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Ever wondered what it takes to channel your inner Jacques Cousteau and embark on a quest for hidden treasures?

For Jon Collins-Black, this curiosity led to an extraordinary journey, inspiring him to hide five treasure chests scattered across the United States.

His latest book, “There’s Treasure Inside,” invites adventurers into a world of riddles and clues, guiding them toward treasure caches worth over $2 million in total.

The Inspiration

A lifelong lover of fantasy, Collins-Black grew up enthralled by role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and the magic of mythical stories.

By 2015, after finding success as both a musician and an entrepreneur, he sought a way to ignite his childhood sense of wonder through a new creative endeavor.

Taking inspiration from Forrest Fenn’s notorious 2010 treasure hunt, Collins-Black envisioned a more inclusive adventure. While Fenn’s solitary chest was hidden in the Rockies, Collins-Black wanted to offer multiple treasure troves, strategically placed so treasure hunters from all corners of the country could participate.

“I wanted to spread the treasure across regions to give people a chance to explore their adventurous sides,” he said.

With a varied creative background—including poetry and children’s book publishing—Collins-Black poured his talents into crafting “There’s Treasure Inside,” a book designed to entertain readers regardless of whether they choose to hunt for the chests.

The Treasure Hunt

The book features chapters packed with intricate clues, each one leading to one of the five hidden chests.

Though careful not to divulge too much, Collins-Black reassures readers that the answers they seek are within the pages. “Everything you need to locate the treasures is in the book,” he stated.

To maintain the secrecy and fairness of the search, Collins-Black worked with a minimal team of collaborators and refrained from revealing the chest locations to even his closest confidants—including his wife.

“I couldn’t risk other people carrying the stress of knowing,” he explained.

The project’s ambitious scope meant navigating challenges without precedent, relying on trial and error to fine-tune the complexity of his clues.

Already, the hunt has sparked excitement among thousands of participants, with active online discussions on platforms like Discord. Many claim they’ve narrowed down the states containing the chests, though Collins-Black remains tight-lipped.

For potential searchers, safety is a top priority. Collins-Black assures adventurers that treasure hunting doesn’t require diving into dangerous waters, scaling heights, trespassing, or even digging. “Anyone in moderate health should be able to reach the chests,” he reassured.

While the treasure search is designed to challenge participants, Collins-Black hopes for a balance: “I’d like this to take some time, but I don’t want it to drag on indefinitely,” he said.

If the chests remain undiscovered for too long, he plans to offer additional hints—or perhaps even write a sequel—ensuring the mystery eventually finds its resolution.

The Treasure

The contents of the chests were meticulously curated by Collins-Black, who aimed to create a diverse and unparalleled treasure-hunting experience.

Through collaborations with historians and an extensive auction process, he assembled a unique collection of treasures, funding the acquisitions with early earnings from bitcoin investments.

“It felt like being a kid in a candy store,” he said of the thrilling process.

The chests contain an eclectic mix of items, including rare Pokémon cards, maritime relics, sports memorabilia, gold, and other precious metals. Some particularly significant pieces include belongings of historical figures such as Pablo Picasso, George Washington, Amelia Earhart, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

As time passes, many of these items have only grown in value, adding another layer of allure to the hunt.

While Collins-Black treasures every item he chose, a few hold special personal importance: a brooch owned by Jackie Onassis, a 96-carat emerald, and Wilma Rudolph’s 1960 Olympic gold medal are among his favorites.

However, there was one artifact he could not obtain—a pipe owned by Albert Einstein, which he lost in a fierce auction bidding war.

One chest was deliberately designed to be larger and more valuable than the others, making the adventure even more exciting. “I wanted it to contain more value than any chest before,” Collins-Black explained.

With the clues now waiting to be cracked and treasures awaiting discovery, the race is officially on. Will you be the one to uncover the ultimate prize?