25 Priceless Items That Were Lost, Stolen or Never Returned

Carly Tennes Published 05/25/2024 in wow

We've all lost things. Our keys. Our glasses. Our will to live. But for some folks, the stakes are a whole lot higher — just ask any of the people responsible for these extremely expensive items that went missing, were stolen, or simply vanished.

From a $1 million CAD coin that was stolen almost immediately after it was minted to the lost William Shakespeare work we may never read, here are 25 priceless items that were lost, stolen, or never returned.

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1. A Shakespeare Play
“There is a ‘lost’ Shakespeare play named ‘The History of Cardenio.’ Though the original text has never been found, we know of its existence because the title appears in records of plays performed by Shakespeare's company.”
2. Charles Darwin's Notebooks
“In 2020 Cambridge University Library announced that two notebooks written by Charles Darwin, "worth many millions of pounds", had been missing for 20 years & had likely been stolen. One of the notebooks contains Darwin's famous Tree of Life sketch that explores the relationship between species.”
3. The Original Footage of the Moon Landing
 “NASA lost the original Moon landing footage by accidentally reusing the tapes.”
4. Diego Maradona's Drug Test Secret
“TIL Soccer legend Diego Maradona used a fake p—s to pass drug tests at the height of his cocaine use. The phoney p—s was stolen from a Buenos Aires museum in 2003 and has never been recovered.”
5. A 400-Year-Old Bonsai Tree
“When a 400-year rare old Japanese bonsai tree was stolen, the bonsai master gave out instructions on how the thief could care for the plant so it doesn't die, as he felt it was his child.”
6. A $1 Million CAD Coin
 “Canada once minted a $1 million dollar coin, which was promptly stolen and never found.” 
7. Six Nuclear Bombs
“The U.S. military is missing 6 nuclear weapons - the longest missing nuclear weapon hasn't been seen in 71 years, and it is unlikely it will be found anytime soon.”
8. North Carolina's Copy of the Bill of Rights
“North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights, stolen by a Union soldier in 1865, was recovered by an FBI sting operation in 2003.”
9. The Hoggle Puppet from Labyrinth
“The puppet of Hoggle used in the film Labyrinth went missing, and is now no longer owned by the Henson estate but by the Unclaimed Baggage Centre in Alabama.”
10. An Entire Jamaican Beach
“In 2008 a beach was stolen in Jamaica. The 500 truckloads of sand remain missing to this very day.”
11. The First Episode of 'The Ed Sullivan Show'
“The first episode of 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - the show that gave America its first looks at Elvis, the Beatles, and the Doors, among other acts - is considered lost. What makes this extra tragic is that it is also the TV debut of the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.”
12. A $9.5 Million Cello
“A stolen $9.5 million dollar Stradivarius Cello was nearly turned into a fancy CD rack.”
13. Kobe Bryant's High School Basketball Jersey
“Kobe Bryant's '33' High School basketball jersey was stolen in 2017 and sold to a collector in China who returned it after suspecting it was stolen.”
14. ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ ... And Its James Bond Replica
“Not only was a replica of the stolen painting ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ put in the first Bond movie (Dr. No) as a sight gag, but the replica painting was also stolen.”
15. Four Spider-Man Suits
“Four Spider-Man suits were stolen from Spider-Man back in 2002. The suits cost $50,000 USD to make and Sony offered $25,000 USD for their return. It lead to a 18 month investigation, and the suits were found in Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo. It was stolen by a security guard who worked on set.”
16. A Boeing 727
“An American Airlines Plane was stolen by two men that worked with mechanics to get the aircraft flight-ready. The plane has never been found.”
17. Pablo Picasso's 'The Weeping Woman'
“A Picasso was stolen from an art gallery in Melbourne, Australia by a group of people demanding more funding for the arts. The painting was stolen but the group were never found and no one was ever charged for the theft. The paining is now back on display.”
18. The World's Most Expensive Bottle of Vodka
“The world's most expensive bottle of vodka was stolen and found empty at a construction site.”
19. Specimens from the Natural History Museum in London
“In 2009, hundreds of brightly-colored bird specimens were stolen from the Natural History Museum London. It was later found that a student had sold them online to be used for fly-fishing lures.”
20. Nicolas Cage's Action Comics First Issue
“Nicolas Cage's copy of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman and worth $2 million, was stolen from his house and found in an abandoned storage locker 11 years later.”
21. Johannes Vermeer's 'The Concert'
“The painting ‘The Concert’ by Johannes Vermeer, stolen in 1990 during the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft, is still considered by many experts to be the most expensive object ever stolen. It was valued at 250 million dollars in 2015.”
22. George Feifer's Copy of 'The Girl from Petrovka'
“Anthony Hopkins once looked throughout the whole London for the book ‘The Girl From Petrovka’. Unable to find it he headed home, only to find a manuscript off the book on a bench. It later turned out to be the author’s copy, which had been in a stolen car and dumped by the thief.”
23. Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'
“‘The Scream’ was stolen the same day as the opening of the 1994 Olympics; the thieves left a note saying ‘thanks for the poor security.’”
24. The Remote Control to a Dublin, Ireland Bridge
“A bridge in Dublin couldn’t open for 4 years because they lost the remote control.”
25. Robert Kraft's Super Bowl Ring
"TIL Vladimir Putin essentially stole one of Bob Kraft's Super Bowl rings... and still has it to this day."

