For most of us, spending time in our backyard with a shovel typically results in a neatly manicured plant bed or space for a shiny new fence. Some people, however, believe that their home is the site of historical treasure, so take digging around in their backyard far more seriously. This home excavation doesn't usually lead to much, but, occasionally some strange and fascinating things are found. This list of the most jaw-dropping objects found buried in people's backyards might just have you digging a little deeper!
Two Kids Got Quite The Rush After Finding A Ferrari Buried In A Backyard
In February 1978, two lucky kids experienced the rush of their lives after digging up a Ferrari Dino 264 GTS in Los Angeles native Mike Spinelli's backyard! Remarkably, the car was still in great condition, even though it had been sat buried for years - a small hole above the rear taillight and some minor paintwork scuffs were the only real defect (and plenty of soil and dirt, presumably).
According to the Los Angeles Times, who had an exclusive scoop on the story, the car had been stolen a few years earlier and the detective working the case claimed that the kids had been given a tip-off as to its whereabouts.
A Farmer Found A Mammoth Bone Thought To Be 12,000 Years Old
In 2010, a Michigan farmer out to pick fruit and vegetables received the surprise of his life after stumbling upon a ginormous mammoth femur. Although he didn't know exactly what it was at first, James Bristol and his neighbor quickly realized that they might have happened upon something of significance so contacted the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology. After studying the relic, scientists attributed the bones to an adult male that likely lived between 11,700 and 15,000 years ago.
The paleontologists named the specimen the Bristle Mammoth in honor of the farmer, who kindly donated his find to the University of Michigan for further study.
An 8. 2LB Lump Of Gold Was Unearthed In California
In the land of the gold rush, a man armed only with a metal detector managed to unearth an astonishing 8.2-pound lump of gold in his backyard. The lucky Californian resident — who understandably wanted to remain anonymous — decided to sell his treasure and made a whopping $460,000 at auction. Geologists studying the find declared the chances of discovering more gold on the site at close to 100%.
We're not sure what the now-wealthy man is up to, but we'd imagine he's currently digging holes in his backyard. Or perhaps he sold his house for a fortune to someone with an appetite for treasure hunting?
A Regular Guy Dug Up An Entire 17th-Century Graveyard
In 2011, a regular guy called Vincent Marcello was beginning to dig a hole for his new outdoor swimming pool, when his shovel hit something pretty rock solid. It turns out this would be the discovery of a lifetime, as Marcello had just unwittingly unearthed an entire graveyard from the 17th-century. The cemetery also came complete with 12 caskets which included ancient human remains. Now if this isn't creepy we don't know what is!
Marcello was apparently aware that his property had some historical interest, although a pristine, centuries-old graveyard? Surely not even the biggest fan of Halloween would be expecting that.
World War II Rockets Were Found On The Grounds Of A Florida School
A Central Florida middle school was at the center of a big news story in 2008 after 400 pounds of World War II-era bombs and munitions were found buried on its grounds. It turns out that the area had been used by the Army as a bombing range in the 1940s, so it's no surprise that there's still evidence of this being discovered and there's likely other paraphernalia in the surrounding area.
The munitions found on the school grounds were safely detonated over the Thanksgiving weekend and the Army Corps of Engineers in Orlando then turned their attention to local residential areas that might also be hiding some nasty surprises.
A Stone From The Bronze Age Was Discovered In A Backyard
In 2001, a guy from England called Stephen Davis was curious to know what the standing stone he'd discovered in his backyard was. Luckily for Davis, his friend Clare happened to be a professional historian and she was keen to find out more about the origin of the stone. After some thorough research, Clare and her team established that it dated back to the Bronze Age, some 2,500 years ago!
This wasn't just any old rock either. The stone was part of a burial site, so further relics of interest could potentially have been scattered around Stephen's entire property.
