Treasure hunt for buried gold statue worth $165,000 ends after 31 years

A 31-year-long treasure hunt in France appears to have come to an end after official social media accounts linked to the search said the token needed to claim the grand prize has been found.

The hunt, On The Trail Of The Golden Owl, was based on a book of riddles published in 1993.

Participants had to solve 11 puzzles in the book — and a 12th one that was hidden — to find the exact location of the token.

“Don’t go digging!” warned a message on a channel on the chat app Discord with tens of thousands of followers.

“We confirm that the Golden Owl countermark was unearthed last night [October 2],” the message read, unleashing a wave of sad and crying emojis. “It is therefore useless to go digging.”

The solutions provided by those who claimed to have unearthed the token are being vetted, the message said.

The book, published in 1993 by author Regis Hauser and artist Michel Becker, built a cult-like following with a community of more than 200,000 players, known as 'owlers', from France and abroad, according to the hunt’s official website.

The owl was buried over 30 years ago (FRANCE 24 English)

In a documentary posted on YouTube, Mr Becker said he oversaw and financed the creation of the prize - an owl made of 3kg of gold and 7kg of silver with diamond chips on its face.

Events where 'owlers' could meet and share tips were organised across France.

Mr Hauser, the intellectual architect of the riddles, had initially used the pen name Max Valentin to prevent the most assiduous treasure hunters from seeking him out. He died in 2009, French newspaper Le Monde reported.

He and Mr Becker decided to bury a replica of the owl, keeping the precious original in a safe place. Its value is estimated at 150,000 euros ($164,663), fans of the treasure hunt have said online.

People searched far and wide to unearth the expensive treasure (FRANCE 24 English)

In order to claim the treasure, the winning player would need to submit the replica along with the answers to all of the book’s riddles.

On Discord, members of the hunt channel were quick to react to the news that the replica owl may have been found, with thousands of messages pouring in.

“Time to get the tissues out,” one wrote, as another said: “It’s the end of an era."

According to a 2021 documentary, the concept was inspired by The Masquerade, a 1979 book of riddles by Kit Williams, where hunters also had to solve several puzzles to find a golden rabbit.