Museums are vast treasure troves, but sometimes even the most precious artifacts can get lost in their own archives. Join us as we explore ten incredible rarities that were rediscovered in museums, offering fascinating glimpses into history, nature, and the unexplained.
10. A Noseless Alexander the Great
Imagine finding a statue of Alexander the Great hiding in plain sight! In 2019, archaeologists in Greece stumbled upon a marble bust of the legendary leader in a museum warehouse. Though missing its nose and covered in mortar, its identity was unmistakable.
The statue, created in the second century BC, spent years forgotten in the warehouse. It had been initially discovered in a Greek village, but its significance was overlooked. After cleaning and assessment, this 2,100-year-old masterpiece now graces the Museum of Royal Tombs of Aigai, a testament to historical oversights.
9. A Freakishly Big Sea Monster
Talk about a monstrous discovery! In 2023, a researcher at the Abingdon County Hall Museum in the UK found a massive vertebra. This led to the unearthing of three more, revealing the remains of a colossal pliosaur from 152 million years ago.
This Jurassic sea monster, resembling a crocodile-turtle hybrid, was an apex predator with a bite more powerful than a Tyrannosaurus rex. Stretching up to 47 feet long, this pliosaur is one of the largest and most fearsome carnivores ever to swim the seas.
8. A Bizarre Charles Dickens Story
Even literary giants have bizarre tales waiting to be uncovered. A letter penned by Charles Dickens on Christmas Eve, 1869, revealed his distress over a missing Christmas turkey, destroyed in a fire by the Great Western Railway Company.
The rediscovered letter at the National Railway Museum showed Dickens accepting the apology with good humor. What he didn’t know was that it was his last Christmas turkey, as he passed away a few months later. Adding to the absurdity, railway officials reportedly sold pieces of the burnt turkey to locals!
7. The Fake That Was Authentic
Sometimes, what’s labeled as fake turns out to be the real deal. For decades, the Field Museum in Chicago displayed a sword believed to be a replica from the Bronze Age. However, in 2022, a visiting Hungarian archaeologist identified it as an authentic 3,000-year-old weapon.
X-rays confirmed the sword’s true origins, revealing it was made from the correct combination of tin and copper. It was likely ritually discarded in the Danube River between 1080 and 900 BC, making it a valuable piece of history hiding in plain sight.
6. The Real Last Captive Thylacine
The story of the last thylacine is full of twists. While it was believed that ‘Benjamin’ was the last of its kind to die in captivity, a female Tasmanian tiger actually outlived him. This female was kept at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, but her death went unnoticed and unrecorded.
In 2022, an unpublished report revealed that her remains had been donated to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and stored in the educational section. They found the preserved pelt and skeleton in a cupboard, a poignant reminder of this extinct species used for educational purposes.
5. Extremely Rare Pyramid Wood
Imagine losing a piece of the Great Pyramid! In 1872, a piece of cedar wood was found in the Queen’s Chamber. One of only three items ever discovered inside the Great Pyramid, its disappearance was a significant loss. The artifact went missing for 70 years.
In 2019, an assistant curator at the University of Aberdeen accidentally rediscovered the wood—in a cigar tin! Though shattered, tests confirmed the splinters were 5,000 years old, suggesting it was used during the pyramid’s construction, a relic left behind by the ancient builders.
4. Lost 18,000-Year-Old Sounds
What does 18,000-year-old music sound like? In 2021, researchers examining the Natural History Museum of Toulouse discovered a large seashell from the Marsoulas cave. Initially thought to be a drinking cup, it was found to be a musical instrument crafted by the Pyrenean Magdalenians.
By altering the shell and adding a mouthpiece, they created a conch that produced notes close to C, C-sharp, and D. This accidental find revived sounds not heard for millennia, making it the oldest musical shell of its kind known today.
3. Edison’s Last Breath
The story of Thomas Edison’s last breath is a fascinating blend of friendship and mystery. Henry Ford, a close friend and former employee, asked Edison’s son to capture his father’s dying breath in a test tube as a memento.
Years later, museum employees at the Henry Ford Museum stumbled upon the test tube. While the authenticity of the ‘dying breath’ remains uncertain, the tube serves as a tangible symbol of the deep bond between these two iconic figures.
2. Footage Believed to Be a Myth
Imagine finding lost cinematic history! Film aficionados long whispered about a film showing a Mardi Gras parade from 1898. Many believed this footage was just a myth, but Arthur Hardy was determined to find it.
After decades of searching, he contacted the Louisiana State Museum, which led to the rediscovery of the film at the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. The two-minute clip captures six floats from the ‘Harvest Queens’ parade, offering a rare glimpse into the earliest moving footage of New Orleans Mardi Gras.
1. The Silpho Moor UFO
In 1957, three men found a ‘copper-bottomed flying saucer’ on Silpho Moor near Scarborough. Dubbed ‘Britain’s answer to Roswell,’ the object sparked intense speculation. However, the fragments disappeared, only to resurface nearly half a century later.
A man searching the Science Museum archives for files on UFO enthusiast Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith found a cigarette tin labeled ‘alleged UFO bits.’ The fragments closely resembled those described in the original incident, potentially linking them to the mysterious object found on Silpho Moor.
These rediscovered rarities remind us that museums are full of hidden treasures waiting to be found. From ancient statues to lost sounds and unexplained objects, these artifacts offer fascinating insights into our world and its history.
What’s the most interesting museum discovery you’ve ever heard of? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