A True Piece Of Treasure Was Unburied In Austria
In 2007, an Austrian man named Andreas accidentally dug up an ancient piece of jewelry dating back well over half a century. The jewelry was one of a few pieces found during the excavation, which included a few ornate rings and brooches. Described at the time as a "fairytale discovery", Andreas chose to remain anonymous to the public and is now the proud owner of some incredibly valuable artifacts.
It remains to be seen whether Andreas will keep the jewelry for his personal pleasure, sell it at auction or possibly donate it to a museum. Either way, it's truly the discovery of a lifetime!
A Utah Boy Stumbled Upon Ancient Human Remains
Some backyard discoveries can result in a real change of fortune, such as ancient precious metals and hidden riches. Others, such as this bizarre instance that occurred in Utah in 2014, can result in serious panic! When a young, unsuspecting boy noticed something strange near the pond of his parents' backyard, he had, as it turned out, stumbled upon human remains. These weren't just any old human remains, however.
Following testing from the State Medical Examiner, it turns out that these were the remains of a Native American who had lived in the Utah area thousands of years ago.
An Unusual Discovery Of A Cheetah In The Backyard
For most people who live in the UK, the only time they'd ever set eyes on a real live cheetah would be at the zoo. It was quite the shock, therefore, for a little boy from Cambridgeshire, England, to discover one sitting in his backyard. Upon seeing the big cat, 9-year-old Toby Taylor didn't panic and instead went quickly inside to warn his mom who immediately called the police.
It turns out that the cheetah had escaped from a local zoo and it was quickly captured by its keepers for a safe return. Phew!
Church Bells Dating Back Almost Half A Century Were Dug Up In The Czech Republic
In 2013, a Czech man was digging a hole in his backyard to install some pipes when his shovel hit an immovable object. The strange-looking metal objects were, it turns out, a pair of 400-year-old church bells that had been stolen from a nearby church a decade earlier. Why? The authorities had no idea since the theft had gone unreported, but they were happy to find them either way.
The bells were still in incredibly good condition, all things considered, so we hope that they've been reinstalled in the church and are ringing out once again.
Two Friends Unearthed A Mastodon Vertebra Thought To Be 13,000 Years Old
When two 11-year-old boys, Eric Stamatin and Andrew Gainariu, decided to build a dam, they probably assumed that they'd stumble upon the odd piece of trash if anything. It must have been quite the shock, then, when the Michigan-based friends saw what they assumed was an unusual rock poking up from the ground that turned out to be an enormous 13,000-year-old American mastodon bone. Talk about a shocking discovery!
John Zawiskie, a geologist at the Cranbrook Institute of Science identified the discovery as a neck bone of the elephant-like animal that became extinct 10,000 to 11,000 years ago.
A Lucky Illinois Man Happened Upon $150,000 In His Backyard
It's the typical backyard discovery dream scenario - you're digging around in your garden when all of a sudden you find a load of cash. Well, Wayne Sabai did exactly that. In 2011, the 51-year-old from Illinois was picking broccoli in his backyard when he noticed a black nylon bag sticking up from the ground. Inside the bag was $150,000, so Sabai the good Samaritan immediately called the cops.
It turns out that the bag belonged to Wayne's neighbor, who'd thrown the money away after convincing herself that it was cursed. A court ruled that the money be returned to her and that Sabai receive a portion as a reward for his honesty.
A House In Bosnia Was Pelted By A Shower Of Meteorites
The likelihood of discovering a meteorite in your backyard is slim to none, so it's all the more incredible that a man in Bosnia kept on finding space rocks in his garden - five, to be exact. This kept happening over a number of years and while it's unclear how or why this happened, clearly, Radivoje Lajic's property is something of a meteorite magnet!
Understandably unnerved, Lajic's explanation for these arrivals is alien activity: "I am obviously being targeted by extraterrestrials. I don't know what I have done to annoy them but there is no other explanation that makes sense."
