(CNN) — What does it take to channel the spirit of Jacques Cousteau and seek for secret treasure?
For Jon Collins-Black, this query sparked an exhilarating journey that led him to cover 5 treasure chests throughout america.
His new ebook, “There’s Treasure Inside,” provides hints for keen treasure hunters, sending them on an expedition to seek out hidden chests with a mixed prize worth of greater than $2 million.
The inspiration
Collins-Black has been a lifelong fantasy fanatic, immersing himself in video games and legendary adventures resembling Dungeons & Dragons since childhood.
By 2015, the profitable musician and entrepreneur was in search of a change of tempo and envisioned a challenge that might assist him reconnect along with his youthful creativeness.
Motivated by Forrest Fenn’s notorious treasure hunt launched again in 2010, Collins-Black dreamed of making one thing extra private and accessible. As a substitute of Fenn’s single chest hidden within the Rocky Mountains, Collins-Black envisioned a number of troves permitting each particular person throughout the nation the chance to be in nearer proximity to one of many chests.
“I wished to have the chests unfold out to present folks the optimistic, adventurous risk,” he mentioned.
With a inventive background in writing, from poetry to kids’s ebook publishing, Collins-Black mixed his abilities to provide “There’s Treasure Inside,” aimed to entertain even those that don’t plan to search for the treasure.
The search
Every chapter accommodates detailed clues resulting in one of many 5 chests.
Though Collins-Black stays tight-lipped in regards to the ebook’s specifics, he guarantees that anybody can discover the treasure. “All of the clues you want are within the ebook,” he mentioned.
To guard the integrity of the search, Collins-Black labored with as few strategists and editors as attainable to keep away from any hints from leaking to the general public. He even determined to maintain the treasure areas a secret from his spouse.
“I couldn’t actually seek the advice of different folks as a result of I didn’t need (them) to have the burden,” he mentioned.
With no clear blueprint for such an formidable challenge, he experimented by way of trial and error, fastidiously programming the issue of the clues.
“There’s Treasure Inside” has already created a buzz, with 1000’s of individuals gathering on dialogue channels resembling Discord to share their theories. Many are even satisfied they’ve pinpointed the states the place the treasure is situated, in keeping with Collins-Black.
Adventurers don’t want to fret about their security whereas looking, he says. No harmful underwater exploration, climbing or getting into personal property is required, and anybody of common well being can journey to the websites. And it’s necessary to know that no digging is critical to seek out the treasure.
Whereas Collins-Black desires the treasure hunt to be demanding, he’s clear in regards to the timeline: “I do hope and suppose it would take a short time, however I don’t want this to take endlessly,” he mentioned.
Ought to the chests stay unfound for a number of years, he believes he’ll launch further clues — or perhaps even a sequel — to see his quest come to life.
The treasure
Collins-Black meticulously curated the treasures hidden inside the chests to captivate a variety of pursuits and supply an unparalleled treasure-hunting expertise.
Collaborating with historians, Collins-Black attended auctions till he created the right, one-of-a-kind assortment. He financed the items with cash he saved from early bitcoin investments.
“I used to be like a child in a sweet retailer,” he mentioned.
Contained in the chests, searchers can stay up for hopefully finding objects resembling uncommon Pokémon playing cards, shipwreck bounty, sports activities memorabilia, gold and treasured medals.
Amongst among the most prized possessions are these with historic significance, together with objects owned or made by Pablo Picasso, George Washington, Amelia Earhart and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Because the chests await discovery, the worth of many objects continues to develop.
It’s practically not possible for Collins-Black to pick out a favourite merchandise from the lot, however a couple of particular objects — a brooch as soon as owned by Jackie Onassis, a 96-carat emerald and Wilma Rudolph’s 1960 Olympic gold medal — maintain a particular place in his coronary heart.
The one merchandise on his wishlist that he couldn’t safe was one in every of Albert Einstein’s pipes, which he misplaced in a bidding battle.
One chest was deliberately made bigger and extra invaluable than the others to lift the stakes.
“I wished to place extra worth in a treasure chest than ever earlier than,” mentioned Collins-Black.
With clues ready to be unraveled and treasures to be uncovered, the search is formally on — will you be the one to seek out the grand prize?.
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