James Sanborn plans to auction the 97-character plaintext of K4 from his Kryptos sculpture. Despite amateur and professional attempts, K4 remains unsolved except for Sanborn's knowledge. Having faced inaccuracies from those claiming to solve the code, he seeks to control the sale and its future implications. Approaching his 80th birthday, he desires financial support during his later years, with proceeds aimed at helping programs for the disabled. The auction will be conducted by RR Auction, with reserves set around $300,000.
"I wanted to be of sound mind and body when it happened, so I could control it in some way," says Sanborn, who is turning 80 around the time the bidding will commence in November.
"I'm auctioning off the 97-character plaintext of K4, which is the secret of Kryptos," Sanborn tells me. He's even throwing in a curved metal plate that he used as a cutting sample for the panel that now sits at the agency.
Sanborn has hinted that auctioning off the secret was a possibility, most recently in a March interview he did with me. At the time, he was frustrated by idiots triumphantly and inaccurately claiming they had cracked the code with artificial intelligence.
Part of the proceeds, he says, will go to programs for the disabled. The bidding will be handled by RR Auction and the reserve, he says, should be around $300,000.
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