The legacy of Byron Preiss is not defined by the monetary value of the prizes, but by the scale of the quest he initiated. In 1982, Preiss published The Secret: A Treasure Hunt, a book that combined cryptic poetry, surreal illustrations, and a physical challenge that has engaged thousands of enthusiasts for over four decades. The prize for successfully solving the puzzles and locating the buried treasures is a gemstone, specifically a gem valued at approximately $1,000.00. However, the allure of the Preiss gemstones lies not in their market price, but in the intricate, multi-layered puzzle system required to claim them. To date, only three of the twelve hidden treasures have been recovered, revealing that the "gemstones" are the tangible rewards for an intellectual marathon that spans geography, art history, and cryptographic logic.
The mechanism of the hunt is unique in the history of American recreational puzzles. Unlike standard scavenger hunts where clues lead directly to a location, Preiss's system required the solver to synthesize visual and textual data. The book contained twelve distinct puzzles, each consisting of a hand-painted ceramic casque (a small, ornate box) buried underground. Inside each casque was a key. This key was not a physical object to open a door, but a token to be mailed to the address listed in the book. Upon receipt of the key, Preiss (and later his family) would mail the solver a gemstone. This exchange transformed the hunt from a simple "find the object" game into a complex cryptographic and geographical challenge that required matching a specific image from the book with a corresponding verse to locate the burial site.
The physical artifacts of the hunt, known as "casques," were created with specific artistic intent. While Preiss authored the text and oversaw the project, the visual components were delegated to a team of artists who created a visual language distinct from the textual clues. John Jude Palencar was employed to create the illustrations, adhering to Preiss's strict directives regarding the content of the images. These images were not random; they contained specific visual codes that, when paired with the verses, pointed to a geographical location. The casques themselves were sculpted and painted by Joellen Trilling, who created unique ceramic boxes. These were not mass-produced items but bespoke art objects, designed to look like ancient relics. Preiss traveled across the United States and into Canada to personally bury these twelve casques, ensuring that only he knew the exact locations.
The history of the solved treasures reveals the difficulty of the task and the durability of the hunt. The first successful solution occurred in Chicago, Illinois. Three friends, driven by the thrill of the adventure, decoded the riddles and dug in Grant Park. Their shovel uncovered the first of the twelve ceramic casques. They retrieved the key and successfully exchanged it with Preiss for an emerald valued at $1,000.00. This event set a precedent for the nature of the rewards. The gem was not merely a stone; it was a symbol of intellectual victory.
The second treasure was discovered twenty-one years after the first, highlighting the enduring nature of the puzzle. A determined lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio, located the second casque. He followed the protocol, mailed the key, and received a gemstone. The timeline of the hunt is marked by significant gaps, suggesting that the difficulty of the puzzles is substantial, often requiring generational effort to crack. The third treasure was found in Boston, Massachusetts. This discovery involved a serendipitous collaboration with a construction crew. The hunters believed the casque was hidden under the home plate of a softball field, but the area was cordoned off for construction. When a backhoe unearthed white shards of the ceramic casque, the crew alerted the hunters. Although the key was lost or destroyed in the excavation, the hunters were able to assemble the fragments. Photos were sent to Preiss's family. Joellen Trilling, the artist who painted the casques and the last living member of the original project team, was able to positively identify the shards as authentic. This event underscored the fragility of the physical artifacts against the permanence of the intellectual challenge.
The scope of the treasure hunt encompasses a wide geographical range. Preiss buried his twelve treasures in diverse locations across North America, from the East Coast to the Midwest and the West Coast, and even into Canada. The remaining unsolved puzzles are scattered across major cities and historic sites, creating a national scavenger hunt that has spanned four decades. The locations associated with the unsolved puzzles include San Francisco, Charleston, Roanoke Island, St. Augustine, New Orleans, Houston, Montreal, Milwaukee, and New York City. Each location corresponds to a specific pairing of an image number and a verse number, creating a matrix of clues that solvers must decode.
The structure of the clues relies on the interplay between text and image. The book does not use a single universal cipher or a common code that unlocks all puzzles. While a few puzzles interrelate, the majority can be solved independently. This independence allows solvers to tackle the hunt in fragments, focusing on specific image-verse combinations. The clues served two basic functions: to direct the solver to a general region and to pinpoint the exact burial spot within that region. The complexity lies in the fact that the visual clues are often abstract or surreal, requiring deep analysis of the artistic intent. The artists involved, including John Palencar and Joellen Trilling, created a visual dialect that has proven difficult for the average reader to decipher.
