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"The Treasury of Croesus" is a 1995 Uncle Scrooge comic story by Don Rosa. The story was first published in the Danish Anders And & Co. #1995-04; the first American publication was serialized in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #601-603, in February-June 1996.

We start with Scrooge McDuck and his nephews, Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie thwarting Magica De Spell's "Most bizarre and complex" scheme to steal Scrooge's #1 Dime. Scrooge reminds us of her motives to gain the Midas Touch by using the first coin of the history's richest man. Donald grumbles that neither she nor Scrooge will ever be happy until they are as rich as Croesus, but Scrooge insists that he's richer. But since Croesus lived so long ago, who knows? As it happens, the Duckburg Museum is holding an exposition on Croesus, so the Duck family decide to pay a visit.

At the exposition, The Ducks meet Professor Owotta Pigayam, and he shows off a pillar section that was once part of the Temple of Artemis. Croesus, king of the nation of Lydia, had the temple built to impress the Greeks, but in 463 AD, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire had the Temple dismantled and hauled away in pieces. There are Greek letters chiseled on the column, but no one has been able to translate the ancient Lydian. Naturally, the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook can, and it apparently says, "I, Croesus, richest of men, dedicate this temple of Artemis, Goddess of the moon. This temple serves as only half of my offering to the Gods! I also offer the Olympians the contents of my royal treasury located at continued on next column" Scrooge immediately demands to see the next column, but the museum only has that one. The rest of the Temple's columns were scattered across Europe by Emperor Leo the Great as gifts of conquest. And since there's no way to tell which column was next in the colonnade, there's only one thing for Scrooge to do; find them all!

Over the passing weeks, Scrooge's agents locate pieces of the Temple all over the world, which the Duck buys or rents for his use. Once they've all been gathered, the Ducks go the site of ancient Ephesus, where the column bases were, and rebuild the Temple of Artemis as it originally was. Close behind is Professor Pigayam, spying on the Ducks' work. While Huey, Dewey, and Louie translate the Greek Lydian at the top (Croesus had intended his message for the Gods, after all), Donald notices Pigayam and brings him to Scrooge. Pigayam accuses Scrooge of having no right to his endeavor, Scrooge reveals that he's been after Croesus' treasure for a long time, and has a special permit with "Unlimited duration" given by Sultan Abdul Hamid fifty years ago. As the two argue, Scrooge unwittingly removes the jack holding up one of the columns, causing the entire thing to collapse. Thankfully, Huey, Dewey and Louie are able to avoid serious harm and managed to translate the inscription. Unfortunately, it was just a list of praises for Zeus. But, on the capital of the colemn where the inscription ended, ancient coins spill out, made of electrum, the material Croesus used to make the world's first currency. On the coins are the letters Zeta, omicron, and the ancient form of Pi, and underneath is "Tmolus", the mountain where Croesus found his gold. Is that where the treasury is?

The Ducks make tracks to Mt Tmolus, now called Boz Dag. On their way, they find the river Pactolus, where Croesus found his gold, just as Scrooge found his own gold in the White Agony creek. Incidentally, it is said that King Midas bathed in the river to be rid of his golden touch, the same power Magica covets. At the top of the mountain, they find a massive Tumulus, a massive pile of rubble. Scrooge sends his nephews to hire dig workers, but really just wanted them out of the way so he can blow up the Tumulus with dynamite before Pigayam shows up.

And shows up Pigayam does, with an army! As it turns out, Pigayam is the secretary for the Turkish Government's department of antiqueties. He feels that the treasury of Croesus belongs to people of Turkey, especially after another foreigner, Heinrich Schliemann, took the treasure of Troy for himself. Scrooge insists that his permit is valid, but Pigayam has a legal order to revoke said permit. As Pigayam moves to serve the order, Scrooge detonates his dynamite.

The explosion reveals what was under the tumulus- an ancient money bin! And inside is a massive swimming pool of ancient coins. And at the bottom is a sealed vault supposedly containing Croesus' greatest treasure. Before the vault is opened, Pigayam approaches Scrooge with a bargain. The Turkish Government will sue for ownership of the Treasury, but the legal matter could take decades to settle. So, Pigayam offers to grant Scrooge uncontested ownership of the greatest treasure of Croesus if he withdraws his claim on the rest of Treasury. Scrooge's impatience wins over his greed, and he agrees. The vault is opened.

Inside is an empty room, with a single coin on a pillar. Turns out Croesus' "Greatest Treasure" is the first coin he literally made. As Scrooge has an epic meltdown, attention is drawn to an ancient mural; The reason Croesus hid his coins is because the witch Circe wanted to use them to gain the Midas Touch. At this, Scrooge has an idea...

