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Ep. 246: The Fenn Treasure

Published: 2020-11-09 10:00:00
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Steven Rinella talks with Benjamin Wallace, Spencer Neuharth, Corinne Schneider, and Phil Taylor. 

Topics discussed: Ben's article and Spencer's article; topless vs. shirtless; the world's most expensive bottle of wine; the Fenn cache of Clovis points and the Fenn Treasure of gold and jewels; when a Playboy Bunny is gifted a mummified baby crocodile; creating a treasure hunt that leads to your dead body; what is 10” x 10” and weighs 42lbs?; when the FBI gets involved; the searchers, the supersearchers, and the solves; the folks who died while hunting the treasure; getting rescued off the side of a cliff but then running away because you're paranoid about agents making you reveal your secrets; Hebgen Lake as The Fire Hole; where warm waters halt; eye tracking technology; calling bullshit!; a bronze-sniffing dog; the psychological profile of the Fenn chasers; kangaroo words giving latitude and longitude coordinates; Yellowstone National Park; Steve's idea about getting credit card records to figure out which gas stations Fenn's family stopped at; have we all been duped?: back to Spencer's enthusiasms around rock hounding; an invitation to go do something wild; and more.

 

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Referenced Books

The Billionaire's Vinegar
by Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace discusses a book he wrote about the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, supposedly a 1787 Bordeaux that belonged to Thomas Jefferson, discovered in Paris in the mid-1980s. The book explores whether it was authentic or a con perpetrated by Hardy Rodenstock. While the specific title isn't mentioned in this excerpt, it's clearly identified as a book Wallace authored.
Referenced at 00:00:09
Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
Referenced as 'Catchering the Rye' (likely a transcription error) when discussing treasure hunt clues. The speaker mentions J.D. Salinger's publisher Little Brown and connects it to the 'Home of Brown' clue in the treasure poem. The speaker recommends reading it: 'if you haven't, go read its phenomenal book.'
Referenced at 00:00:09
The Thrill of the Chase
by Forrest Fenn
Forrest Fenn's self-published memoir containing the 24-line, six-stanza poem that provides clues to the treasure's location. The book was published in summer 2010 when Fenn hid the treasure. Later mentioned that this first book's profits went to the bookstore Collected Works, not to Fenn himself.
Referenced at 00:00:09
The Adventurer's Son: A Memoir
by Roman Dial
Referenced in context of a previous podcast episode. Roman Dial wrote a book about searching for his missing son in Costa Rica, who was initially presumed murdered but was actually killed by a tree that fell in a storm. The speaker draws a parallel to the unsatisfying nature of the Fenn treasure mystery resolution.
Referenced at 00:00:09
Light in the Forest
by Conrad Richter
Mentioned at the very end of the transcript when Steve says Spencer will return with evidence about squirrels, 'including a book by the author, the same author who wrote Light in the Forest.' The specific author name is not provided in this excerpt.
Referenced at 00:00:09