AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Great US Treasure Hunt, a nationwide contest that hides coins worth $1,000 in public, returns on October 15, with clues to the exact locations of the coins in a comic book format. Ten coins will be hidden for a prize package with a value of at least $10,000.
In past hunts, The Great US Treasure Hunt has awarded over $45,000 in prize money during real-life adventures in which players, which organizers call “Hunters”, have solved clues and puzzles to lead them to the exact locations of the hidden coins.
Cities where coins have been found include Austin, Nashville, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Washington DC, and many others. In the hunt which begins October 15, every state in the nation is in play, with organizers promising a coast-to-coast experience.
“Our ten coins will be hidden in five different time zones,” Great US Treasure Hunt president Jeff Kessler promises. “At least two coins will be in Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes states, with at least two capital cities in the game, and only two of the ten states will border each other. In addition, we’re guaranteeing one coin in either Hawaii or Alaska.”
For the first time, the clues and puzzles will be found in a comic book format, with each two-page spread containing an enigmatic message that can be used to precisely locate every hidden coin.
“The fun of putting clues into a comic book format is that you can use text, numbers, or illustrations, which we haven’t been able to do before,” head puzzle creator David Steele explained. “This year’s Hunt will be a really fun experience for our Hunters.”
Steele explained that the puzzles will be of varying difficulties, with organizers almost certain that one of them is sure to be solved and the coin found on the first day that books reach Hunters.
“We are excited to have winners, and that means that we need to have puzzles that are solvable,” Steele stated. “There’s one particular puzzle that will be solved on day one, but the other nine could take days or even weeks. It’s hard to say exactly. Of course, a lot of it will depend on how many people are playing.”
“Armchair treasure hunts,” a phrase referring to The Great US Treasure Hunt and similar hunts, have grown in popularity in recent years. They take many forms, and most can trace their roots back to the 1979 publication of “Masquerade” by British author Kit Williams, who buried a golden hare in public, then sold an illustrated book that, when solved, led to the exact location of the buried treasure. Unfortunately, the hare wasn’t found until three years later, and even then required “inside information” from Williams’ ex-girlfriend to pinpoint the location.
America was quick to answer, with publisher Byron Preiss’s 1982 effort at a nationwide treasure hunt: the book “The Secret,” combining poems and prose by several writers, and illustrations by then-unknown artist John Jude Palencar. Preiss buried twelve casques in public, across the United States. Unfortunately, to date, only three of the twelve items have been discovered. This led Great US Treasure Hunt organizers to a firm rule; no coins will be buried, just hidden.
“Don’t bring a shovel or metal detector,” Kessler advised. “In the past, we’ve taped or used velcro to stick our coins under playground slides, picnic benches, playscape steps, and places you normally wouldn’t think a coin would be. But if you know what you’re looking for, they are easily found.”
These treasure hunts have grown in popularity due to the internet making the sharing of theories far easier than the past. Treasure hunting communities on Facebook, Reddit, and other social media sites, make it easy to find partners across the country. The Great US Treasure Hunt allows partnerships to split the $1,000 prize between a Solver and a Finder.
“We’ve had people connect in our past Hunts who had no idea the other existed until one of them solved a puzzle, then found a partner on social media,” Steele notes. “Our Nashville puzzle was solved by Lauren in Dallas; she found Nicholette in a Facebook group, who then discovered the coin under a child’s drinking fountain at Pinkerton Park in Franklin, just outside Nashville.”
The comic books which contain the puzzles are available exclusively at The Great US Treasure Hunt website, with packages containing one to three comic books and souvenir coins, prices ranging from $30 to $90.
All books will be sent via First Class mail on Tuesday, October 15, with some books sent from the Austin, Texas, headquarters of the Great US Treasure Hunt, and some mailed from a California location, to make timely delivery across the country as fair as possible. Any orders after October 15 will be mailed from the Austin HQ.
Additional information can be found at the Hunt’s YouTube channel. Subscribers to the channel will see all of the winners and puzzles explained as the coins are found.
David Steele
The Great US Treasure Hunt LLC
thegreatustreasurehunt@gmail.com
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