1. A Shakespeare Play
“There is a ‘lost’ Shakespeare play named ‘The History of Cardenio.’ Though the original text has never been found, we know of its existence because the title appears in records of plays performed by Shakespeare's company.”
2. Charles Darwin's Notebooks
“In 2020 Cambridge University Library announced that two notebooks written by Charles Darwin, "worth many millions of pounds", had been missing for 20 years & had likely been stolen. One of the notebooks contains Darwin's famous Tree of Life sketch that explores the relationship between species.”
3. The Original Footage of the Moon Landing
 “NASA lost the original Moon landing footage by accidentally reusing the tapes.”
4. Diego Maradona's Drug Test Secret
“TIL Soccer legend Diego Maradona used a fake p—s to pass drug tests at the height of his cocaine use. The phoney p—s was stolen from a Buenos Aires museum in 2003 and has never been recovered.”
5. A 400-Year-Old Bonsai Tree
“When a 400-year rare old Japanese bonsai tree was stolen, the bonsai master gave out instructions on how the thief could care for the plant so it doesn't die, as he felt it was his child.”
6. A $1 Million CAD Coin
 “Canada once minted a $1 million dollar coin, which was promptly stolen and never found.” 
7. Six Nuclear Bombs
“The U.S. military is missing 6 nuclear weapons - the longest missing nuclear weapon hasn't been seen in 71 years, and it is unlikely it will be found anytime soon.”
8. North Carolina's Copy of the Bill of Rights
“North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights, stolen by a Union soldier in 1865, was recovered by an FBI sting operation in 2003.”
9. The Hoggle Puppet from Labyrinth
“The puppet of Hoggle used in the film Labyrinth went missing, and is now no longer owned by the Henson estate but by the Unclaimed Baggage Centre in Alabama.”
10. An Entire Jamaican Beach
“In 2008 a beach was stolen in Jamaica. The 500 truckloads of sand remain missing to this very day.”
11. The First Episode of 'The Ed Sullivan Show'
“The first episode of 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - the show that gave America its first looks at Elvis, the Beatles, and the Doors, among other acts - is considered lost. What makes this extra tragic is that it is also the TV debut of the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.”
12. A $9.5 Million Cello
“A stolen $9.5 million dollar Stradivarius Cello was nearly turned into a fancy CD rack.”
13. Kobe Bryant's High School Basketball Jersey
“Kobe Bryant's '33' High School basketball jersey was stolen in 2017 and sold to a collector in China who returned it after suspecting it was stolen.”
14. ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ ... And Its James Bond Replica
“Not only was a replica of the stolen painting ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ put in the first Bond movie (Dr. No) as a sight gag, but the replica painting was also stolen.”
15. Four Spider-Man Suits
“Four Spider-Man suits were stolen from Spider-Man back in 2002. The suits cost $50,000 USD to make and Sony offered $25,000 USD for their return. It lead to a 18 month investigation, and the suits were found in Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo. It was stolen by a security guard who worked on set.”
16. A Boeing 727
“An American Airlines Plane was stolen by two men that worked with mechanics to get the aircraft flight-ready. The plane has never been found.”
17. Pablo Picasso's 'The Weeping Woman'
“A Picasso was stolen from an art gallery in Melbourne, Australia by a group of people demanding more funding for the arts. The painting was stolen but the group were never found and no one was ever charged for the theft. The paining is now back on display.”
18. The World's Most Expensive Bottle of Vodka
“The world's most expensive bottle of vodka was stolen and found empty at a construction site.”
19. Specimens from the Natural History Museum in London
“In 2009, hundreds of brightly-colored bird specimens were stolen from the Natural History Museum London. It was later found that a student had sold them online to be used for fly-fishing lures.”
20. Nicolas Cage's Action Comics First Issue
“Nicolas Cage's copy of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman and worth $2 million, was stolen from his house and found in an abandoned storage locker 11 years later.”
21. Johannes Vermeer's 'The Concert'
“The painting ‘The Concert’ by Johannes Vermeer, stolen in 1990 during the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft, is still considered by many experts to be the most expensive object ever stolen. It was valued at 250 million dollars in 2015.”
22. George Feifer's Copy of 'The Girl from Petrovka'
“Anthony Hopkins once looked throughout the whole London for the book ‘The Girl From Petrovka’. Unable to find it he headed home, only to find a manuscript off the book on a bench. It later turned out to be the author’s copy, which had been in a stolen car and dumped by the thief.”
23. Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'
“‘The Scream’ was stolen the same day as the opening of the 1994 Olympics; the thieves left a note saying ‘thanks for the poor security.’”
24. The Remote Control to a Dublin, Ireland Bridge
“A bridge in Dublin couldn’t open for 4 years because they lost the remote control.”
25. Robert Kraft's Super Bowl Ring
"TIL Vladimir Putin essentially stole one of Bob Kraft's Super Bowl rings... and still has it to this day."

