The enigma of the Golden Owl has probably been solved, the man who held the key announced Thursday morning. This treasure hunt has kept all of France in suspense for 31 years.
The enigma of the Golden Owl was probably solved on Thursday, which would put an end to a treasure hunt across France which had lasted for 31 years. “We confirm that the countermark of the Golden Owl was dug up last night“, wrote Thursday morning the man who held the key, Michel Becker, on the internet forum of this enigma, on the Discord network. “Don’t go digging!“, he says to all the players. “We check the validity of the proposed solution“.
This replica was buried in April 1993 in a place that had to be identified using 11 enigmas presented in the book “On the Trail of the Golden Owl”. Brief texts accompanying paintings: these are the only clues available to buyers of this book, originally sold for 95 francs (14.50 euros). The latest edition, in 2022, costs 37.95 euros. And in recent years, to submit a solution, namely geographic coordinates, you had to pay.
Thousands of “owls”
Over the decades, thousands of “owls” have devoted themselves very seriously to this quest. Its designer thought it would last a few months. He could not have suspected that, born in the world of Minitel and camcorders, the enigma would experience the era of GPS and end with that of platforms, like Discord. Digging up the replica allows you to win the famous owl, a sculpture weighing around ten kilos in precious metals, mainly silver but also gold, encrusted with diamonds.. Its value was initially estimated at one million francs (150,000 euros). “It’s going to leave a void because it’s several years of my life” Lizzy Brynn, 31, a YouTube videographer and “nice girl” for four years, told AFP.The fact that the owl was buried a month to the day after my birth, there was a bit of this mystical thing.“.
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The creator of the enigma is an author of books on marketing, Régis Hauserwho took the pseudonym Max Valentin so as not to be harassed. He made rare public appearances, hiding his face.
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Michel Becker designed the sculpture, made by a goldsmith. He presented the enigma, in the television shows where he was invited, without knowing its resolution. The trophy has gone through many adventures. They did not prevent the game from continuing.
On an old floppy disk
In 2005, the owl was seized by the liquidator of the publishing house of the third version of the book, “On the trail of the golden owl”. Régis Hauser and Michel Becker recovered it in early 2009 following a trial. Three months later, in April 2009, Régis Hauser died at the age of 62. Michel Becker, who was unaware of the solution, entrusted to a bailiff in Paris, entered into a long legal conflict with the heirs to obtain the envelope which contained it. Undermined by financial difficulties, he tried to sell the sculpture at auction in 2014. Drouot backed down in the face of the mobilization of the treasure hunting community. In 2021, the heirs allow Michel Becker to finally see the solution, engraved on an old floppy disk. One night, he checks with a bailiff that the countermark is still where Régis Hauser buried it. He finds a rusty iron bird and replaces it with a new bronze owl. Relaunching the game on Discord, with additional clues, apparently allowed an epilogue.
It remains to be seen which “owl” or “owl” took it, how this person did it, and where the treasure was located.. The owl was exhibited in April 2023 in Rochefort (Charente-Maritime). In June 2024, Canal+ broadcast a documentary on this long quest. Michel Becker confides the many worries and the few joys that this story caused him.
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(upday with AFP)