British Man Unearths A 250-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Bone
In 1997, a retired British banker made an incredible discovery at his home in Suffolk, England, when builders working on a foundation trench for a wall dug up a limb bone from a pliosaur, that lived between 60 and 250 million years ago. However, John Lambert didn't do anything with the bone for no less than 16 years, and wasn't until 2013 that he decided to have it looked at.
It's probably lucky Lambert didn't meet the pliosaur alive. Richard Edmonds, a Jurassic Coast geologist said it had "eye sockets the size of watermelons" and "the strongest bite of any animal in the world."
A 14 Million-Year-Old Whale Fossil From The '70s
In 1978, American Gary Johnson noticed a large rock protruding from the dirt in his backyard. At first, Gary assumed it was an innocuous piece of standalone rock with no real significance, but took it to an expert nonetheless. The expert confirmed this and the rock lay dormant for years. However, 36 years later, Gary saw a story on the news about a whale fossil that had been unearthed near to where his 1978 discovery had taken place.
Taking no chances, Gary took his rock to a paleontologist who estimated that the fossil was likely from an extremely rare baleen whale and approximately 14 million years old.
Two Canadian Sisters Discovered A Mysterious Transparent Object
When two sisters from Kitchener, Canada stumbled upon a shiny, transparent object in their backyard, they were perplexed. The sisters had actually been digging for worms in the garden prior to a fishing trip when they found the rock and decided to seek advice from an expert. However, even after analysis, it remains unclear what the object is since it isn't a gem of any known kind.
The object remains a mystery to this day. Could it simply be a piece of manmade tat, or perhaps it has more mysterious unnatural origins? The story continues...
The Family Who Found An Entire Cold War Shelter
The Zwick family from Neenah, Wisconsin, were always aware of the metal hatch in their garden but assumed that it lead to nothing of interest. Eventually, in 2010, the family decided to prize the metal door open and to their astonishment found a fully-stocked, Cold War-era fallout shelter. Almost perfectly preserved, the contents of the shelter included candles, candy, a phone directory, and even a garden hose.
The 8-foot-by-10-foot chamber would have provided a safe space and all of the supplies needed for a family to survive for 2 weeks. Incredible!
An Unlucky Chinese Guy Unearthed A Giant Earthworm
While some backyard diggers discover treasure or fossils, others dig up... giant earthworms. This beast of a bug was unearthed by the unfortunate Li Zhiwei while he was hanging some clothes out to dry in the garden. At first, Zhiwei assumed it was some kind of snake (due to its size) but upon closer inspection realized it was, in fact, a massive worm that stretched almost 20 inches long.
Biologists took great interest in this discovery since worms of this size are extremely rare. The question is, what had it been eating? We shudder at the thought.
Lucky Couple Discover $10 Million In Gold Coins
In 2013, a couple from the Sierra Nevada in California, noticed something unusual poking out of the ground in their backyard. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was an old metal canister containing a handful of gold coins. Curious to see if there were any more they carried on digging, eventually unearthing 1,427 coins in total. Not convinced that their find was worth much, the couple decided to have the gold restored.
Experts revalued the coins at a total of $10 million. The couple couldn't believe their luck — not bad for a day's work in the garden!
A Loaded Hunting Rifle Found By The Garage
In 2014, a man from Calgary, Canada became unwittingly embroiled in a murky mystery after finding an item wrapped in a pillowcase and stuffed in a plastic bag, wedged between the garage and his fence, an area he didn't venture into very often. When he opened the bag, he found a cell phone and a loaded hunting rifle! The man unloaded the firearm and called the authorities.
Police sent a forensics team to inspect the weapon at the scene, with the assumption that it had been dumped after being used for a previous crime.
Scientists Stumbled Across A Moa Bird Claw
Moa birds were nine species of now-extinct flightless birds that used to inhabit New Zealand — similar in appearance to the kiwi, the country's national bird, but unrelated. It's believed they became extinct around the year 1500 and one theory claims they were killed off by the Māori people. During an expedition in the 20th century, scientists stumbled across an enormous Moa claw that had somehow been perfectly preserved for all that time.
