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“Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.”
– Benjamin Franklin
June 09, 2020
As you might already know the happy new owner of the treasure chest has sufficiently proven possession to Mr Fenn who in turn announced it to the world. We are not too unhappy about it as we were receiving an uncomfortable amount of hate from searchers who didn’t believe us. Even today there is many who argue that timing was pure coincidence. Well – it could be – I agree. We nevertheless don’t regret the early announcement in March as it might have prevented somebody from unnecessarily harm at that time of the year in the mountains. Probably not but who knows.
From now on whatever is chest related is the sole discretion of the new owner. Please do not email any more questions to us. The owner of the chest will decide from now on what information is being released on his own terms. If you want to get more information or get in touch, contacting Mr Fenn would be the correct way to establish any kind of communication. You might want to respectfully wait until the dust settles though.
Regarding the Q&A we decided to stop answering any more chest related questions not to jeopardize anything the new owner is going to plan for the future. We are receiving a ton of questions; more than ever actually. However please direct them to those who are in charge of the situation now.
Michael, regarding your interest in the website: I’m not sure what to tell you. You certainly can make an offer but I am actually not sure who should own or use it in the future. I guess we can handle it the same way as the treasure chest. We had a five figure offer a few weeks ago from a gentlemen who didn’t believe us but has said it would be of high value to him if the treasure was found. Not sure if he will still be interested if the owner decides to stay anonymous with no story to tell or at least not the missing part of the story. There is also countless other stories to be told from those who accomplished some parts of the journey and even all the other solves which came to a dead end. We only purchased the domain name when we decided to go public with no realization it could be an investment. I guess to be fair to everybody I think we should give it some time so the most suited person has a chance to come forward. Michael, I am sorry not to be able to answer any of your many other questions but if you could give more details of the project that would be appreciated. I guess it all depends on what the owner is going to do.
To all who have participated in the chase we wish you all the best with your future adventures. There will be other treasures waiting to be found and the last time I checked even the whereabouts of the ark of the covenant were still unclear.
At this time we feel it is still our spot too and who knows that might never change. We left something so if you find the spot you will know. And by the way it will cover your expenses if that is what you thought. Leave us a note as we will be around. No need to make extra arrangements. 😉
The following is an announcement written by a friend of mine who has no knowledge of making a website. I’m not an expert either as you have probably figured out by now but a car doesn’t need to be shiny to get you to your destination. If there is anything you don’t like or agree with I respectfully ask you not to shoot the messenger. Here we go:
Up for sale is the famous treasure chest Santa Fe art dealer Forest Fenn has hidden in the Rocky Mountains.
The content is matching the items mentioned by Mr Fenn over the years as well as his photographs. Additional significant value had been added by Forrest Fenn with content not previously specified.
The chest has already been found in late August 2019 however consultation with several attorneys over the last months led us to believe that the best course of action would be to sell the location information rather than the actual chest and its content.
While it is still within the borders of the type of land it was originally placed by Mr Fenn the chest has been temporarily moved from its original location – not far but too far to walk – so to speak. If we accept your bid you will be required to provide the funds to an escrow service or a mutually agreed third party to facilitate the transaction. As soon as you have retrieved the treasure the funds will be released to us. All risks after you assumed possession of the chest with its content would be considered yours and the deal considered finalized regardless.
Bidding starts now with the minimum bid set at US$2,000,000. Bidding ends on August 31, 2020. Please note that nothing has been taken from the original content. If you are planning to hide the chest again to keep the chase going we are prepared to agree to a better price than the highest bidder is prepared to pay. To take measures to protect yourself and the chest during and after retrieval would be entirely your responsibility. To protect yourself from prosecution, litigation or loss of any kind would be entirely your own responsibility and risk starting at the moment you take possession. The details will be laid out in the contract you are going to sign before we proceed. We are open to amendments in order to suit your specific needs if applicable.
If the treasure cannot be sold until August 2020 we are planning to remove the gold coins and hide the chest with the remaining content at a new location. Four additional stanzas will then be published to value the work already been accomplished and to honor the original poem, its brilliant architect and those who are already knowingly or unknowingly leading the endeavor. That means you will still be required to completely solve the original poem before you go further building on the knowledge you will have at this time.
Remark: The question came up several times regarding the purchase of individual items. We at this time have no intention to accommodate those requests in order to be able to offer a complete and original Forrest Fenn treasure including the chest to a collector rather than to somebody who sees the value independent from the legacy and the history of the chase. If not sold completely until August we plan to take out the coins and sell only them. To avoid legal implications those sales would be without the context of being part of the treasure meaning marketing those would be either outside the Fenn community or outside the US or both. However navigating the pitfalls of either of those options have not been addressed by our legal team yet.