The social dynamic of the hunt has evolved from a solo endeavor to a community effort. Preiss's original concept involved a small circle of friends—Sean, Ted, John Palencar, John Pierard, and Overton Loyd—who collaborated on the creation of the book. However, the legacy has expanded into a multigenerational search. Communities of enthusiasts have formed, sharing theories, coordinates, and decoding strategies online. This communal aspect has become as valuable as the gemstones themselves. The hunt fosters camaraderie, competition, and a shared sense of adventure. The desire to solve the puzzles often transcends the material reward; the gems are valued at roughly $1,000, a modest sum in the world of gemology, but they serve as a tangible acknowledgment of a complex intellectual feat.
The fate of Byron Preiss adds a layer of tragedy and continuity to the hunt. Preiss passed away in a traffic accident in 2005. At the time of his death, he left no notes regarding the locations of the remaining nine treasures. The burden of the hunt passed to his wife and daughters, who have continued to oversee the exchange of keys for gemstones. This transition from the creator's personal stewardship to a family trust ensures the hunt continues. The family has confirmed that they will continue to award the remaining gemstones in Preiss's memory. This commitment keeps the hunt alive, even as the original creator is gone.
The nature of the gemstones themselves requires examination. While the text mentions an emerald was the first prize, the specific types of gemstones for the remaining treasures are not detailed in the provided records. The consistent valuation of approximately $1,000 suggests a selection of semi-precious or mid-range precious stones. In the context of gemology, an emerald of this value would likely be a treated stone or a lower-clarity specimen, sufficient to be a prize but not an investment-grade gem. The lack of specific gemological data in the source material suggests the focus of the Preiss hunt remains firmly on the puzzle, not the mineralogical properties of the rewards. The gem is the trophy, not the primary object of study for the solver.
The geographical distribution of the remaining puzzles offers a map of American cultural landmarks. The unsolved locations include major urban centers and historical sites. San Francisco, New York City, and Montreal represent cosmopolitan hubs, while Charleston, St. Augustine, and Roanoke Island evoke historical depth. The puzzle design requires the solver to understand not just the text and image, but the cultural and geographical context of these cities. For instance, the San Francisco puzzle (Image 1, Verse 7) is tied to a specific location within the city, likely Golden Gate Park or a nearby historic site, as suggested by correspondence with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. Letters from hopeful solvers to the Parks Department indicate that the location is near a specific landmark, such as an old concrete totem pole, demonstrating how the clues require local knowledge.
The difficulty of the hunt is further evidenced by the correspondence with municipal authorities. Phil Ginsburg, head of the San Francisco parks department, notes that the search is the "proverbial needle in the haystack." The department has even established a formal process for dig requests, acknowledging the legitimacy of the hunt. This official recognition highlights how the hunt has permeated local civic engagement. Solvers must navigate not only the cryptographic riddles but also the bureaucratic and legal requirements of digging in public parks. The construction incident in Boston serves as a cautionary tale; even when the location is known, the physical retrieval of the casque can be complicated by urban development.
The artistic collaboration behind The Secret is a critical component of its enduring mystery. The book was not the work of a single author but a collective effort. Joellen Trilling's ceramic casques were unique art pieces, each distinct. The images created by John Jude Palencar were designed to confuse, as noted in the description of the project as a "community of friends" endeavor. This collaborative origin implies that the clues are multilayered, drawing on the specific styles and hidden meanings embedded by the artists. The fact that the remaining puzzles are unsolved after decades suggests that the artistic coding was exceptionally complex, perhaps utilizing a language of symbols that has yet to be fully deciphered by the public.
The status of the twelve treasures can be summarized by the current state of the hunt. Three have been solved, leaving nine remaining. The distribution of these nine unsolved puzzles spans a wide array of North American locations. The table below outlines the known pairings and their current status, illustrating the geographical spread and the specific clue combinations that solvers must decode.
| Image Number | Poem Number | Status | Likely Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Unsolved | San Francisco, CA |
| 2 | 6 | Unsolved | Charleston, SC |
| 3 | 11 | Unsolved | Roanoke Island, NC |
| 4 | 4 | Solved | Cleveland, OH |
| 5 | 12 | Solved | Chicago, IL |
| 6 | 9 | Unsolved | St Augustine, FL |
| 7 | 2 | Unsolved | New Orleans, LA |
| 8 | 1 | Unsolved | Houston, TX |
| 9 | 5 | Unsolved | Montreal, QC |
| 10 | 8 | Unsolved | Milwaukee, WI |
| 11 | 3 | Solved | Boston, MA |
| 12 | 10 | Unsolved | New York City, NY |
The table above illustrates the remaining challenge. Each row represents a distinct puzzle that requires the synthesis of a visual image and a poetic verse. The "Status" column indicates that while the locations are generally known (e.g., "San Francisco"), the exact coordinates within those cities remain hidden. The "Likely Location" is derived from the correspondence and historical context of the hunt, but the precise spot where the casque was buried remains the "needle in the haystack" that solvers must find.