Perhaps Moa birds were killed off due to their intimidating size, with the largest species standing as tall as 3 meters and weighing a hefty 250 kilograms.
French Builders Take Off With €900K Booty
In 2014, three builders working on a property in Normandy in the north of France stole a treasure trove worth a reported €900K. The tradesmen discovered the valuable stash hidden in glass jars when they were leveling the ground around the house prior to building an extension. The treasure had laid buried and forgotten since World War II and included 16 gold bars and 600 gold coins dating from between 1924 and 1927.
What's even crazier is that the owner had apparently joked to the builders that they should let him know if they dig up any treasure! He must have been absolutely fuming!
The Mysterious Longyou Caves In China
Something of a historical mystery, the Longyou Caves (also called the Xiaonanhai Stone Chambers) at Fenghuang Hill, on the Qu River in China's Zhejiang province, are a group of 24 artificial sandstone caverns. The caves were discovered by accident in 1992 when local farmers drained several ponds revealing 5 large manmade caverns and 19 smaller caves. Bizarrely, there are no historical records of why or how the caves were built, even following extensive modern-day research.
Although we don't know who was responsible for the caves, historians have been able to put an age on them — approximately 2000 years old.
A 65 Carat Emerald Was Unearthed in A North Carolina Pit
While out digging on his 200-acre farm in North Carolina, 53-year-old Terry Ledford dug up a green emerald so big it was compared to the crown jewels of Russian empress Catherine the Great. This wasn't a freak accident though, since the farm is a popular destination for treasure hunters. In fact, its owners charge visitors $3 a day to shovel for small samples of the special green stone.
Lucky Ledford said, "You feel like you've got to find something to survive but since we found this emerald, once we get it sold, there will be less stress."
A Man Dug Up A Cannonball From The Battle Of New Orleans
A New Orleans native had one heck of a shock when he accidentally stumbled upon a cannonball dating back to 1812 while digging a hole for a fish pond in his backyard. The cannonball was a relic from the famous Battle of New Orleans in 1815, when the United States Army, led by Major General Andrew Jackson defeated the British Army in an unexpected, glorious victory.
It's an impressive discovery given that a cannonball like this would have not been easy to dig up. These big balls of lead typically weighed between 30-40 pounds!
The Largest Known Ancient Obelisk Was Discovered In Egypt
The unfinished obelisk, as it's most commonly known, was discovered at the quarries of Aswan, a city located along the river Nile. The monument is the largest known ancient obelisk and was ordered to be built by Hatshepsut, possibly to complement what would later be known as the Lateran Obelisk. The unfinished obelisk is enormous — one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever built, in fact.
The project was abandoned by its creators after cracks began to appear in the granite as workers were carving it out of the bedrock, so it sits perfectly preserved where it was left.
An Underwater City Found In Japan
Kihachiro Aratake, a Japanese diver, happened upon something quite incredible when he discovered the underwater City of Yonaguni, just off the Yaeyama Islands to the far west of Japan. The city has continued to confound experts, who can't explain how it came to be since the rock from which it is carved was submerged some 10,000 years ago, way before the Egyptian pyramids had been built.
If primitive humans of this era were living in caves, as archaeologists suggest, how did this marvel of engineering come to be? This makes Yonaguni a puzzling mystery for experts who have studied the submerged city since its discovery.
The Mound Of The Dead Unearthed In Pakistan
Mohenjo-daro — or The Mound of the Dead — is an ancient city in modern-day Pakistan that was discovered by the Indian archaeologist R. D. Banerji in 1922. Banerji came across the ancient ruins on one of the islands in the Indus River. While undoubtedly an incredible find, The Mound of the Dead has continued to baffle experts since its discovery, for a multitude of reasons.
