“We confirm that the countermark of the Golden Owl was dug up last night […]”. A sentence which, if taken out of context could be a secret spy or military code, marks the end of a very long quest. Indeed, on Thursday October 3, 2024 at 8:26 a.m. on a Discord forum, Michel Becker announced with this sentence that his treasure hunt launched in 1993 had ended.
On the trail of the golden owl
In 1993, Régis Hauser, alias Max Valentin, writer, and Michel Becker, painter and visual artist, decided to launch a treasure hunt which would have the whole of France as its playground. Just that.
To do this, they had the idea of burying somewhere in France an owl made of bronze, a countermark to a work by Michel Becker: the golden owl. To find her, Max Valentin will therefore write the book On the trail of the golden owl in which he will write the riddles leading to the famous treasure whose value is 150,000 euros.
If the author estimates that it will not take more than one or two years to complete his quest, we can say today that he was wrong since it took 31 years for the “owls”, the name that the players give themselves, to finally solve the eleven puzzles that make up the game.
And even if the quest has ended, it necessarily has a somewhat sad ring to it. Indeed, Régis Hauser, who died in 2009 at the age of 62, will never have the opportunity to congratulate the lucky one.
Max Valentin was the only one with the solutions
If this October 3, 2024 Michel Becker was able to announce that “the golden owl was dug up”, he might also not have had the opportunity to officially decorate the winner. Indeed, at the death of Régis Hauser, the solutions to the puzzles, of which he was the sole owner to avoid possible cheating, remained in the possession of the writer's family.
As stated Release who became the first relayers of the great news, Michel Becker, after years of proceedings with the heirs of Régis Hauser, was able to obtain the solutions to the eleven enigmas less than four years ago.
A still unknown “owl”
On Discord, Michel Becker, who became the bearer of the happy news, announced the end of the quest for the Golden Owl. In fact, someone had indeed managed to solve all the puzzles and thus put an end to a treasure hunt that had lasted for thirty-one years.
However, the painter was careful not to divulge the identity of the “owl” who had won. Perhaps his name will be known to the general public in a few days or weeks. Or perhaps we are at the dawn of a new quest.
Source : Release
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
