The hunt for the golden owl is finally over (via Gizmodo). The scavenger found a bronze replica of the golden owl by following a trail of clues that Regis Hauser, author and puzzle designer, left in his 1993 book On the Trail of the Golden Owl. The bronze replica can be traded for the real prize: a 10-kilogram gold and silver statue decorated with diamonds, worth approximately $US165,000.
Although Hauser died in 2008, the book's artist Michel Becker took over the treasure hunt and opened a Discord Server that has given the search a new lease of life, allowing hunters to work together more easily.
On the Trail of the Golden Owl, one of the many "armchair" treasure hunts published after Kit Williams' 1979 book Masquerade introduced the genre. The book contained clues that led to a statue of a gold hare buried. The Secret: A Treasure Hunt is another example of this form. It contains puzzles that lead to 12 hidden treasure boxes. The book was published in 1983, but only three treasures have so far been found.
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