What is Project Skydrop? Hunt for golden treasure appears to lead to Massachusetts

By Phil Tenser

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    AMHERST, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Somewhere in western Massachusetts or at the southern border of Vermont, a real-life treasure hunt is intensifying.

Project Skydrop is the creation of New Hampshire-based game designer Jason Rohrer and California-based Tom Bailey.

Every day a map on their website is updated with a narrower circle indicating the possible area where the treasure may be hidden. It began at 500 miles in diameter, stretching from western Pennsylvania to Cape Cod, but is now narrowed to 45 miles and nearly all of the search area is within Massachusetts.

Made of 10 ounces of 24-karat yellow gold, Project Skydrop’s treasure is approximately 4 inches tall and 3 inches wide at the top. Project Skydrop estimates it is worth $26,628.60, based on the price of gold.

In addition to the value of the golden treasure, organizers say they are also accumulating $20 entry fees from treasure hunters into a “bounty” that will be paid out to the winner through Bitcoin. As of Monday morning, the bounty was more than $72,150.

According to the website, those who join are also given aerial photographic clues about the location of the treasure.

Project Skydrop’s website claims that the key to retrieving the Bitcoin is somewhere on the treasure itself.

Webcams posted by Project Skydrop show the treasure sitting on the ground in a wooded area, surrounded by leaf litter. So far, only small animals like a squirrel and an opossum have been seen on the cameras.

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