Does anyone remember the book Masquerade? It came out in 1979, and it was a gorgeous book of pictures telling the story of Jack Hare carrying a treasure from the moon to the sun, but the gimmick was that if you could identify all the clues, you’d find the treasure. I remember being completely confused by this at age 8—I sort of understood that the way the rabbit was pointing in each picture indicated you should go that direction, but the rest of it was like when you visit another family that has a lot of in-jokes and shorthand; you speak the language, and you follow along just enough to know that 90 percent of what is going on is flying over your head.

I was astute enough to assume that since the author was British, this treasure was not hidden in Moline, Illinois, but that did not stop my friend Kristin and me from going on a few expeditions through ravines and parking lots to look for it of an afternoon. (It was Kristin’s book. It was probably my idea to poke around in the bushes.)

Within a few months, we both forgot about it entirely.

And it wasn’t until 2010 that I remembered this story and Googled it, to learn that someone actually found the treasure in 1982. It was a a golden hare, crafted from 18-carat gold and jewels, first valued at £5,000, later deemed worth £31,900.

Two physics teachers figured it out generally speaking, but didn’t know quite where to dig because it was the wrong time of year for the sun to hit some key point. By the time the sun came around, someone else had found it—through dicey means, as it turned out. There was a bit of scandal because it was leaked that the guy got key info from the author’s ex-girlfriend. When his company went belly up, he had to sell the bauble. It sold at auction for the second amount listed above, and sank into obscurity. When the 40^th anniversary rolled around, the owner popped up and agreed to put the item on display at an anniversary event with the author.

I wonder if a stunt like this could gain traction today. I’d love to read about THAT in the news instead of what I’ve been reading lately!