“There is a ‘lost’ Shakespeare play named ‘The History of Cardenio.’ Though the original text has never been found, we know of its existence because the title appears in records of plays performed by Shakespeare's company.”

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A Shakespeare Play
“There is a ‘lost’ Shakespeare play named ‘The History of Cardenio.’ Though the original text has never been found, we know of its existence because the title appears in records of plays performed by Shakespeare's company.”

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NEXT GALLERY 20 Totally Tubular Photos From '80s College Parties

1. A Shakespeare Play “There is a ‘lost’ Shakespeare play named ‘The History of Cardenio.’ Though the original text has never been found, we know of its existence because the title appears in records of plays performed by Shakespeare's company.”

3. The Original Footage of the Moon Landing “NASA lost the original Moon landing footage by accidentally reusing the tapes.”

4. Diego Maradona's Drug Test Secret “TIL Soccer legend Diego Maradona used a fake p—s to pass drug tests at the height of his cocaine use. The phoney p—s was stolen from a Buenos Aires museum in 2003 and has never been recovered.”

5. A 400-Year-Old Bonsai Tree “When a 400-year rare old Japanese bonsai tree was stolen, the bonsai master gave out instructions on how the thief could care for the plant so it doesn't die, as he felt it was his child.”

6. A $1 Million CAD Coin “Canada once minted a $1 million dollar coin, which was promptly stolen and never found.”

7. Six Nuclear Bombs “The U.S. military is missing 6 nuclear weapons - the longest missing nuclear weapon hasn't been seen in 71 years, and it is unlikely it will be found anytime soon.”

8. North Carolina's Copy of the Bill of Rights “North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights, stolen by a Union soldier in 1865, was recovered by an FBI sting operation in 2003.”

9. The Hoggle Puppet from Labyrinth “The puppet of Hoggle used in the film Labyrinth went missing, and is now no longer owned by the Henson estate but by the Unclaimed Baggage Centre in Alabama.”

10. An Entire Jamaican Beach “In 2008 a beach was stolen in Jamaica. The 500 truckloads of sand remain missing to this very day.”

12. A $9.5 Million Cello “A stolen $9.5 million dollar Stradivarius Cello was nearly turned into a fancy CD rack.”

13. Kobe Bryant's High School Basketball Jersey “Kobe Bryant's '33' High School basketball jersey was stolen in 2017 and sold to a collector in China who returned it after suspecting it was stolen.”

14. ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ ... And Its James Bond Replica “Not only was a replica of the stolen painting ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ put in the first Bond movie (Dr. No) as a sight gag, but the replica painting was also stolen.”

16. A Boeing 727 “An American Airlines Plane was stolen by two men that worked with mechanics to get the aircraft flight-ready. The plane has never been found.”

18. The World's Most Expensive Bottle of Vodka “The world's most expensive bottle of vodka was stolen and found empty at a construction site.”

19. Specimens from the Natural History Museum in London “In 2009, hundreds of brightly-colored bird specimens were stolen from the Natural History Museum London. It was later found that a student had sold them online to be used for fly-fishing lures.”

20. Nicolas Cage's Action Comics First Issue “Nicolas Cage's copy of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman and worth $2 million, was stolen from his house and found in an abandoned storage locker 11 years later.”

21. Johannes Vermeer's 'The Concert' “The painting ‘The Concert’ by Johannes Vermeer, stolen in 1990 during the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft, is still considered by many experts to be the most expensive object ever stolen. It was valued at 250 million dollars in 2015.”

23. Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' “‘The Scream’ was stolen the same day as the opening of the 1994 Olympics; the thieves left a note saying ‘thanks for the poor security.’”

24. The Remote Control to a Dublin, Ireland Bridge “A bridge in Dublin couldn’t open for 4 years because they lost the remote control.”

25. Robert Kraft's Super Bowl Ring "TIL Vladimir Putin essentially stole one of Bob Kraft's Super Bowl rings... and still has it to this day."