There are no clues as to how the city was destroyed and what became of its many inhabitants. Perhaps continued excavations will one day gives us these answers.
Israeli Divers Stumbled Upon The Largest Collection Of Medieval Coins Ever Found
Back in 2015, a group of amateur Israeli divers discovered the largest collection of medieval coins ever found in the country, dating back to the 11th century. The divers stumbled upon the incredible 6-kilogram haul near the port city of Caesarea and initially thought they'd found toy coins, but after inspection by marine archaeologists, it was clear that their discovery was something special.
It is thought that the coins came from a boat that sank on its way to deliver tax money to Egypt or from a merchant ship trading between Mediterranean coastal cities.
L'Anse Aux Meadows Uncovered In The Canadian Countryside
First excavated in the 1960s, L'Anse Aux Meadows is an archaeological site of a Norse settlement dating back some 1,000 years. The site is located at the very northern tip of Newfoundland island and provides yet more proof that the Vikings settled in North America long before Christopher Columbus set his sights on the New World. In fact, L'Anse Aux Meadows would have been established before Columbus was even born!
In a twist of irony, the village was actually discovered by the Norwegian husband-wife team of explorer Helge Ingstad and archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad. Perhaps it was their ancestors who had initially settled?
An American Man Found A 1940s Cash Register In His Garden
A man in the US was busy minding his own business and renovating his garden when he unearthed a beautifully preserved cash register from the 1940s as well as several car batteries. It's thought the batteries were being used to power the register during the Second World War, so it would be exciting to see what else might be buried in the surrounding area. More WWII paraphernalia, perhaps?
We're not sure whether there was still any cash in the register, but presumably, it would go for a decent price at auction at least if the register's new owner was keen to ring it through the till!
The Gate Of The Sun In Bolivia
A remarkable discovery, the Gate of the Sun is a monolith carved in the form of an arch or gateway at the site of Tiahuanaco by the Tiwanaku culture. The Tiwanaku was an Andean civilization of Bolivia who lived around 500-950 CE and it's believed that the gate was built for astronomical or astrological purposes, although this remains something of a mystery to this day.
You wouldn't want to be anywhere near the monument if it fell down. Carved from a single piece of stone, the gate's weight is estimated to be 10 tons!
A Hidden Network Of European Stone-Age Tunnels
An extensive network of tunnels spanning all the way across Europe from Scotland to Turkey was discovered by archaeologists, proving that stone-age communities were far more industrious than the primitive, hunter-gatherer reputation history has bestowed upon them. The tunnels are an incredible architectural feat and the fact that they've survived — and in such pristine condition — after 12,000 years shows that the original network must have been enormous.
It's unclear what the tunnels were used for, exactly, but historians reckon they provided protection from predators as well as a passage to travel, safe from bad weather and conflict.
These Mysterious Giant Stone Spheres In Costa Rica
In the 1930s, a group of workers clearing the jungle for a banana plantation on the Diquís Delta and Isla del Caño in Costa Rica stumbled upon over 300 mysterious stone spheres, smooth and perfectly round. Their origins and purpose remain unknown to this day, although local legend initially had it that the spheres were full of gold - which, unfortunately for the locals, turned out to be false.
The likelihood is that the stone spheres represent solar systems or the rising of the sun and the moon, although this remains an archaeological hypothesis to this day.
The Temple Complex of Sacsayhuaman In Peru
The ancient stonework temple complex at Sacsayhuaman, just outside the Peruvian city of Cusco is truly a marvel of human engineering. Constructed from enormous pieces of stone, highly-skilled workers carefully cut the boulders to fit them together tightly without using a drop of mortar. The stonework is so exceptional that it's impossible to pass even a piece of paper between the boulders and has understandably become a popular tourist destination.
Even though historians know it was built by the Inca in the 15h century, it still remains unclear exactly how they were able to construct this work of art.