The reason the final dance in Dirty Dancing is unforgettable isn’t just Patrick Swayze’s iconic moves; it’s also because 10 songs transformed that moment, pairing the choreography with the perfect soundtrack. Across the decades, filmmakers and showrunners have nailed the musical match, turning ordinary scenes into unforgettable cultural touchstones. Below, we count down the ten most electrifying pairings of song and screen.

Warning: Potential spoilers ahead.

10 songs transformed: The Magic of Music in Film & TV

10 Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

The 100 wrapped up its seven‑season run on September 30, 2020, leaving a legion of fans heart‑broken after years of post‑apocalyptic drama. As the series finale sparked endless debate about its most resonant moments, one scene from part two of the season‑2 finale rose to the top of many discussions.

In that emotional beat, the survivors step into Camp Jaha while a specially‑recorded cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” swells in the background. Raign’s haunting rendition perfectly underscores the “coming home” vibe as Wick cradles Raven and Jasper finally retrieves his goggles, sealing a poignant reunion.

9 Oh Death

Even with the explosion of streaming options, Supernatural has remained a beloved staple, especially after its 2020 conclusion. The series is peppered with unforgettable moments—Dean’s pact with Death, the 300th‑episode family dinner, the meta “Fan Fiction” episode, and, of course, endless shots of the iconic Impala.

One of the most striking scenes arrives in the penultimate episode of season 5, where Death himself makes an entrance. A white Cadillac rolls down a Chicago street in slow motion while Jen Titus’s soulful cover of “Oh Death” plays, delivering a punch‑packed, minute‑and‑a‑half sequence that still lingers in fans’ minds.

8 Immigrant Song

“Tell me, brother, what were you the god of again?” The line sparks a surge of confidence in Thor after he’s been overpowered by Hela, the Goddess of Death, in Thor: Ragnarok. Loki’s sly grin hints at the impending showdown.

As the battle erupts, Thor, fully powered as the God of Thunder, charges forward with Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” blaring at full volume. Lightning crackles, his hammer strikes, and the whole arena erupts into an epic clash—an absolute powerhouse moment amplified by one of rock’s most legendary anthems.

7 The Sound of Silence

The 1967 classic The Graduate ends with a scene that still sparks debate: is it a triumphant runaway romance or something more unsettling? The climax begins with Ben’s desperate scream for Elaine, sparking a chaotic reaction from the wedding guests.

After a fierce struggle—Elaine’s slap, Ben brandishing a cross, and a frantic chase—the pair finally escape, hopping onto a bus to start a new life together. The camera lingers as the bus rolls away, the world seemingly open before them.

At that exact moment, Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” drifts in, underscoring the bittersweet shift in their expressions—from elation to a haunting, almost shell‑shocked realization. The song perfectly captures the layered emotions as the credits roll.

6 In Your Eyes

Glee attempted to recreate the iconic boombox moment from Say Anything, but it never quite captured the original’s raw feeling. In the film, Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) stands beneath Diane’s window, holding a boombox aloft while Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” serenades her.

The scene opens with Diane and Lloyd strolling hand‑in‑hand, sharing a tender embrace before she retreats inside. The narrative then intercuts with snapshots of their budding romance, all underscored by the same song, building toward the climactic boombox moment.

When Lloyd finally raises the boombox, the song becomes a personal anthem for the couple, echoing the intimacy they shared earlier. This heartfelt gesture has become a cultural touchstone, forever linked to the power of a single song to convey devotion.

5 The End Of The World

Riverdale may divide viewers, but its musical finale in season 6’s last episode stands out. As the town braces for Bailey’s Comet, the core cast delivers a haunting rendition of Billie Eilish’s “The End Of The World.”

The performance sees each character singing alongside loved ones, their voices intertwining as the comet looms. The climax arrives when Cheryl Blossom summons her Phoenix power, attempting to melt the celestial threat.

The seamless blend of acting and music creates a powerful, unforgettable moment, setting the stage for a fresh storyline while delivering a rare, emotionally resonant pause in the series’ usual chaos.