1. A Shakespeare Play

2. Charles Darwin's Notebooks

3. The Original Footage of the Moon Landing

4. Diego Maradona's Drug Test Secret

5. A 400-Year-Old Bonsai Tree

6. A $1 Million CAD Coin

7. Six Nuclear Bombs

8. North Carolina's Copy of the Bill of Rights

9. The Hoggle Puppet from Labyrinth

10. An Entire Jamaican Beach

11. The First Episode of 'The Ed Sullivan Show'

12. A $9.5 Million Cello

13. Kobe Bryant's High School Basketball Jersey

14. ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ ... And Its James Bond Replica

15. Four Spider-Man Suits

16. A Boeing 727

17. Pablo Picasso's 'The Weeping Woman'

18. The World's Most Expensive Bottle of Vodka

19. Specimens from the Natural History Museum in London

20. Nicolas Cage's Action Comics First Issue

21. Johannes Vermeer's 'The Concert'

22. George Feifer's Copy of 'The Girl from Petrovka'

23. Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'

24. The Remote Control to a Dublin, Ireland Bridge

25. Robert Kraft's Super Bowl Ring

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1. A Shakespeare Play
“There is a ‘lost’ Shakespeare play named ‘The History of Cardenio.’ Though the original text has never been found, we know of its existence because the title appears in records of plays performed by Shakespeare's company.”

3. The Original Footage of the Moon Landing
 “NASA lost the original Moon landing footage by accidentally reusing the tapes.”

4. Diego Maradona's Drug Test Secret
“TIL Soccer legend Diego Maradona used a fake p—s to pass drug tests at the height of his cocaine use. The phoney p—s was stolen from a Buenos Aires museum in 2003 and has never been recovered.”

5. A 400-Year-Old Bonsai Tree
“When a 400-year rare old Japanese bonsai tree was stolen, the bonsai master gave out instructions on how the thief could care for the plant so it doesn't die, as he felt it was his child.”

6. A $1 Million CAD Coin
 “Canada once minted a $1 million dollar coin, which was promptly stolen and never found.” 

7. Six Nuclear Bombs
“The U.S. military is missing 6 nuclear weapons - the longest missing nuclear weapon hasn't been seen in 71 years, and it is unlikely it will be found anytime soon.”

8. North Carolina's Copy of the Bill of Rights
“North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights, stolen by a Union soldier in 1865, was recovered by an FBI sting operation in 2003.”

9. The Hoggle Puppet from Labyrinth
“The puppet of Hoggle used in the film Labyrinth went missing, and is now no longer owned by the Henson estate but by the Unclaimed Baggage Centre in Alabama.”

10. An Entire Jamaican Beach
“In 2008 a beach was stolen in Jamaica. The 500 truckloads of sand remain missing to this very day.”

12. A $9.5 Million Cello
“A stolen $9.5 million dollar Stradivarius Cello was nearly turned into a fancy CD rack.”

13. Kobe Bryant's High School Basketball Jersey
“Kobe Bryant's '33' High School basketball jersey was stolen in 2017 and sold to a collector in China who returned it after suspecting it was stolen.”

14. ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ ... And Its James Bond Replica
“Not only was a replica of the stolen painting ‘Portrait of the Duke of Wellington’ put in the first Bond movie (Dr. No) as a sight gag, but the replica painting was also stolen.”

16. A Boeing 727
“An American Airlines Plane was stolen by two men that worked with mechanics to get the aircraft flight-ready. The plane has never been found.”

18. The World's Most Expensive Bottle of Vodka
“The world's most expensive bottle of vodka was stolen and found empty at a construction site.”

19. Specimens from the Natural History Museum in London
“In 2009, hundreds of brightly-colored bird specimens were stolen from the Natural History Museum London. It was later found that a student had sold them online to be used for fly-fishing lures.”

20. Nicolas Cage's Action Comics First Issue
“Nicolas Cage's copy of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman and worth $2 million, was stolen from his house and found in an abandoned storage locker 11 years later.”

21. Johannes Vermeer's 'The Concert'
“The painting ‘The Concert’ by Johannes Vermeer, stolen in 1990 during the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Theft, is still considered by many experts to be the most expensive object ever stolen. It was valued at 250 million dollars in 2015.”

23. Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'
“‘The Scream’ was stolen the same day as the opening of the 1994 Olympics; the thieves left a note saying ‘thanks for the poor security.’”

24. The Remote Control to a Dublin, Ireland Bridge
“A bridge in Dublin couldn’t open for 4 years because they lost the remote control.”

25. Robert Kraft's Super Bowl Ring
"TIL Vladimir Putin essentially stole one of Bob Kraft's Super Bowl rings... and still has it to this day."