In a courtyard at CIA headquarters sits a breathtaking sculpture.
Few people have laid eyes on it. It’s in a part of the agency that’s off-limits to the public.
For the past three decades, this sculpture has held one of the CIA’s greatest mysteries.
But now you have the opportunity to solve this mystery.
And if you can do it, you could potentially earn double-digit returns.
Let me explain.
A Perplexing Sculpture
This is Kryptos:
Designed by a sculptor named Jim Sanborn, it’s been a source of fascination and mystery for professional and amateur cryptologists since it was erected in 1990.
You see, along with wood, water, and stone, the sculpture consists of four panels of letters, hand-cut through curved copper sheets. Those letters form a secret code.
The panels are referred to as K1, K2, K3, and K4. Thanks to the efforts of some of the most brilliant minds in the world, panels K1 through K3 have been decoded.
But K4, the last and briefest passage, has resisted all attempts to crack it:
Only Sanborn knows the hidden message. And he’s kept it a secret for thirty-five years.
But now he’s ready to share his secret…
Up for Auction
On November 20, Sanborn’s secret will be sold to the highest bidder.
RR Auction, the company arranging the sale, expects the winning bid will be around $400,000.
That’s a lot of money. The question is: would it be a good investment?
Let’s take a look.
Is it Worth It?
Since 1990, Sanborn has received tens of thousands of emails from sleuths who believe they’ve cracked the code. But about ten years ago, he started charging $50 to respond to these emails, letting recipients know how right — or wrong — their guesses were.
“There’s one guy who’s done it once a week for a decade, every week,” Sanborn told the New York Times. “Despite all of my protestations and encouragements not to do it any more… I finally gave up, and he continues to do it.”
Since he started charging for responses, Sanborn estimates he’s earned $40,000 — about ten percent of the projected winning bid at auction.
But if you owned of the code, you could decide how best to monetize it. For example, maybe you’d decide to market the puzzle more widely, and then charge $100 per response.
If you earned $40,000 per year from it, that would equate to a 10% annual return on your $400,000 investment.
The Pros and Cons
From an investment perspective, an opportunity like this certainly has pros and cons.
On the pro side:
This is a chance to invest in an exciting asset that’s uncorrelated to the stock market. So even if the market drops, this sculpture could hold its value. Furthermore, as we mentioned above, it offers the potential to deliver significant, ongoing income.
On the con side:
Few of us have $400,000 to invest in an intriguing asset that has little intrinsic value.
But if what you’re looking for is an exciting investment that’s uncorrelated to the stock market and offers significant upside potential, here’s an idea for you: startup investing!
An Alternative Idea
Investing in startups offers many benefits, including:
Diversification— Even if stocks drop, startups can maintain or even increase their value.
Market-Beating Returns — Over the last 25 years, on average, startups have returned 58% per year. That’s five, six, seven times higher than stocks. And if you end up investing in a startup like Facebook or Uber or Airbnb, you might be set for life.
The Excitement Factor — From drones and robots to AI and med-tech devices, startups are creating products and services on the cutting-edge — very exciting, indeed.
Furthermore, you can get started with as little as $100.
To learn more, check out our weekly Deals email. It lands in your inbox every Monday at 11 am EST. Or, visit our deals page anytime right here »
In the meantime, to learn more about the CIA sculpture and upcoming auction, click here »
Happy investing.
Best Regards,
Editor
Crowdability.com