4 Tiny Dancer

Elton John’s catalog is a treasure trove of cinematic moments, and “Tiny Dancer” shines brightest in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous. The story follows a teenage writer on tour with a fictional rock band, Stillwater, navigating the highs and lows of 1970s rock culture.

In one of the film’s most beloved scenes, the band’s members sit in tense silence on a tour bus after a heated argument. The first few bars of “Tiny Dancer” break the awkwardness, and soon everyone is singing along, turning tension into a shared, joyous chorus.

This spontaneous sing‑along has become legendary, illustrating how a well‑chosen song can dissolve conflict and unite characters—and audiences—around a common emotional thread.

3 Lost Without You

Grey’s Anatomy isn’t shy about tackling heavy topics, and season 15’s “Silent All These Years” episode dives deep into survivor trauma. After Abby’s harrowing sexual assault, the episode follows her journey toward healing.

One of the most moving sequences features Freya Ridings’ “Lost Without You” echoing through the operating room as Abby undergoes surgery. A line of female staff—doctors, nurses, and support staff—flank the hallway, offering solidarity and strength, helping Abby confront her flashbacks.

The scene’s authenticity shines through when, during the table read, every woman in the room—actors and crew alike—volunteered to be part of the moment, even forfeiting a day’s pay to stand with Abby on screen.

2 Master Of Puppets

The fourth season of Stranger Things returned in 2022 with a tidal wave of musical moments, most famously Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” Yet another unforgettable sequence pits Eddie Munson against a horde of demobats.

As the night sky crackles with red lightning, Eddie shreds a ferocious Metallica rendition of “Master of Puppets,” buying his friends precious seconds. The raw energy of the solo fuels his desperate defense, culminating in his heroic sacrifice to protect the group.

Much like the surprise “Neverending Story” interlude in season 3, this metal‑charged moment cements the season’s soundtrack as a cultural staple, replayed by fans long after the credits roll.

1 Always Remember Us This Way

The 2018 remake of A Star Is Born dazzled audiences with Lady Gaga’s powerhouse vocals and Bradley Cooper’s raw performance. While “Shallow” stole the headlines, several other musical highlights deserve applause.

One standout occurs when Jack (Cooper) nudges Ally (Gaga) onto a small stage, encouraging her to belt out an original ballad for a live audience. The song, “Always Remember Us This Way,” weaves tender lyrics with soaring emotion, capturing a moment of pure artistic communion.

“That Arizona sky burnin’ in your eyes
You look at me, and, babe, I wanna catch on fire
It’s buried in my soul like California gold
You found the light in me that I couldn’t find.”

The scene blends heartfelt acting with a soaring performance, mirroring the audience’s own reaction—tears, applause, and an unforgettable connection that lingers long after the final note fades.

10 post apocalyptic sites pepper the landscape of almost every city on Earth—crumbling concrete giants, abandoned factories, and whole islands that once thrummed with the hopes of generations, now left to the mercy of time and tide. These forgotten structures often sit like silhouettes against a fading sunset, echoing the stories of the people who built, lived in, and eventually abandoned them.

10 Post Apocalyptic Wonders Await

10 Kolmanskop

The saga of Kolmanskop starts, as many African dramas do, with a glittering stone. In 1908, a group of German pioneers attempted to lay a railway across Namibia’s stark desert to link the coast with Keetmanshoop. One laborer, Zacharius Lewala, stumbled upon a rough diamond buried in the dunes and presented it to his foreman. Word of the find ignited a feverish rush, and hundreds of prospectors streamed into the desert, chasing the promise of riches.

While surface diamonds are a rarity, legend has it that at night the sands of Kolmanskop glittered like a celestial carpet, allowing travelers to pluck stones by moonlight. A makeshift town sprouted amid the wind‑swept dunes, swelling to over 1,200 residents at its peak. Yet after World War I, diamond prices fell and richer veins were discovered further south, prompting a swift decline. Families packed their belongings, abandoned their homes, and vanished into the arid horizon.