There is more to consider however.
Assuming the treasure is sold in its entirety there is more value in it to be discussed. We would like to write a book and sell the movie rights to share the incredible journey across the four states and beyond to collect all what matters. All this would have to be reflected and discussed in the bidding process in order to arrive at a fair price for a certain agreement.
There is so much more on our plate right now to be included in the decision how to proceed further and we have to carefully manage the pressure building up as the disenchanting sobriety of reality is kicking in.
The most prudent decision right now is probably to buy a six-pack and go for a ride back to the mountains and along the river bottoms where dreams and fantasies alike go to play.
March 04, 2020
Thank you for all your questions so far. I have been asked by the finders who want to remain anonymous at this time to include a Q&A on this website to address those questions which are more typical than others. Whatever your specific question might be feel free to contact me and I will get back to you as soon I have the answer. This can always take several business days so please bear with me.
Q. How can we trust you? You are anonymous and yet you want us to believe you found the treasure and sell it. Why don’t you just show us a recent picture of the chest or the content or the place you found it? Did you contact Forrest?
A. Thank you Shayne for the most popular of all questions and please allow us to shorten it. You shouldn’t trust us based on what we claim. If you want to make a bid you can go ahead any time without having to prove that you have the funds available either. Only when the bidding list is complete will we go from top to bottom with the highest bid processed first. We will contact you to make an appointment where we will bring one item you will recognize from the book as well as some recent pictures. We will bring legal representation and so should you to represent yourself in the most effective way. Only if your attorney has familiarized him/herself with the facts and advises you to proceed further should you make the next move. We have been advised by our own lawyers not to present any evidence of the chest or its content publicly not to feed any possible litigation with anything tangible to maintain deniability until either an agreement with the IRS has been made or it has been established that an agreement is not necessary. Mr Fenn has not been contacted yet as we think an auction could result in a more favorable outcome than the other option.
Q. In which state did you find the treasure and what is wwwh and HOB?
A. Hi Jason, please refer to the text above. We have explained that if a sale doesn’t happen we are planning to keep the chase going adding four additional stanzas which in turn requires us to keep it a secret. And if a sale takes place we intent to write a book about our adventures which should lead the reader slowly to the treasure as we go through our solve as time goes by. All we can say is that we have a lot of respect for Mr Fenn having been able to withstand all those interrogations without being caught and when close to maintain his calm and use the right words. We always start to sweat however when Mr Preston enters the room.
Q. How many miles are from wwwh to the blaze?
A. Legend is NASA spent $1mm to develop a pen able to write in space without gravity while the Russians decided to use a pencil.
Q. Did you like the place Forrest chose for the chest?
A. Not sure who chose whom. I have never been more at peace in my life than crossing the Pacific Ocean single hand to Hawaii in the late eighties. Whenever in my later live I was in a situation I wanted to escape mentally I found myself on that little sailboat listening to the waves knowing I had so and so many days left being left alone. When you get closer and closer to landfall more and more of that feeling evaporates until you are the old you again being tense and prepared for every unimaginable encounter of stupidity only human beings are able to throw at you. I assume that magic little place comes in different shapes and colors and lucky are those who found it.
March 06, 2020
Q. On mysteriouswritings FF was quoted yesterday to have said that the treasure is still where he hid it 10 years ago. For me it is just too much of a coincidence Forrest saying that just days after you claim to have found the treasure. Apparently Forrest does indeed know about about your claim but either don’t believe you or has verified that the treasure is still there.
A. To be honest I can’t give you an answer to that question. We never contacted Mr Fenn as a response to our attorney’s recommendation not to disclose any physical item or any verifiable knowledge to anyone at this time. The only way for Mr Fenn to know would be if he or someone else on his behalf actually went to the location. As the treasure has been moved he would have known it is not there. That still wouldn’t confirm our claim to have found it as a third party could theoretically have been involved. That is not the case as we know but there would be no way for you to know. I assume his statement was rather taken in a certain context than to be intentionally misleading. At the end of the day the treasure was where he said it was. Well, sort of. 😉
March 09, 2020
Q. Would you be available for an interview on my/our YouTube channel?
Remark: question has been shortened and rephrased
A. It is safe to say that if we came forward we would expose our self to litigation. Our legal advisers don’t see it necessary to support our claim with evidence as any bidding is non binding. We will show evidence only to those who are interested in a purchase after they have provided financial documentation to our legal team when it is time. Those who are not interested in a purchase should wait until we will either announce that the treasure – that is to say the knowledge about the new temporary treasure location – has been sold or that the chase continues respectively. Our lawyers want to make absolutely sure no law is being violated and no unnecessary risk is taken or given. If it is sold it would be up to the buyer to exercise his or her own best judgement and responsibility to comply with any law and to either provide or not provide evidence to the public. The sale will also include an NDA subject to penalty in regards to the privacy of the seller.