The philosophical underpinning of the Preiss hunt suggests that the true reward is the process itself. As noted in the community discussions, the hunt was created by a community of friends, and it is believed that a community of friends is the only way to solve the remaining puzzles. This sentiment reflects a shift from the solitary "treasure hunter" to a collaborative effort. The online platforms dedicated to the hunt, such as 12treasures.com, serve as repositories for the collective intelligence of the solvers. The goal of these platforms is to aggregate all available information into an open medium, allowing the community to work together.
The legacy of Byron Preiss endures not because of the gemstones, but because of the enduring human drive to solve a complex puzzle. The hunt has become a multigenerational search, with new solvers picking up where their predecessors left off. The fact that the hunt has persisted for over forty years, surviving the death of its creator and the changing landscape of the locations, speaks to the power of the design. The gemstones are the capstone of the experience, but the journey of decoding the images, matching the verses, and navigating the physical search for the casques is the true prize.
In terms of the gemstones themselves, while the specific variety of the remaining prizes is not explicitly listed for every case, the consistency of the prize value ($1,000) suggests a curated selection of gems. The first prize was an emerald. The second and third prizes were also gemstones of similar value. The family's commitment to awarding these stones ensures that the hunt remains a valid contest. The gemstones serve as a physical manifestation of the victory, a token that validates the intellectual labor of the solver.
The complexity of the puzzles is further emphasized by the lack of a "common key" or universal cipher. Each puzzle is a self-contained system, though some interrelate. This design prevents a single "hack" from solving the entire hunt. Instead, solvers must approach each image-verse pair with a fresh analytical eye. The visual clues are often surreal or abstract, requiring an understanding of the specific artistic language used by the original team. The collaboration of artists and writers created a layered code that has resisted decryption for decades.
The geographical scope of the hunt is vast, covering the contiguous United States and parts of Canada. This distribution means that solvers from different regions can focus on local puzzles, creating a decentralized but unified community of hunters. The involvement of local authorities, such as the San Francisco Parks Department, indicates that the hunt has moved from a private game to a public phenomenon. The formal requests for digging permits show that the hunt has entered the realm of civic engagement, where the public sector acknowledges the legitimacy of the search.
The story of the Boston discovery highlights the fragility of the physical evidence. The fact that the casque was damaged by construction work, leaving only shards, demonstrates that the physical artifacts are vulnerable to the passage of time and urban development. However, the ability of the community to identify the shards as authentic through the original artist, Joellen Trilling, confirms the continuity of the hunt. Even when the physical key is lost, the intellectual victory remains, and the family is willing to award the gemstone based on the identification of the casque.
The Preiss gemstones are, therefore, more than mere minerals; they are symbols of a cultural phenomenon. They represent the culmination of a decades-long intellectual challenge that has engaged a global community. The hunt is a testament to the power of collaborative problem-solving and the enduring human desire to uncover secrets. The specific types of gems are secondary to the experience of the hunt itself, which continues to thrive through the efforts of a dedicated community. The remaining nine puzzles stand as a challenge to future generations, waiting for the next group of solvers to crack the code and claim their prize.
The enduring nature of the hunt is evident in the ongoing correspondence and the active online forums. The community's belief that "a community of friends is the only way to solve it" underscores the social dimension of the puzzle. This collaborative approach has allowed the hunt to survive the death of its creator and the evolution of the landscape. The gemstones remain the ultimate goal, but the path to them is a journey of discovery that transcends the material reward.
The Preiss treasure hunt is a unique intersection of literature, art, geography, and cryptography. The gemstones are the capstone of this intersection, but the true value lies in the intellectual engagement. The remaining nine puzzles offer a rich field for future exploration, with each location holding a secret that has yet to be fully revealed. The hunt is a living archive of creativity, where the past and present converge in a shared quest for the hidden keys.
Conclusion
The Byron Preiss gemstones are the tangible rewards of one of the most complex and enduring treasure hunts in modern history. While the stones themselves are valued at approximately $1,000, their significance lies in the rigorous intellectual challenge required to claim them. The hunt, initiated in 1982, has evolved into a multigenerational community effort, with only three of the twelve treasures recovered to date. The remaining nine puzzles, scattered across North America, represent a continuing mystery that relies on the synthesis of poetic verses and surreal illustrations. The legacy of Preiss is preserved not just in the gems, but in the collaborative spirit of the solvers who continue to search for the buried casques, proving that the true treasure is the shared adventure itself.