Less than half a century after Lewala’s lucky find, Kolmanskop lay silent. Wooden structures in the desert resist rot, but the relentless sand began to creep through open windows and doors, as the Namibian desert reclaimed its domain. Today, the ghost town draws tourists who wander through ballrooms, theatres, and hospitals, each room half‑filled with dunes that have accumulated over decades, turning the abandoned settlement into a surreal, sand‑laden museum.

9 Teufelsberg Listening Post

An artificial dome perched on a man‑made mound, this abandoned Cold War radar station outside Berlin rises from the forest like a strange, metallic beacon. Constructed in 1963, the facility served the U.S. National Security Agency, allegedly intercepting military and diplomatic chatter during the tense years of East‑West rivalry. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1991, the post was gutted and left to the elements, its purpose fading into history.

Even more intriguing than the station itself is the story of the hill it crowns. Teufelsberg, meaning “Devil’s Mountain,” is the highest point in Berlin, but it is not a natural formation. After World War II, the city’s rubble—bomb‑shattered concrete and brick—was heaped over the ruins of a Nazi military college, creating a massive artificial elevation that now hides the listening post.

Since the early 1990s, the complex has passed through many hands, each owner dreaming of converting the bulbous radomes into a hotel, museum, or art space. All such plans have fizzled, leaving the structures to stand as weather‑worn gravestones of a bygone era. Though officially off‑limits, daring trespassers report that the view of Berlin from the summit is nothing short of spectacular.

8 Boston’s Long Island

Boston’s Long Island refuses to be a thriving community. Not to be confused with its New York namesake, this 2.8‑kilometre stretch in Boston Harbor has endured a series of failed ventures since its first settlement in the 1600s. Its craggy shores and overgrown hills shelter a derelict military fort, vacant hospitals, mysterious graves, and a laundry list of alleged government secrets.

The island’s violent chapter began in 1675 when English colonists shipped hundreds of Native Americans to the harbor islands, abandoning them on barren rock during a brutal winter. Most perished from starvation. Decades later, during World War II, the U.S. government allegedly smuggled Nazi scientists onto the island as part of Operation Paperclip, a claim that fuels speculation that the site inspired Dennis Lehane’s novel Shutter Island.

More recently, the island housed a shelter for Boston’s homeless population, but the facility was abruptly shut down in 2014. Mayor Martin J. Walsh ordered the Long Island Bridge closed, evacuating residents to the mainland and leaving rows of empty hospital bunks behind. The island now sits once again as a ghost town, its structures echoing with the whispers of past occupants.

7 Paris’s Hidden Railroad

In 1841, Paris was still mastering the concept of rail travel. The city had just completed an enormous fortification ring, and the military needed efficient routes to move troops and supplies to the outer bastions. Short on cash, the government turned to private firms to finance the new lines, which soon radiated outward like spokes on a wheel.

The result was chaotic. Each line was owned by a different company, and none of them interconnected. Passengers from the outskirts were forced to travel into the city centre just to catch a different train that would take them back out to another peripheral point—often a short distance from where they started. To solve this mess, Paris built the Petite Ceinture, literally “little belt,” a circular railway just inside the fortified perimeter that linked the disparate lines.

The Petite Ceinture thrived for nearly a century, becoming a major artery of the city. By the early 20th century, however, traffic dwindled, and the line was effectively abandoned by 1934. In the decades since, nature has reclaimed the tracks: moss, ivy, and wildflowers drape tunnels, bridges, and stone arches. Few Parisians even know the hidden 32‑kilometre loop exists, making it a secret green ribbon winding through the heart of modern Paris.

6 Holland Island

At one time, roughly 400 souls called Holland Island home, eking out a living from the Chesapeake Bay’s abundant waters. Generations of fishermen and their families built a modest community, but the sea eventually turned from benefactor to adversary.

The island, once a solid five‑mile strip of land, began to shrink as relentless erosion gnawed at its silt‑and‑clay banks. Unlike rocky outcrops, Holland Island’s soft composition made it vulnerable to wind and wave action, and by 1922 the last residents abandoned their homes and churches, leaving behind silent testimonies of a vanished way of life. Over time, even those structures slipped beneath the waves.