Remark: As the admin running this website on behalf of the finders I would like to point out that the security risk for the finders will increase with time and they are not prepared to accept this risk. It is not only the value of the treasure but the rising degree of moral and/or legal entitlement some of the treasure hunters seem to feel based on their invested time, money and effort. As you are aware the finders have announced their intention to hide the treasure again if they can’t sell it until August.
What I am actually allowed to say is that the finders are very keen that the new hiding spot – if it becomes the path to go – will be accessible year-round without undue risk of hypothermia during the winter months. The information that this spot is below 5000 feet elevation will become the first new additional clue. It still would require a searcher to use common sense.
I also like to point out that the only individuals knowing the current location of the treasure are the finders. I personally have no idea at all while the legal team has only knowledge about the state and the type of land it resides in order to do their work. That might even be incorrect as I am only informed on a need to know basis.
To those who insist the finders must provide evidence of the treasure I can only respond that you are asking them to provide evidence for something for which even you have no evidence it even exists.
In this situation we cannot win. Either we are guilty for not providing proof of the solve or we are guilty for letting people continue to put themself into harms way in order to find a treasure which has already been found and relocated. So please whatever you do pay attention to all safety recommendations Forrest Fenn and the authorities have given and don’t cause another rescue mission like the most recent one in Yellowstone Canyon.
Q. Why did you move the treasure to a different location and not take it home with you?
A. There is several reasons. The most relevant is that we wanted to make absolutely sure whatever we do is legal before we take any action. The problem with whatever we do or even omit is the pending risk of a lawsuit and/or attorney fees nobody is reimbursing.
Q. On the YouTube channel A Gypsy’s Kiss a caller recently confirmed the treasure is not at the location anymore. That proves you right doesn’t it?
A. As much as we like the idea Richard, it actually doesn’t. We don’t know the solve of this individual and he or she might be right or wrong. This searcher can only confirm that on the perceived treasure location was no treasure. That location does not necessarily coincide with the location we found the treasure. Again, we like your support but it doesn’t prove us right.
March 10, 2020
Q. Would you accept Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency in order to protect the privacy of the seller?
A. That was an interesting question and accept our apology for taking our time to reply. First of all must you realize cryptocurrencies are not anonymous. Actually the opposite is true. All transactions are forever visible in something called the Blockchain. This makes it an increasingly transparent ledger as technology advances. So the answer is probably a yes but under the assumption that the payment starts and ends in a jurisdiction where the cryptocurrency in question is not illegal. Problem here is to establish the relevant jurisdiction with any degree of certainty. We therefore prefer to only persue that option any further if we have to.
March 12, 2020
Q. Are you running a scam providing a wrong solve and having nothing in return for the money you are asking for? Even if the solve was right you said yourself that the chest is not at the original location. You could just disappear with the money.
A. Let me clarify that we will only receive the funds you provide AFTER YOU HAVE THE TREASURE PHYSICALLY IN YOUR HANDS. Until that happens the funds will remain in an escrow account or with an agreed upon third party like a notary public or a law firm. Only if you and any expert for evaluation you might bring with you are happy we would be able to receive your money. The basic function of an escrow service is to protect both parties. There is nothing to gain for us unless we can deliver on our promise. We have been contacted by quite a few concerned people around this topic and sadly our website analytics do confirm that only a minority of readers spend enough time on the page to fathom and digest the information we have given. To those with a vicious attitude towards us please find out for yourself if you would have preferred us not making the announcement and causing you to search for something already long gone.
Q. regarding bids
A. Please allow us to clarify that the minimum amount of US$2mm is the threshold for us to take your bid serious and not the amount we accept in return for the treasure. It is common knowledge that the treasure is probably worth more than that based on the individual content itself. Lets assume you offer US$2mm and there is no other bids we will either negotiate with you in order to achieve a better outcome or decline your bid. You could compare that to an undisclosed reserve price and a minimum bid at an eBay auction. The treasure as a whole has additional intrinsic value based on its popularity and will only rise in value. There is also an amount at which we will accept your offer immediately and without exhausting the entire length of the bidding period.
