Wealthy casino heir Ted Binion has been dead for two decades, but his legacy lives on in the form of a silver collection said to be worth several million dollars, rumored to be buried somewhere on the property of his Pahrump, Nevada ranch. Binion was allegedly murdered in 1998 at the age of 55, by his girlfriend and her lover. While the duo was acquitted of murder on appeal, they were convicted on charges related to silver theft, the motive being his collection of silver items worth several million dollars at the time (and now worth far more). Some believe all the silver has been recovered, but others think a buried fortune of hidden treasures remains somewhere on (or under) the property. Find out the strangest unsolved mysteries from your state.
BUERAU CUSTOM AND INMIGR/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Still lost: The Old Ozark Treasure Cave
In one of the Ozarks’ biggest mysteries, The Old Spanish Treasure Cave in the northwest corner of Arkansas is believed to hold hidden treasures buried by Spanish conquistadors fleeing from Native Americans over 350 years ago. The treasure itself has not yet been found, but artifacts from the time period such as helmets, weapons, and armor have all been found in the area, so there’s still hope! These are some of the weirdest archaeological discoveries ever found.