One of the world’s longest-running treasure hunts appears to have finally come to an end, after drawing in thousands of participants over 31-years.
The quest for a 22 lb., diamond encrusted golden owl finally ended Oct. 3 with the discovery of a long-buried bronze owl statuette—the token, or countermark, needed to claim the golden owl statue itself.
The final task was to use the 12th riddle to figure out the replica owl’s exact location.
The quest’s holy grail is a weighty golden owl, made of gold and silver encrusted with 18-carat diamonds. The value of the golden bird is currently estimated at 150,000 euros (about $165,000 dollars).
Becker designed the sculpture himself. It was then brought to life by a goldsmith, but in order to keep the prized object safe, a bronze replica was buried in its place at a secret location at the time of the book’s release.
The quest has attracted hundreds of thousands of “owlers” (“chouetters”) in France and abroad.
Early on Thursday, Becker left a message on the quest’s online Discord server alerting participants that the grand prize had apparently been found.
“A potentially winning solution is being verified,” read the post. “No more solutions may be submitted. Further information will be communicated as soon as possible.”
A follow-up post advised, “Do not keep digging! We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night, simultaneously with a solution upload to the online verification system. It is therefore useless to go digging on the location you assume to be the cache.”
The identity of the owl’s finder has not yet been disclosed. In order to claim the official prize, the winner must submit the replica as well as all 11 of the solved riddles from the book. The 12th riddle, based on the others, reveals the exact location of the buried bird.
Under the rules of the quest, the winning player is entitled to exchange the replica for Becker’s original statue.
The history of the owl is one of melodrama, as the treasure hunt reputedly led to lost jobs, failed marriages, and even mental illness. Drama followed the hunt’s creators as well.
Becker began overseeing the hunt after Hauser died in 2009, at the age of 62, leaving the solutions to his riddles in a sealed envelope in the possession of his heirs. The illustrator brought a lawsuit against Hauser’s family to obtain the exact location of the prize.
In 2014, Becker tried to sell the golden owl itself to the Drouot auction house, but was met with outrage from the “owlers” community, who took him to court to stop the sale.
In recent years, Becker released a number of additional clues hinting at the location of the replica.
The first armchair treasure hunt book may have been “The Masquerade,” published in 1979. The lavishly illustrated book by Kit Williams featured enigmas that led hunters to a golden rabbit.
In terms of longevity, the hunt for the Golden Owl follows “The Secret,” created by Byron Preiss, which is believed to be the world’s longest-running treasure hunt.
Published in 1982, the book involves the search for 12 treasure boxes buried in secret locations in the United States and Canada.
As of 2024, only three have reportedly been found in Chicago, Cleveland, and Boston.
