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Puzzling 31-Year-Long ‘Golden Owl’ Treasure Hunt Finally Solved

The hunt was launched in 1993 by Régis Hauser, a puzzle designer who left behind 11 clues that needed to be solved in order to win the contest.

One of the world’s longest ongoing treasure hunts has seemingly come to an end after a buried “Golden Owl” statuette was unearthed in France, 31 years after it was hidden. Michel Becker, one of the surviving organizers of the hunt, confirmed in a Discord server for participants Thursday morning that “the replica of the Chouette d’Or was unearthed last night,” according to newspaper Libération. The treasure hunt was launched in 1993 by Régis Hauser, a puzzle designer and writer who used the pseudonym Max Valentin. He died in 2009. Becker illustrated a book to accompany the hunt and cast a bronze replica of its final prize: an owl statuette made of gold and silver, and with diamonds on its head, that was worth roughly 150,000 euros in 1993. The replica was buried, while the book included 11 puzzles that would supposedly lead to its mysterious location. Confirmation is still pending: Participants in the hunt are not allowed to use metal detectors and must prove they solved all the puzzles before they can receive the final prize.