Masquerade treasure hunt golden hare sold for £82k at auction

A golden hare that sparked a treasure hunt has sold at auction for a hammer price of £82,550.

In 1979, artist Kit Williams buried the handcrafted 18-carat gold jewel, then worth about £5,000, in Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire, with TV presenter Bamber Gascoigne as the sole witness.

Mr Williams created Masquerade, a book filled with cryptic riddles pointing to the hare’s location, which attracted treasure hunters from around the globe before it was finally unearthed in 1982.

The hare was auctioned by Sotheby’s, having previously been sold by the same auction house in 1988.

It had been buried in Ampthill Park inside a terracotta casket and sealed with wax to evade metal detectors.

Members of the public would call and write letters to Mr Williams for advice on finding the treasure.

The artist toured America and appeared on talk shows after the art book containing clues had sold out within two days.

One transatlantic airline sold tickets for ’10-day Masquerade Treasure Tours’ where travellers were given shovels and maps of Britain.

It was uncovered by a man named Dugald Thompson under the fake name Ken Thomas.

The elusive treasure hunter insisted on covering his face with a scarf and would only be interviewed from behind a screen.

It later sparked controversy when a newspaper uncovered a link between Mr Thomas and Mr Williams’ ex-girlfriend, who had remembered visiting Ampthill years before.

The golden hare, given the name Jack, is set with a ruby eye and a body design that includes flowhead motifs, each set with turquoise.

It previously sold for £31,900 in an 1988 auction and has remained with the same family ever since.

Mr Williams said: “The current owners have been good and generous guardians of the Masquerade Jewel, agreeing to put it on public exhibition at the V&A Museum and at the Sydney Opera House.

“But Jack Hare is preparing for another leap into the unknown on his unpredictable Quest! I watch with great interest where he might land this time!”

The hare had been expected to sell for between £10,000 and £20,000.

Sotheby’s head of sale and fine jewellery, Tabitha Downer, said there had been steady offers before “a real frenzy of competitive bidding” culminating in it selling for £82,550.

She added that it was purchased by a UK-based private collector.