During the pandemic, bitcoin millionaire Jon Collins-Black devised a grand treasure hunt. Over the next few years, he amassed two million dollars of valuables, including gold, a Michael Jordan rookie card, lunar rock specimens, and a coin designed and minted by Pablo Picasso. He then hid the loot in five chests across the U.S. and is releasing a book of clues to help treasure hunters find them.
The book, There’s Treasure Inside, features puzzles and maps. Collins-Black released it earlier this month.
“You don’t have to be a genius to solve the clues. There’s no grand cipher. If you have curiosity, imagination, and the willingness to try something new, you can find the treasures that I’ve hidden,” Collins-Black announced.
Some of the treasure. Photo: Jon Collins-Black/There’s Treasure Inside
Somewhere in the open
According to Collins-Black, all five chests are within three miles of a public road and are not buried. None are on private land.
This is not a new concept. The genre is known as “armchair treasure hunts” and perhaps started with Kit Williams’ 1979 picture book Masquerade. The book featured 15 painted illustrations that concealed an elaborate puzzle. Alongside the book, Williams crafted and then buried a jeweled, golden hare.
Masquerade was solved three years later, but it turned out that the “winner” had used insider knowledge to tip the scales, causing some controversy. It will be interesting to see if Collins-Black’s effort lasts as long.
