By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-20 07:00:23 | Updated at 2024-11-20 09:36:28
2 hours ago
A Bitcoin investor has set up a real-life treasure hunt throughout the United States.
Jon Collins-Black told Business Insider he hid five treasure chests worth $2million to $3million in locations throughout the nation and is challenging people to find them.
Collins-Black, a California-based musician-turned-entrepreneur, explained that he made a small fortune from early Bitcoin investments, and decided during the COVID pandemic to secure some treasure and send people off searching for it.
He then spent the past five years buying valuables like a Casascius Bitcoin - the first-ever physical Bitcoin, a green Columbian emerald, a 2002 Shining Charizard Pokémon card, antiques from a shipwreck, and George Washington's jelly glass from auctions and through antique dealers.
Once he secured the items, Collins-Black hid them inside five treasure chests - four smaller ones and one large one - that double as puzzle boxes.
But in order to ensure those who find the chests can get the prize inside, Collins-Black included instructions outlining how to open them.
The investor also hiked over a hundred miles to hide the treasures, and included clues to find them in his new book, There's a Treasure Inside - though he noted it would require some close-reading and a sharp but open mind to decipher their locations.
He also noted that none of the chests are buried or placed on private land, and reaching them does not require any dangerous stunts.
Jon Collins-Black, a Bitcoin investor, has set up a real-life treasure hunt around the US
He included clues to find the treasures in his new book There's Treasure Inside
The musician told Business Insider that when he came up with his plan to hide treasures across the country, he only had a 'loose budget' for the prizes.
'I was actually trying to figure out what the sweet spot would be as far as how bit to make this without making it too big,' Collins-Black said.
'I didn't want people to go crazy.'
Collins-Black went on to say he does not think he will regret giving the money away.
'If Bitcoin goes to $500,000 or $1million, or these treasures are worth $10million in five to seven years and someone finds them, and then I think I'll just celebrate that and be happy for it.
'There were definitely a couple of items where people were like, "Are you sure you want to put that in the treasure?"' the investor admitted.
'But at the end of the day, I think I'll just be excited for whoever finds it.'
Among the hidden items is a green Columbian emerald
He noted that only he knows where the chests are located, so quizzing family members and his publisher won't help.
Still, Collins-Black said, he does not want the mystery of the treasure to outlive him, and may release more clues in eight to 10 years if they are not found.
'I don't have this desire for me to be long-gone and they're to be the "Legend of the Jon Collins-Black treasures,"' he said. 'I don't want to drag it on forever.'
The investor said he does not have a favorite among the items he collected, but admitted he does have a soft spot for the emerald - which he said is a 'beautiful' thing to look at.