One lone house, however, stubbornly clung to existence. For fifteen years, a retired minister devoted himself to preserving the two‑story Victorian, shoring it with timber, stone, and sandbags in a desperate bid to hold back the sea. Despite his dedication, the house finally succumbed in 2010, collapsing under the relentless pressure of water and time.

5 Russia’s Tesla Towers

Reliable sources on these enigmatic structures are scarce. Nestled deep within a Russian forest, the installations have earned the nickname “Russian Tesla towers.” In reality, they are massive Marx generators—devices that transform low‑voltage direct current into powerful high‑voltage pulses, akin to miniature lightning bolts used in industrial testing.

Constructed in the 1970s by the Soviet Union, the complex was designed to test aircraft insulation. When the Iron Curtain fell in the early 1990s, the world caught a glimpse of the hidden facility, and it has periodically resurfaced in the public eye. Though not permanently abandoned, the site has been intermittently reactivated by private research firms for short‑term experiments.

4 California’s Glass Beach

Just outside Fort Bragg, California, lies a secluded shore awash with a rainbow of colors—emerald, ruby, turquoise, and amber—but these are not gemstones. They are polished shards of glass, the legacy of a century‑long practice of dumping waste directly into the Pacific Ocean.

From roughly 1906 onward, coastal towns, including Fort Bragg, routinely tossed garbage into the sea. Paper disintegrated, plastics drifted away, but glass survived, enduring the ocean’s abrasive forces. By 1967, Fort Bragg banned ocean dumping, yet the glass already deposited on the beach had begun a slow metamorphosis. Waves and sand rounded the sharp edges, turning shards into smooth, iridescent pebbles that now glitter along the shoreline.

Among the sea glass, certain pieces stand out as historic artifacts. After World War II, automobile manufacturers switched from glass to plastic for taillights, making the occasional ruby‑hued glass pebble a collector’s treasure. Today, Glass Beach is part of MacKerricher State Park, and removing the glass is prohibited, preserving the shimmering legacy for future visitors.

3 Angola’s Ghost City

Just a few miles outside Angola’s capital, Luanda, a modern high‑rise ghost town sprawls across a barren plain. Nova Cidade de Kilamba—commonly shortened to Kilamba—comprises 2,800 apartments spread over 750 towering blocks, complete with schools, shops, and other urban amenities, all built to house half a million residents.

The entire enclave was financed by a Chinese construction giant and erected in under three years, transforming raw scrubland into a gleaming cityscape at breakneck speed. Yet the anticipated influx of inhabitants never materialized. Today, the complex is largely empty, populated only by a handful of off‑site Chinese workers and the occasional wandering animal.

According to the BBC, Angola’s stark socioeconomic divide—where a tiny elite sits atop a massive impoverished majority—means there is essentially no market for $200,000 apartments. As a result, the sprawling development stands as a stark illustration of over‑ambitious urban planning gone awry.

2 The Maunsell Forts

Like metallic beasts risen from the murky depths, the Maunsell Forts still guard the mouth of the Thames. Though no longer serving their original defensive purpose, they remain silent testaments to a turbulent era.

When the threat of German air raids loomed over Britain during World War II, the Ministry of Defence commissioned a series of sea forts to shield the nation’s airspace. Four naval forts and six army anti‑aircraft forts were erected; three of the latter were placed in the Mersey River, and three anchored in the Thames estuary. Of the Thames trio, only Red Sands Fort and Shivering Sands Fort survive today.

Decommissioned after the war and stripped of their guns, the forts fell into dereliction. One of the naval forts later became the self‑declared Principality of Sealand, a micronation claimed by a lone Englishman. The remaining structures now stand as eerie, rust‑covered relics, their concrete platforms jutting out of the water like forgotten sentinels.

1 The SS Ayrfield

If you glide past the mangroves of Homebush Bay in Sydney, Australia, and look toward the northwest, you’ll encounter a striking sight: the rusted hull of the SS Ayrfield, a century‑old steamer now crowned with its own isolated forest of vegetation sprouting from the decks, resembling a post‑apocalyptic chia pet.

