15. A Trunk Found the Missing Original Mark Twain script
Hollywood Location: Hollywood
Year Found: 1992
Est. Value: $1.5 million*
This valuable literary artifact had been lost for more than a century when it was found in a trunk hidden in an attic, in 1991. Mark Twain wrote the 665 pages of this document by hand. This copy of Huckleberry Finn differed greatly from its original source, which shook what we thought we understood about modern literature.
The Mark Twain Project is a U.S.C. initiative. They “believed” that the manuscript would not be found as Twain had sent it to Buffalo in New York where it disappeared. The trunk’s owner was the granddaughter of a close friend of Twain’s. She immediately sent it to Sotheby’s in New York for authentication.
16. Terracotta Warriors Found in Pit Around Secret Tomb
Location: Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
Year of Discovery: 1974
Est. Value: $4.5 Million per warrior*
Chinese workers digging a well in 1974 discovered thousands of clay figures made from terracotta, dressed up for battle. Terracotta Army is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designated in 1987. The Army was discovered near the mausoleum built for Qin Shi Huang the first Chinese Emperor.
They are a complete replica of all the warriors of the king. Only 2,000 of the 8,000 terracotta warriors have been discovered. The warriors were created to protect the Emperor on his journey into the afterlife, in 210 B.C.
