You don’t have to be a collector to imagine the value of things that can be described as “the last on Earth” or “one of a kind.” Members of the r/UniqueArtifacts subreddit share photographs of just such artifacts - mostly these are ancient treasures found and studied by archaeologists, but sometimes there are more modern, but no less valuable things.
1. A real Jolly Roger pirate flag, one of only two that have survived to this day.
2. Fabricio Bridge is the last ancient bridge in Rome that has retained its original location and condition. It was last repaired in 23 BC.
3Lycurgus Cup: The Only Surviving Example of Ancient Glass That Changed Color
4. Goujian's sword was found in perfect condition and remains sharp after ~2500 years
5. The only surviving example of the handwriting of a Roman emperor, Theodosius II [in the upper right corner]
6. The only surviving example of the scutum, the iconic Roman shield
7. The only surviving example of a coat of arms from the helmet of a Roman centurion
8. One of three papyrus fragments with inscriptions in Phoenician
9. One of two coins depicting the otherwise unknown Roman usurper Silbannacus
10. Iron Man Buddha is the only statue carved from a meteorite
11. A bottle of ancient Roman wine from 325 AD.
12. "Barber's Cup" and "Crawford's Cup", the only two examples of ancient Roman fluorite vessels
13. Warriors of the “Terracotta Army” with original painting
14. One-of-a-kind silver spoon from the Julio-Claudian dynasty with rock crystal
15. Ancient Roman-Egyptian crocodile armor
16. The only surviving bronze lantern from Ancient Rome next to the reproduction. Archaeological Museum of Girolamo Rossi in Ventimiglia, Italy
17. The first surviving arrow-thrower arrow, discovered in Utrecht, the Netherlands
18. The only color photograph of the legendary “Amber Room”. St. Petersburg, 1917
19. The only scorpion fossil made entirely of copper
TC explains: “Fossils are often composed of unusual minerals due to a process known as pseudomorphic replacement. This process can also occur with natural metals such as copper, although examples of such amazing quality are extremely rare."
20. Augustan Virgil, one of two surviving ancient manuscripts painstakingly written in Roman square capitals
21. The only surviving example of a cestus, Roman boxing gloves
22. "Citizen of Emon", gilded bronze statue from the early 2nd century. The only time a monumental column was decorated with a statue of someone other than the emperor
23. Fragment of the manuscript "De Bellis Macedonicis", the earliest example of a real "book"
24. Tombstone of Marcus Caelius with the only known mention of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, during which 20,000 people died in an ambush
25. Photograph of a screw press used for ironing clothes, from the Bottega Del Lanarius or Lanarius' workshop in Herculaneum. The only surviving artifact
26. The statue of Misenum is the only surviving bronze image of the emperor, altered as a result of censure. Domitian's face was removed and replaced with Nerva's face
27. And finally, a modern artifact: the only known physical copy of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth for PS Vita