Launched in 1911, the Ayrfield began life as a collier, ferrying coal from the mainland to coal‑powered vessels stationed offshore. During World War II, the Australian Commonwealth requisitioned the ship, repurposing it as a cargo carrier to supply Allied forces across the Pacific. After the war, it returned to civilian service under the Miller Steamship Company until its retirement in 1972, when it was towed to its final resting place in Homebush Bay.

Homebush Bay itself has a notorious history as a dumping ground for industrial waste, including DDT, heavy metals, and dioxin, turning the once‑vibrant fishing area into a polluted nightmare. Recent remediation efforts have cleared much of the contamination, but a handful of rusted vessels, including the Ayrfield, still pierce the water’s surface, serving as poetic reminders that even in decay, beauty can arise.

Eli Nixon is the author of Son of Tesla, a sci‑fi novel exploring love, friendship, and Nikola Tesla’s army of cyber‑clones. He also maintains an active presence on Twitter.

Everybody has fantasized about hitting the jackpot at some point in their life. Whether you scour the ocean floor looking for sunken treasure, love sports betting or casinos, or even just play the lottery, everybody harbors a small flicker of hope that one day they can win big and change their lives for the better.

For most people, this payday and level of wealth will always remain an unattainable dream that few people are willing to invest time or money into achieving. But for the incredibly lucky few, great fortunes are still out there, just waiting to be discovered.

With that in mind, here are 10 examples of ordinary people who made astonishing discoveries that made them millions of dollars overnight.

Related: 10 Inspirational Rags-To-Riches Stories

10 Hand of Faith Gold Nugget, Australia: $1 Million

In the fall of 1980, Kevin Hillier and his family were traveling up and down the Australian coast in a van searching for work opportunities. Hillier had been making ends meet by doing odd jobs. However, after suffering a back injury, doctors had told him to cut back on the physical labor but to go walking to aid his recovery, which directly led to his interest in metal detecting.

Hillier’s wife often prayed they would discover their fortune through their newfound hobby, and Hillier once dreamed that he found a gold nugget that couldn’t be removed from the soil. But the family continued to struggle until one day in September 1980 when, outside his small hometown of Wedderburn, Victoria, Hiller’s dream became an unbelievable reality.

While out walking with his metal detector, Hillier really did discover a gold nugget that couldn’t (initially) be pulled from the ground. After many hours of careful digging, he managed to extract a gold nugget that weighed about 27.6kg (61 lbs.) which he sold in February 1981 to the Gold Nugget Casino in Las Vegas for over $1 million, where it remains the largest gold nugget on display anywhere in the world.^[1]

9 Heade’s “Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth,” Indiana: $1.25 Million

In January of 1999, an unnamed man was playing a board game about fine art titled Masterpiece when he recognized a picture that was painted in a similar style to a painting he had bought to cover a hole in the wall of his Indiana home. Intrigued, he searched the internet until he came across information from the Kennedy Galleries in New York regarding the work of an American artist named Martin Johnson Heade.

After sending some pictures and a description of the painting in his home to experts at the gallery, the owner was shocked to learn that his acquisition was actually a lost work by Heade. The piece was still in its original frame, and it was in remarkable condition, considering it was painted in the 1890s.

Heade’s “Magnolias On Gold Velvet Cloth”—as the painting was titled—was eventually purchased by the Houston Museum of Fine Arts for more than $1 million after the board of trustees managed to raise the funds in a meeting that lasted less than 90 minutes.^[2]

But don’t be discouraged, reportedly, there are many more lost or forgotten—and valuable—paintings just waiting to be found at your neighborhood thrift store, flea market, or rummage sale.

8 Declaration Of Independence, Pennsylvania: $2.42 Million

The Declaration of Independence is considered by many Americans to be the most important document in the nation’s history. After the original was created, 200 “first edition” copies were made by John Dunlap ‘ were made so the message of the Declaration could be carried across the nation. Of the 26 copies known to survive, only three of them are currently in the hands of private collectors.

