Each of the five chapters of Treasure related to a particular county in “Middle England.” Within the chapter was clues to eight gold coins and one lute tuning key. Finding the coins indicated where to look for numbers and letters in the book, which led to an eight-figure Ordnance Survey National Grid number (a UK-only, manually calculated precursor to today's GPS) where one would find the bronze lute key. The lute key earned the finder an original painting from the book.
Many of the individual county coins and lute keys were found relatively quickly, but the final master riddle (corresponding to a sixth lute key and the final prize) remained a significant barrier until solver Button’s breakthrough after only 4-months of his participation (over a year into the hunt).
Some hunters felt the decreasing-value prize punished them for the puzzle’s extreme difficulty. According to the Retford, Gainsborough and Worksop Times (May 2, 1996): “Around 7,000 treasure hunters joined in the search for the hidden treasure.”
Information on solution and solvers can be found at The Armchair Treasure Hunt Club's Treasure page.
