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What does it take to channel the spirit of Jacques Cousteau and search for secret treasures?

For Jon Collins-Black, this question sparked an exciting journey that led him to hide five treasure chests across the United States.

His new book, “There’s Treasure Inside,” offers tips for avid treasure hunters and sends them on an expedition to find hidden chests with a total prize value of more than $2 million.

A lifelong fantasy enthusiast, Collins-Black has been immersed in games and mythical adventures such as Dungeons & Dragons since childhood.

In 2015, the successful musician and entrepreneur was looking for a change and imagined a project that would help him reconnect with his younger imagination.

Motivated by Forrest Fenn’s infamous treasure hunt in 2010, Collins-Black dreamed of creating something more personal and accessible. Instead of Fenn’s single chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains, Collins-Black imagined multiple finds that would give every person across the country the opportunity to be closer to one of the chests.

“I wanted the chests spread out to give people the opportunity to be optimistic and adventurous,” he said.

With a creative background in writing, from poetry to children’s book publishing, Collins-Black combined his skills to produce “There’s Treasure Inside,” aiming to entertain even those who don’t plan on searching for the treasure.

Each chapter contains detailed clues that lead to one of the five chests.

Although Collins-Black is unclear about the details of the book, he promises that anyone can find the treasure. “All the clues you need are in the book,” he said.

To protect the integrity of the search, Collins-Black worked with as few strategists and editors as possible to prevent tips from becoming public. He even decided to keep the locations of the treasures a secret from his wife.

“I couldn’t really consult other people because I didn’t want to put the burden on them,” he said.

Since he had no clear plan for such an ambitious project, he experimented through trial and error, carefully programming the difficulty of the clues.

“There’s Treasure Inside” has already caused a stir, with thousands of participants gathering on discussion channels like Discord to share their theories. According to Collins-Black, many are even confident that they can pinpoint the states where the treasure is located.

Adventurers don’t have to worry about their safety while searching, he says. No dangerous underwater exploration, climbing, or trespassing on private property is required, and anyone of average health can travel to the sites. And it’s important to know that you don’t have to dig to find the treasure.

While Collins-Black wants the treasure hunt to be challenging, he is clear about the timeline: “I hope and think it might take a while, but I don’t want it to take forever,” he said.

If the chests remain undiscovered for several years, he believes he will release more clues – or perhaps even a sequel – to bring his search to life.

Collins-Black has carefully curated the treasures hidden within the chests to appeal to a wide range of interests and provide an unparalleled treasure hunting experience.

Working with historians, Collins-Black attended auctions until he assembled the perfect, one-of-a-kind collection. He financed the pieces with money he saved from early Bitcoin investments.

“I was like a kid in a candy store,” he said.

In the chests, searchers can look forward to finding items such as rare Pokémon cards, shipwreck rewards, sports memorabilia, gold, and valuable medals.

Some of the most valuable possessions are those with historical significance, including items that belonged to or were made by Pablo Picasso, George Washington, Amelia Earhart and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

While the chests wait to be discovered, the value of many items continues to rise.

For Collins-Black, it’s almost impossible to pick a favorite piece from the lot, but a few specific pieces – a brooch that once belonged to Jackie Onassis, a 96-carat emerald and Wilma Rudolph’s 1960 Olympic gold medal – have a special place in his heart.

The only item on his wish list that he was unable to secure was an Albert Einstein pipe, which he lost in a bidding war.

One chest was intentionally made larger and more valuable than the others to raise the stakes.

“I wanted to add more value to a treasure chest than ever before,” Collins-Black said.

With clues to be uncovered and treasures to be discovered, the search is now officially on – will you be the one to find the grand prize?