One such copy was discovered behind a painting that a collector only bought because he liked the frame. Upon disassembling the frame, the unidentified owner found an “unspeakably fresh” first edition copy of the Declaration Of Independence folded up behind the picture.

An excited friend encouraged the owner to contact Sotheby’s to get it appraised and eventually it sold for $2.42 million at auction in 1991, with the price reflecting the unique nature of this discovery and the remarkable condition it was in. That same copy was auctioned by the 1991 auction wiiner again in 2000, bringing in $8 million.^[3]

7 Hoxne Hoard, UK: $2.5 Million

In November 1992, a farmer was working his fields in Suffolk, England, when he realized that he had lost his hammer. Knowing it could take years to search for it alone and not willing to give it up as lost and buy a new one, he asked his friend Eric Lawes to bring his metal detector over and attempt to locate his missing tool.

Not long into the search, Eric picked up a signal, so he began digging in the soil where his reading was strongest. It quickly became apparent that he had not found the hammer but had instead stumbled across something much more exciting. After digging up a few shovels full of gold and silver coins, Eric quickly contacted police and local archeologists to inform them of his discovery. The very next day, a team of experts excavated the entire chunk of earth containing the coins so that they could be examined and extracted under laboratory conditions. It was only when the experts began the lab work that they realized the significance of Eric’s discovery.

Overall, Eric had found about 27 kilograms (60 pounds) of gold and silver objects, including over 15,000 coins that dated from the Roman occupation of Great Britain. Mr. Lawes received over $2.5 million from the British government as compensation for his remarkable discovery, which he split evenly with the landowner, who eventually found the hammer which had sparked the initial search.^[4]

6 The Royal One, Black Opal, Australia: $3 Million

In 1999, a man known only as Bobby decided to sell all of his equipment and retire from an opal mining career that had lasted more than 20 years. Bobby lived in Lightning Ridge, a small mining community in New South Wales, Australia, and he found the stone in the very last bucket that had been mined.

Bobby worked carefully for months to reveal the beautiful opal, which he eventually named the Royal One. For reasons known only to him, Bobby inexplicably kept it under his bed (or in a kangaroo skin pouch around his neck) for more than 14 years despite having the expertise to know just how potentially valuable it was.

Eventually it was auctioned off in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2013, and the Royal One—a 306-carat high quality black opal—netted Bobby over $3 million.^[5]

5 Tanzanite Stones, Tanzania: $3.4 Million

Tanzanite is an incredibly rare mineral that can only be found in one place on earth, the African nation of Tanzania, from which the gem gets its name. The rarity of tanzanite makes it extremely valuable, and mining this gem provides a valuable source of income for many budding entrepreneurs and treasure hunters in the country.

Out of all the people who spend their lives searching for tanzanite, Saniniu Laizer must be considered the luckiest. In June 2020, his mining operation in Tanzania recovered the two largest examples of the mineral ever recorded, weighing 9.3 kilograms (20 pounds) and 5.1 kilograms (11 pounds), which he sold to the Tanzanian government for more than $3.4 million.

Amazingly, Laizer wasn’t ready to retire with his new fortune. Just two months later, in August 2020, reports suggest that he found another huge piece of Tanzanite weighing 5.3 kilograms (14 pounds), worth an estimated $2 million.

Laizer has 30 children to care for, but he still promises to build a school and a medical center with his newfound wealth in an attempt to help all the people who live in his impoverished community.^[6]

4 Crosby Garrett Roman Helmet, Cumbria UK: $3.6 Million

In the UK, important archeological finds must be reported to the relevant authorities upon discovery. Certain valuable metals such as gold and silver are not permitted for private sale, so just like the previously mentioned Hoxne Hoard, a “finder’s fee” is paid to anyone who discovers and reports valuable historical artifacts. The finds are then acquired by local museums, where they can be studied and viewed by the public.

