🎙️ [i]>Media Accuracy & Verification

TREASURE

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Media documenting a historic treasure search, with researchers gathered around a large map during a countryside expedition.✩ Media Guide ✩


█ A-Z // Fortunes Found 🔗 - [ i ]


Accuracy & Verification

This page is designed for journalists, researchers, and curious readers who want to understand how our treasure tales are sourced, how values are reported, and how to verify details quickly before publishing.

Why This Page Matters

WhatSellsBest.com curates mostly true treasure tales from around the world. Because we track developing stories, auction results, and news reports over many years, some information can change over time. This page explains:

  • How we gather and organize treasure tale history.
  • Why some stories or values may later be updated, corrected, or withdrawn.
  • How you can quickly verify details for your own reporting.

How We Gather Stories

Since 2008, we have been collecting and cataloging treasure-tale history by monitoring global media, major auction houses, marketplaces, and other reputable venues. Many of these sources handle high volumes of resale listings and have been operating for decades or, in some cases, centuries. Our Fortunes Found, Legend Lists, and treasure Tools pages highlight examples drawn from these external reports.

We focus on:

  • Unusual discoveries in everyday places (attics, barns, thrift shops, fields, and more).
  • Reported sale prices, estimates, and notable bidding events.
  • Items with strong public-interest or historical storytelling value.

What “Mostly True” Means

Our use of the phrase mostly true reflects both the strength and the limits of this kind of research:

  • Stories are based on contemporaneous reports from media outlets, auction houses, and venues at the time of publication.
  • Reported values may reflect estimates, hammer prices, or asking prices, which can differ from final realized amounts.
  • Over time, new information can emerge—items may be re-attributed, re-valued, withdrawn, or revealed to have been misidentified.
  • Because of the sheer volume of stories, we can typically verify only surface-level facts (such as source, date, venue, and reported value) rather than conducting a full investigation into each case.

In short: most stories are supported by reputable sources at the time we share them, but any individual detail may later be updated or corrected as the historical record evolves.

Developing Stories & Updates

We track treasure tales over time. When we become aware that a story has changed or been challenged—for example, a value was corrected, a claim disputed, or an item later re-examined—we may:

  • Add clarifying notes or an update date to the summary.
  • Link to follow-up coverage or official statements when available.
  • In rare cases, retire or de-emphasize a story that appears substantially inaccurate.

Because news cycles move quickly, some older entries may not yet reflect the latest information. We encourage readers and journalists to treat our archive as a starting point for deeper verification, not a final authority.

Quick Verification Tips for Journalists

To verify details efficiently before publishing, we recommend:

  1. Follow the original source link: Use the linked (🔗) article, auction catalog, or venue listing to confirm the basic facts, dates, and wording.
  2. Cross-check with primary records: For high-value items, look for official auction results, press releases, court documents, or institutional catalog entries.
  3. Confirm with reputable specialists: When possible, consult recognized experts, appraisers, or curators familiar with the item’s category.
  4. Check dates, currencies, and locations: Values may be reported in different currencies, and the same story can be retold with slightly different details over time.
  5. Note corrections in your own story: If you discover an error in an earlier report, consider acknowledging it in your coverage so readers understand how the record evolved.

How to Use & Cite Our Resources

Our map is intended to help you:

  • Locate credible starting points for treasure-related stories.
  • Understand how similar discoveries have been covered and valued.
  • Identify experts, venues, and tools that may support your own reporting.

When citing WhatSellsBest.com, many reporters use phrasing such as:

  • “According to treasure research site WhatSellsBest.com…”
  • “Compiled by WhatSellsBest.com, which tracks notable treasure discoveries worldwide…”

For specific guidance, please refer to our Attribution Guidelines and Media pages.

Important Disclaimers

  • Our content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not investment advice, legal advice, or professional appraisal.
  • Links to external news, tools, and lists are provided for convenience. Links are not endorsements, and we do not control external content.
  • We strongly encourage all readers to conduct their own research and to consult reputable specialists before making significant buying, selling, or treasure-hunting decisions.

If you are a journalist or researcher and spot an error, update, or missing context in one of our entries, we welcome your help. Please use our Contact page (written statements only) and include links or documentation so we can review and, where appropriate, update the record.