Jake Ingebrigtson, left, looks at his new friend Rob Brass, right, during a press conference at the Pioneer Press in Saint Paul, Minn. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007. Ingebrigtson found the Winter Carnival Medallion after Brass shared some of his ideas on cracking a clue. (Brandi Jade Thomas / Pioneer Press)
By PIONEER PRESS | news@pioneerpress.com
A self-proclaimed “Medallionator” found the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion in a record number of clues Tuesday, nabbing the valuable puck after only three hints.
Jake Ingebrigtson, 27, turned the medallion into the Pioneer Press shortly after 5 p.m. He found the medallion at 3:30 p.m. in Hidden Falls Park.
He picked up the treasure packed in ice with logos for Ford and the United Auto Workers Union. St. Paul’s Ford plant is near the medallion site.
No one has ever found the medallion after so few clues in the contest, which the newspaper created in 1952.
The previous daily record was five clues, which has happened twice. Last year’s victors discovered the medallion after six of the 12 clues, which has occurred three times.
In 1980, a couple found the medallion after five clues on the third day, when the Pioneer Press was published twice daily.
Ingebrigtson, one of many medallion hunters featured in the 2005 documentary “No Time for Cold Feet,” told the filmmakers that he reserves two weeks of vacation each year for the hunt.
Ingebrigston earned a $10,000 prize. The prize includes an automatic $2,500 award, $2,500 for providing clippings of the clues and $5,000 for having a registered 2007 Winter Carnival button. He also gets $1,200 worth of groceries from Treasure Hunt sponsor Cub Foods.
Copyright 2007 Pioneer Press.