March 15, 2020
Q. regarding the bidding process
A. In order to take your bid seriously we expect you to actually make a bid. Just to express your interest in having a conversation is not a bid. A bid is a US dollar amount you are offering for the treasure. Preferably you leave your phone details so our attorney can contact you to verify your credentials. This will only happen if we feel your bid is indeed serious and when we are approaching the end of the bidding period unless your bid is exceptionally persuasive. Otherwise we will go through the list on schedule starting with the most promising overture.
Q. Why did you find the treasure and why did it take you so long?
A. Everything is a matter of perspective. And it took us less time than to write a poem.
March 21, 2020
ADMIN UPDATE: The last week has been extremely busy for our finders. It appears the money taken off the stock market recently needs a new purpose. We are able to announce that several interested parties have made confirmed offers thanks to our outbound marketing in different areas. It is too early to say if we are already in a situation where a sale is imminent.
March 25, 2020
Q. Why did you not return the bracelet to Forrest? He wants it back. Do you know that?
A. The bracelet, assuming it is part of the treasure for the sake of the argument, meaning we neither confirm or deny it being part of it, is really just an instrument to be used to determine the status of the treasure. Any other part recognizable by Mr Fenn would equally be useful to determine this status. We explained earlier why we decided against it. We have to admit however that when we were experiencing the first wave of excitement and before we got better advice we actually decided to visit Mr Fenn with an item from the chest. Some basic recon of the area and not very surprising to us considering the obsession many of the searchers displayed in their habits we found several trail cams hidden at tactically valuable locations. That means whoever meets Mr Fenn cannot remain anonymous. Anybody with the ability to run a license plate can track the holder and that wouldn’t be good news. You are correct to assume that neither of us did this investigation in person. That was our first red flag and we found more on the way to justify our behavior.
March 27, 2020
Q. Forrest said earlier this month that the treasure is where he left it ten years ago. That means he has some way of knowing and you are not telling the truth.
A. Hi Sarah, you don’t have to take my word for it but maybe Forrest Fenns word will suffice. Please refer to what he said in 2015. You might argue that he may have changed his arrangement but please note that he also said that he never went back. video: 09:16-09:42
April 11, 2020
ADMIN UPDATE: Unfortunately more than half of the emails we are receiving are of abusive nature. I would like to emphasize that it would be pointless for me to forward them to our finders. Please accept that I will be the only person who will ever see them. The majority of those emails also claim to know the treasure location which is entertaining.
Please don’t let your ego rush you into the mountains while there is still snow and adverse weather to be respected. If you believe you know something please be patient and do not risk your life. Also make sure that you respect the COVID-19 rules in place at the time of your endeavor.
April 13, 2020
Q. Only the finder(s) should know the weight of the biggest nugget in the treasure chest. Could you give that number as only Forrest knows it to verify your claim?
A. Thank you for your input Andy in order to try to resolve the issue of proof. To be honest we don’t know if Forrest Fenn ever made a note of the weight of individual items. Unfortunately even if he did that won’t help either. As we explained earlier for legal reasons we require plausible deniability. The only reason to publish the weight of the nugget would be so Forrest Fenn could verify our claim publicly. That would not help with deniability. Also do we believe that it would be possible to figure out the weight of the nugget comparing coin size with nugget size. We have no knowlege of all relevant pictures published online and therefore we don’t think this method would be convincing beyond reasonable doubt. It would be much easier to just tell Forrest Fenn privately the location where we found the treasure or present a solve to the poem. Nobody knows that except those who made it to the location. It has been a while since August 2019 and there might have been others which actually means that you might have discovered a flaw in the theory that knowing the location means having the treasure. Your suggestion is therefore worth mentioning as it discovers that the issue is more complicated than most searchers initially assumed.
April 14, 2020
Q. You have chosen to adopt a “Schrödinger’s Cat” teaser in your marketing approach. Since that means your claim is both true and untrue until the box is opened, would it be wise for an interested party to ensure that the existence of millions of dollars purchase money remains both true and untrue right up until the chest is opened? Would you accept that they could bring, say, a $100 bill to the meeting where you bring a single item from the chest?
