Have you done any treasure hunting before? Most people do treasure hunting for gold artifact. Do you know that you can do a treasure hunting using Google Maps? Google Maps have given the ability to virtually anyone to have eyes across the globe and conduct research into specific points of interest before launching a treasure hunting expedition. This has made it infinitely easier for treasure hunters to do extensive research previously impossible to do without physically going to the specific point of interest, and saved the real life treasure hunters much time and money, even providing for a new level of safety to be incorporated into treasure hunting expeditions.
I read many story about people doing their treasure hunting around this world. Yesterday, I found a story about Klaus Keppler who founds a kilograms of different kind of silver coins in a 10th century wreck ship, the Forbes. The British vessel sailed the seas under a commission from the British king, a kind of pirate with a royal permit. It ran aground on a reef off Belitung island, between Borneo and Sumatra, en route to India on Sept 9, 1806.
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Treasure hunter Klaus Keppler has uncovered cannons and priceless china from ship wrecks in the ocean
TheSundaily.com
by Christiane Oelrich
Updated: 01:21PM Wed, 29 Jul 2009
In the lore surrounding hidden treasures, the gods often see fit to subject the treasure hunter to a long quest before he finds the objects of his desire. Treasure hunter Klaus Keppler knows that only too well. For years, the owner of a salvage company has been looking for the wrecks of ships that had been carrying gold, silver or china. Now, after a long dry spell, he got lucky. Twice.
Keppler showing off a find
Salvage works being carried out aboard a wreck.
Keppler - who has recovered a 10th-century wreck and the Forbes, a British vessel that ran aground in 1806, off Indonesia – contentedly surveys his treasures in a Jakarta port storehouse, holding up a huge lump of silver coins.
"Hurry up, this thing is incredibly heavy," the 70-year-old German urges a photographer but with a big smile on his face.
The divers of his salvage ship, the Maruta Jaya, have recovered many kilograms of silver coins from the Forbes as well as cannon, gold jewellery, crystal, silverware and 400 bottles of wine.
"Those gentlemen on board knew how to live well," he says.The many different coins will sell well, he believes, spinning a large one between his fingers: "One coin can be worth between US$50 dollars and several thousand."
This is even more so the case if the history of the artefact is known. Keppler hired a young man to scour archives around the world for information about the Forbes.
The vessel sailed the seas under a commission from the British king, a kind of pirate with a royal permit. It ran aground on a reef off Belitung island, between Borneo and Sumatra, en route to India on Sept 9, 1806.
Captain Frazer Sinclair and his crew survived. The Mampango reef was only charted five years later.
Upstairs in Keppler’s storehouse, four archaeology students measure, photograph and describe every recovered coin and enter the results in a databank.
"Everything gets documented," Keppler says. Officials from various Indonesian ministries who must accompany every search trip make sure that no treasures are squirreled away.
The Indonesian state receives 50% of all revenues derived from the treasure hunts in its territory. While it is rumoured among treasure hunters that some officials are not adverse to cutting individual deals, the searchers also eye each other with mistrust.
"Eighty per cent are scoundrels and mountebanks," Keppler says.
Apart from the revenue, Indonesia’s interest is limited, as is obvious with the second wreck Keppler found in a depth of 50 metres off Java island, says Horst Liebner, an expert on Malay culture and history.
"The Karawang wreck is from the10th century," Liebner says. "In Germany, such a find would be a sensation, but in Indonesia, not a single archaeologist stopped by to have a look.
Liebner dated the wreck with the help of Chinese lead coins from the Ming dynasty, which fell in 947. Divers also recovered vases, ewers and plates. "It’s a time capsule," he enthuses.
So far, the treasure hunters have not become rich. The flotilla of salvage ships, equipment, divers and storage all needed to be financed in advance, long before any promising finds were on the horizon. Therefore, investors attracted by a sense of adventure are welcome.
But occasionally there is a wreck that fulfills the treasure hunter’s hopes. "We checked out about 70 wrecks here, but only five of them are probably worth it," Keppler says.