At Mt. Vesuvius, Magica De Spell makes her Midas Touch Amulet from Croesus' first coin. When it doesn't work (On Donald, no less!), she accuses Scrooge of giving her a fake. But Scrooge insists the coin was real. He wanted the spell to work, because it would mean Magica would leave him and his Number One Dime alone. But since it didn't, it proves that he, Scrooge McDuck is the richest man in history and not Croesus. Donald finally loses it and tears into Scrooge and Magica for their greed, asserting that they'll never be happy no matter how much money they make because they will always keep wanting more. This act is applauded by Huey, Dewey, and Louie, who declare that if Scrooge is the modern Croesus, and if Magica is Circe, then Donald must represent Solon, the wisest man in Ancient Greece. He too once told Croesus that wealth alone can never bring happiness. Mollified, Donald sets off with a happy song, leaving Scrooge and Magica angry and confused.


This story shows examples of

  • Aesop: Money alone can't make you happy.
  • Artistic License – History: It's a bit of a misnomer to say that Croesus invented money - he invented standardized money, as coinage of precious metals have existed basically as long as civilization itself has. The story also shows Croesus money bin being filled with coins made from Electrum, a naturally occuring blend of silver and gold, while in real life the coins minted during Croesus's reign were all made from gold, specifically because it was too hard to determine the exact composition, and thus the value, of Electrum. It was Croesus's father Alyattes who mined and used electrum to make coins.
  • As You Know: Scrooge reminds his nephews and us why Magica wants his Dime.
  • Comically Missing the Point: When Scrooge talks about the ancient land of Lydia, Donald says that he saw something on TV about Lydia the other night... and starts singing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" from the Marx Brothers movie At The Circus.
  • Disaster Dominoes: After Scrooge unbalances a single pillar of the rebuilt Temple of Artemis.
  • Ear Worm: "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" apparently, since Donald hums it throughout the story.
  • Every Man Has His Price: Scrooge literally forks over cash to get the pillars.
  • Insult Friendly Fire: The vault where Croesus' greatest treasure is opened, and revealed to be a single coin — the first one that Croesus, the inventor of money, literally made. When Prof. Pigayam innocently comments on how egotistical Croesus must have been for putting so much reverence on a single nondescript coin, Scrooge, who holds his own Number One Dime to a similar standard, growls at him to shut up.
  • Kick the Dog: Magica decides to give Donald a Deadly Handshake after she has created the amulet from Croesus' first coin. Fortunately, the Midas Touch doesn't work, proving that Midas wasn't the wealthiest man ever. Donald faints when he realizes what just happened.
  • Lampshade Hanging: Donald comments at one point how weird it is that Scrooge and Croesus have many parallels.
  • MacGuffin Delivery Service: Pigayam does this. And it actually works, in a way.
  • Midas Touch: According to myth, the gold that Croesus made his fortune with originated from King Midas bathing in the river Pactolus to rid himself of his golden touch.
  • Merit Badges for Everything: Why yes, the Junior Woodchucks do have a badge for speed reading ancient Lydian.
  • Noodle Incident: Magica's "most bizarre and complex" scheme shown at the beginning of the story, which ended with Donald being pied, Magica wearing a viking helmet, and one of the triplets swallowing a foof bomb.
  • Pooled Funds: Croesus, much like Scrooge, had enough coins to fill a money bin. Scrooge was about to dive in before his nephews directed him towards the "Greatest Treasure."
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: At the end, Donald launches into an angry tirade at Scrooge and Magica where he chews them out for constantly and needlessly complicating their own and others' lives for the sake of their obsession with material wealth.
  • The Rich Want to Be Richer: The basis of Donald's rant toward Scrooge and Magica. No amount of money will ever make them happy because they'll always find new ways to complicate their lives with their greed.
    "I've had a bellyful of both of you eternal fools! Year in and year out, you bring grief to yourselves! All for the sake of getting rich, staying rich, or getting richer still! You'll never be happy, because you'll always worry about what you'll do next to complicate your own greedy lives!"
  • Running Gag:
    • Donald singing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady".
    • Scrooge insisting that he's richer than Croesus.
  • Suddenly Significant Rule: Scrooge has an excavation permit issued to him by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey's previous government. Since the permit is valid in perpetuity, Pigayam has to go through the proper legal channels to get it revoked, and if Scrooge finds the treasure before then, it will technically belong to him.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: Donald's "The Reason You Suck" Speech makes him the moral victor of this story. The triplets point out that if Scrooge is the counterpart to the richest man in ancient Greece, and Magica is the counterpart to a Grecian witch, then Donald is the counterpart to Solon, the wisest man in ancient Greece, who told Croesus that a man can never be happy from wealth alone because he never knows the plans of the gods.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Pigayam does some morally grey things, spying on the Ducks and siccing the army on them, but only because he feels that the Treasury of Croesus belongs to Turkey.
  • Worthless Treasure Twist: Scrooge was not happy to find a single coin was Croesus' greatest treasure... especially since he gave up ownership of the rest of Croesus' coins for it.
  • Xanatos Gambit: Why Scrooge gives Croesus' first coin to Magica. If the Midas Touch medallion works, then Magica will never need to bother him for his Number One Dime. If it doesn't, then Scrooge will at least be satisfied knowing that Croesus isn't the richest man in history- he is!

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