NEW BOOK: THERE'S TREASURE INSIDE

A North Carolina native decided to spend millions of dollars purchasing various treasures. But instead of keeping the items for himself or donating them to a museum or educational institution, Jon Collins-Black divided them into five boxes and hid them across the United States.

Only he knows where the items are stashed, but he's inviting anyone to search for them. Treasure hunters will find clues to the boxes in Collins-Black's new book, "There's Treasure Inside," available now for pre-order.

Now living in California, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumnus spoke with The News & Observer about his story and latest project.

For about six years after graduation, Collins-Black worked in the self-help industry, doing personal development seminars across the country. He ended up in Texas and decided he wanted to pursue music — something he enjoyed during high school and college — so he moved to California.

But after a while, he decided to leave the music industry, feeling burned out. He took some time off to ponder his next move.

"If I could clone myself, there's lots of different things I would like to do with my life, and one of those is, it'd be really cool just to be a treasure hunter," he said.

Collins-Black spent more than a year searching for Forrest Fenn's treasure. (In 2010, Fenn hid a chest filled with gold and other items, estimated to be worth at least $1 million, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. He then published "The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir," which included a poem that, if solved, would lead one to the treasure.)

Collins-Black did not find Fenn's treasure (though it was discovered in 2020), but it still excited him and made him think he'd like to create a treasure hunt, too.

Beginning in 2017, his financial situation changed. Collins-Black created internet properties and websites that offered guidance on landing jobs, which "did very well" for him, allowing him to invest, including in Bitcoin.

When COVID-19 shut everything down, Collins-Black again considered his next venture and had two thoughts: Start a publishing company focused on children's literature, and create a national treasure hunt.

He did both.

Dispersed throughout "There's Treasure Inside" are clues that lead to hidden treasure, along with details about the treasure.

Collins-Black sourced items from a rare minerals dealer based in Dallas and began following major auction houses in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

 

"My list of items I wanted was constantly evolving," he said. "It was a combination of things that I thought were really cool, but I also wanted to appeal to a wide variety of ages and interests and backgrounds."

Here are some of the items he collected:

• A 23-karat gold pendant designed by Pablo Picasso
• A gold medal won by the men's Nigerian soccer team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta
• A Michael Jordan rookie card
• A sapphire and diamond brooch owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
• Rare Pokemon cards
• Pages from Henry David Thoreau's personal journal

To read the complete article, see:
An NC native hid treasure worth millions across the US. The clues are in his new book (https://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/article292309984.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
FORREST FENN REPORTS TREASURE FOUND (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n24a37.html)
FORREST FENN FORTUNE FINDER FOUND (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n50a32.html)

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