A jewelled golden hare that sparked a national treasure hunt in 1979 is to be auctioned for the first time in nearly 37 years. Sotheby's will offer the piece, estimated at £15,000 to £20,000, in its London Fine Jewels Sale, an online auction concluding on Friday, 28 November.
The necklace was inspired by Jack Hare, the central figure of Kit Williams’s picture book Masquerade. The book became a publishing phenomenon, not only for its enchanting illustrations and story but for the intricate clues it contained, leading readers to the real-life artefact Williams had created and buried.
Williams, alongside former University Challenge presenter Bamber Gascoigne, secretly interred the 18-carat gold jewel in the English countryside of Bedfordshire in 1979. It was placed near a cross-shaped monument dedicated to Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. The hare, adorned with gemstones, was concealed within a terracotta casket bearing an inscription.
The location could only be deciphered by solving riddles embedded within the book. While two physics teachers from Manchester correctly solved the clues in 1982, the treasure had already been claimed by another searcher, who had received an approximate location through a connection with Williams's former girlfriend. The hare subsequently vanished from public view after being acquired by an anonymous overseas buyer in the late 1980s.
It remained in a private collection until 2009, when Williams was reunited with his handmade amulet for a BBC Four documentary, The Man Behind The Masquerade, after producers traced the owner to Egypt. The Masquerade Hare features a distinctive ruby eye and intricate depictions of a rodent, bird, and frog.
Other notable items in the sale include Elizabeth Taylor's turquoise cuff, estimated at £5,000 to £7,000, and a diamond and imitation pearl necklace once owned by author Dame Barbara Cartland.
