The riddle of the Golden Owl was probably solved this Thursday, October 3. An announcement which would put an end to a treasure hunt throughout France which had lasted for 31 years.
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“ We confirm that the countermark of the Golden Owl was dug up last night », wrote Thursday morning, October 3, 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 “. The treasure hunt had lasted for 31 years.
This replica was buried in April 1993 in a place that had to be identified thanks to eleven 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.
An old treasure hunt
Over the decades, thousands of “owlers” 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).
The creator of the enigma is an author of books on marketing, Régis Hauser, who took the pseudonym Max Valentin so as not to be harassed. He made rare public appearances, hiding his face. 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.
Also a judicial soap opera
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 “cool» or which “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.