The next item, however, wasn’t covered by these laws as it was made from bronze, which is only considered treasure if it is part of a hoard. Since this object was discovered on its own, it could be sold privately, which was great news for the pockets of the unnamed person who found it!

The artifact in question is a bronze, ceremonial Roman cavalry helmet in unbelievable condition for its age. It was discovered by an amateur metal detectorist on a Cumbrian farm in the UK in May 2010. It’s one of only three Roman helmets to be found in Britain with a complete facemask. Because of its rarity and the fact it could be purchased by anybody, the helmet eventually sold for $3.6 million, which was paid by a private collector at an auction in October 2010.^[7]

3 Staffordshire Hoard, UK: $4.3 Million

An amateur metal detectorist named Terry was searching a field in Lichfield, England, in July 2009 when he came across an area with a uniquely strong signal. Almost immediately after breaking the surface of the ground, the man knew he had discovered something special as he started to uncover an astonishing stash of gold, weapons, and ornaments that had lain undisturbed beneath the surface for over 1,300 years.

What has become known as “The Staffordshire Hoard” was essentially a “war hoard” dating from 600–650, which was an especially turbulent period of England’s history. Experts believe that the items were captured in battle by armies from the kingdom of Mercia, which was at war with the neighboring regions of Northumbria and East Anglia at the time. Although, how it came to be buried in a field far from any known buildings or roads, we will probably never know.

The hoard was purchased by the Birmingham Museum for more than $4.3 million and is still available for the public to view. The money was split evenly between metal detectorist Terry Herbert and landowner Fred Johnson.^[8]

2 “Christ Mocked” By Cimabue, France: $26.8 Million

This story is remarkably similar to that of Heade’s “Magnolias on Golden Gold Velvet Cloth,” which originally covered a hole in a wall. However, this painting, “Christ Mocked” by Cimabue, hung over a stovetop in a French farmhouse for decades. Thought to be a Russian religious relic, the paint was darkened by the stove’s heat, and the whole thing was covered in dirt and grease. This tiny masterpiece was eventually discovered in September 2019 by an auctioneer categorizing the belongings of the elderly owner who was moving out of the old house and into a retirement home.

Upon closer inspection and after some cleaning, it was realized that this was one of only 11 known paintings created by the Italian artist Cimabue. The painting was put up for auction. It was purchased by two U.S.-based collectors who specialized in Italian Renaissance art, but the French government imposed a 30-month ban on the export of the painting with the hope that it could quickly raise enough money to buy it so that the painting could remain in France and eventually be displayed in the Louvre.^[9]

1 The Third Imperial Easter Egg by Fabergé, USA: Roughly $33 Million

The Russian Revolution is famous for many things: the eventual rise of communism, the demise of the Romanov royal family (the last monarchs in Russian history), and the confiscation and eventual sale of numerous golden bejeweled eggs created by the master artist, Peter Carl Fabergé, by the incoming regime.

Fabergé eggs not only hold remarkable value because of the cost of materials used in their creation and their fabulous designs but also because they are the last remaining relics of a royal family and a way of life that no longer exists in Russia today.

You would think that with their incredible notoriety, Fabergé eggs would be quite easy to identify and locate, but due to the secretive nature of Stalin’s sales of the eggs to private buyers in Western countries, eight of the Imperial eggs created for members of the Russian royal family are still missing today.

So when a man from the midwest happened across the Third Imperial Easter Egg at a jumble sale, the intention behind him spending $14,000 on acquiring this unique piece of art was not based on knowledge of art or Russian history, but from a desire to melt it down and profit from the raw materials that the egg consisted of. Upon appraisal, however, the unnamed man realized that he had paid more than the egg’s gold and jewels were worth, and he was worried that he had made a colossal error that would cost him a lot of money.

In desperation, the man searched the words “egg” and “Vacheron Constantin” (the words engraved around the clock) into Google and stumbled across an article in a British newspaper.

To the scrap metal dealer’s astonishment, the egg he thought would lose him money was actually worth something in the region of $33 million, and in 2014, the egg was purchased by a private collector for an unknown price.^[10]