World’s oldest treasure hunt for €150,000 Golden Owl finally solved

The search is finally over!  

31 years, 5 months and 9 days since the launch of the mysterious French treasure hunt for the “chouette d’or” – the Golden Owl – an as-yet-unnamed modern-day Indiana Jones has cracked the code and found the covetted statuette.

Launched in 1993 by Régis Hauser (aka Max Valentin) and painter Michel Becker, the “Sur la trace de la chouette d’or” treasure hunt has captivated thousands across France. 

Hidden somewhere in France by Hauser, the wereabouts of the 10 kg, diamond-encrusted prize, estimated to be worth €150,000, has defied researchers and mystery lovers for three decades.

It has been the longest-running treasure hunt to date, with the previous record held by British “Quest: A Zetetic Treasure Hunt”, which lasted 13 years and seven months (from September 1992 to March 2006). 

The valuable object was buried and clues to its location were hidden within 11 textual and visual riddles published in the book “Sur la trace de la chouette d’or”.  

There are three editions of the book, published by Manya (1993), Hermé and Max Valentin (1995), and Michel Lafon and Editions du Trésor (1997), but the creators previously stated that you only needed one edition to solve the puzzle. They are no longer published, but the clues were made available for download with the authors’ agreement. 

The enigmas remained unsolved for years… Until now. 

This morning, at 8:26am, game co-creator Becker announced on the game’s forum: “We can confirm that the Golden Owl was unearthed last night, simultaneously with a solution upload that was sent to the online verification system. There is therefore no need for you to go digging at the location you assume to be the hiding spot.” 

The hunt for the Golden Owl has been a controversial one.  

Following Hauser’s death in 2009, various legal proceedings pit his heirs against Becker. The solution to the game was known only to Hauser, and Becker finally obtained the answers to the riddles in the early 2020s. He revived the hunt and created a forum on Discord to galvanize the hunting community and perpetuate the cultural legacy of the mystery. 

The identity of the winner or the location where the Golden Owl was stashed have yet to be announced. However, many treasure hunters are more interested in the publication of the riddle solutions that have puzzled them over the best part of three decades. 

Additional sources • France 3, Dabotheory