French Treasure Hunter Discovers Golden Owl After 31-Year Search

The Golden Owl treasure hunt, one of the world's longest-running treasure hunts, has come to an end with a potentially winning solution being verified. The hunt, which started with a book of 11 enigmas published by Regis Hauser under the alias Max Valentin in 1993, involved tens of thousands of participants trying to solve the puzzles to find a buried statuette of a golden owl. The value of the treasure, a bronze owl, is estimated to be around €150,000. The statuette was illustrated and sculpted by Michel Becker in 1993 and was buried in France. The hunt was featured in a documentary and a post on the official chatline announced the potential solution, with a warning on Discord to "don't go digging" despite the end of the hunt.