The money only starts coming in when a buyer is found. Keppler’s team is in negotiations with Chinese museums over the Karawang treasure, which he hopes will bring in €1.4 million (RM7 million dollars) with salvage costs amounting to €600,000. The Forbes might prove more profitable, netting €5 million to 10 million, with €400,000 in salvage costs.
"There are more than 30 million coin collectors worldwide," says Keppler. But in the end, he is in it for the search – his eyes already set on future wrecks to be discovered.
An old cannon
Keppler showing off a find
Salvage works being carried out aboard a wreck.Keppler - who has recovered a 10th-century wreck and the Forbes, a British vessel that ran aground in 1806, off Indonesia – contentedly surveys his treasures in a Jakarta port storehouse, holding up a huge lump of silver coins.
"Hurry up, this thing is incredibly heavy," the 70-year-old German urges a photographer but with a big smile on his face.
The divers of his salvage ship, the Maruta Jaya, have recovered many kilograms of silver coins from the Forbes as well as cannon, gold jewellery, crystal, silverware and 400 bottles of wine.
"Those gentlemen on board knew how to live well," he says.The many different coins will sell well, he believes, spinning a large one between his fingers: "One coin can be worth between US$50 dollars and several thousand."
This is even more so the case if the history of the artefact is known. Keppler hired a young man to scour archives around the world for information about the Forbes.
The vessel sailed the seas under a commission from the British king, a kind of pirate with a royal permit. It ran aground on a reef off Belitung island, between Borneo and Sumatra, en route to India on Sept 9, 1806.
Captain Frazer Sinclair and his crew survived. The Mampango reef was only charted five years later.
Upstairs in Keppler’s storehouse, four archaeology students measure, photograph and describe every recovered coin and enter the results in a databank.
"Everything gets documented," Keppler says. Officials from various Indonesian ministries who must accompany every search trip make sure that no treasures are squirreled away.
The Indonesian state receives 50% of all revenues derived from the treasure hunts in its territory. While it is rumoured among treasure hunters that some officials are not adverse to cutting individual deals, the searchers also eye each other with mistrust.
"Eighty per cent are scoundrels and mountebanks," Keppler says.
Apart from the revenue, Indonesia’s interest is limited, as is obvious with the second wreck Keppler found in a depth of 50 metres off Java island, says Horst Liebner, an expert on Malay culture and history.
"The Karawang wreck is from the10th century," Liebner says. "In Germany, such a find would be a sensation, but in Indonesia, not a single archaeologist stopped by to have a look.
Liebner dated the wreck with the help of Chinese lead coins from the Ming dynasty, which fell in 947. Divers also recovered vases, ewers and plates. "It’s a time capsule," he enthuses.
So far, the treasure hunters have not become rich. The flotilla of salvage ships, equipment, divers and storage all needed to be financed in advance, long before any promising finds were on the horizon. Therefore, investors attracted by a sense of adventure are welcome.
But occasionally there is a wreck that fulfills the treasure hunter’s hopes. "We checked out about 70 wrecks here, but only five of them are probably worth it," Keppler says.
The money only starts coming in when a buyer is found. Keppler’s team is in negotiations with Chinese museums over the Karawang treasure, which he hopes will bring in €1.4 million (RM7 million dollars) with salvage costs amounting to €600,000. The Forbes might prove more profitable, netting €5 million to 10 million, with €400,000 in salvage costs.
"There are more than 30 million coin collectors worldwide," says Keppler. But in the end, he is in it for the search – his eyes already set on future wrecks to be discovered.
Source: TheSundaily.com
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I always wish one day I can make my treasure find using Google Maps. Just look at the open sea on the maps and wish that I can find that treasure. I want to know how it felt recovering kilograms of silver coins, cannon, gold jewellery, crystal, silverware , chinaware and other artifact treasure. Some says you need at least half a million Euro dollar to start a treasure expedition. Sometimes you don't gain anything from that expedition. Almost the same thing with my coin hunting trip. Sometimes I come back from my coin hunting trip empty handed. Do you always browsing the world with Google Maps? Don't forget to look at the open sea, who know one days this kind of treasure will be yours.