A. Erwin Schrodinger didn’t say that the cat is both dead and alive. He rather pointed out that quantum theory and the real world are two different and not necessary compatible realms. Widespread misinterpretation of his thought experiment by pseudo scientists made the acceptance of quantum theory less popular with no avail. Comparing a Benjamin with an item from the chest is also not helpful. But it points out beautifully that having the bracelet doesn’t mean having the chest like having a Benjamin doesn’t mean you own the Fed. Isn’t it funny that if the finder would disappear with the chest even Forrest Fenn would be unable to prove that he ever hid it. What would you believe is true if the finder would get his solve approved by Mr Fenn but states that there was no treasure? Would you believe there was no treasure or would you believe more than one party made it to the location? At the end of the day whatever you think is true will be true for you like with everything else in life. Please also note that the way I referred to “the finder” was made intentionally to uphold the argument even if you disagree with the claim.
April 22, 2020
Q. –
A. We feel the following video segment might provide an answer to some of you without revealing the question or to tip off the inquirer.
April 28, 2020
Q. You will have to provide proof of some kind before anyone will bite. Even if it’s one piece from the chest.
A. Sounds interesting Terry. Will any peace from the chest be sufficient? My understanding is that even for Mr Fenn one piece will do. On the other hand could anybody buy the chest and together with our story or at least the solve be able to present himself to Mr Fenn as the finder. This in turn shall show that nothing and nobody could ever represent him/herself as the real finder. Even we could have bought the treasure from a third party to flip it for more cash. So even presenting the whole treasure has its limitations.
I can however assure you that the item we have chosen for initial verification is unique and leaves little room for speculation that it might not be part of the original treasure. The buyer will have the safety net of the escrow service and his/her own experts and appraiser before we would be entitled to even receive a dime. If the appraiser would advice against the purchase the buyer would still have the opportunity not to give the go ahead. I admit that would leave us in a peculiar situation regarding the location being revealed. That is a risk we have decided to accept but we have the faith of the treasure speaking for itself. Just remember what Forrest Fenn said about this very moment.
May 05, 2020
IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!
Over the weekend we received an offer for the treasure which exceeds all previous offers by a significant margin. The interested party deposited the funds already with a law firm on Monday. Part of the agreement with the buyer is another week of leeway for any other potential buyer to come forward after today’s announcement. We understand that a lot of emotions are involved with the issue and another week might also give those a chance who don’t have the funds but would be able to cooperate with others to make a group offer. Those parties have time until Wednesday. If no other confirmed offers have been made until than we will go ahead with the retrieval of the treasure at the most convenient time for the buyer. We would also like to point out that even if the treasure is not recovered immediately due to a variety of possible circumstances we are still committed to the contract and cannot accept any more offers after next Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
Unfortunately will the agreement prevent us from releasing any details of the search for the treasure which is very unfortunate. We therefore have a vested interest in a last minute buyer who would offer us this chance. However can we not pass up this opportunity as it seems very generous. On the other hand comparing the treasure with art any price seems reasonable and maybe we would be better off having it on display in a museum waiting for the value to rise. However do we have not much trust in institutions and the recent events in certain states don’t help strengthen our confidence in the legal system.
May 15, 2020
Q. Are offers still being accepted?
A. I am sorry, Scott, no offers are accepted anymore as the ownership has been transferred to the buyer. As you mentioned it we had Zoom/Skype meetings held between legal team and interested parties almost daily for quite some time. I am glad this is over now.
Remark: At this time we cannot confirm or deny the removal of the treasure from its most recent location in order to minimize the success of possible tracing activity. At some random point in time in the future we will officially announce the completion of the task. It may or may not be done at the time you read these lines.
Not sure how to address the emotional impact the end of the chase might have on somebody. But it is safe to say that there will always be some kind of a chase in ones life to pursue for the better. There will always be a reason to roam the mountains and follow the rivers be it metaphorically or literally. T.E. Lawrence once said “Nothing is written.” and Forrest Fenn would probably remind us that the mountains are still there.
As I have gone alone in thereAnd with my treasures bold,I can keep my secret where,And hint of riches new and old.
Begin it where warm waters haltAnd take it in the canyon down,Not far, but too far to walk.Put in below the home of Brown.
From there it’s no place for the meek,The end is ever drawing nigh;There’ll be no paddle up your creek,Just heavy loads and water high.
If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,Look quickly down, your quest to cease,But tarry scant with marvel gaze,Just take the chest and go in peace.
So why is it that I must goAnd leave my trove for all to seek?The answers I already know,I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak.
So hear me all and listen good,Your effort will be worth the cold.If you are brave and in the woodI give you title to the gold.
THE THRILL OF THE CHASE
News and updates on the most current situation will be published here.
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