CIA Sculpture’s Final Code Solution Headed to Auction, Reaches $200K

The solution to the last unsolved section of the “Kryptos” sculpture at CIA headquarters is being auctioned off by RR Auction, with current bids exceeding $200,000, a development that could finally reveal a decades-old secret hidden in plain sight.

Created by artist Jim Sanborn and dedicated in 1990, “Kryptos” features four encrypted messages, with the first three deciphered relatively quickly. However, the fourth message, known as K4, has remained a mystery, captivating codebreakers and enthusiasts for 35 years. Sanborn, 79, is auctioning the solution, along with an additional paragraph he’s designated K5, and original coding charts, hoping to find a “keeper” to continue engaging with the sculpture’s dedicated following. The sculpture itself has become a cultural touchstone, even appearing in popular fiction like Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code.”

The auction was briefly disrupted when researchers Jarett Kobek and Richard Byrne discovered the unscrambled text of K4 within Sanborn’s archived papers at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. “It was miserable, and it’s still miserable,” Sanborn said, expressing regret over the accidental exposure, but emphasizing that the method for deciphering the code remains his alone. RR Auction has since acknowledged the discovery in the auction description. The National Security Agency has a long history of employing complex ciphers, and “Kryptos” reflects that tradition.

Despite the discovery of the unscrambled text, Sanborn maintains that the key to unlocking K4 lies in the deciphering method, which he has not revealed. Elonka Dunin, a co-moderator of a large “Kryptos” enthusiast group, noted a strong desire among fans to keep K4 unsolved, at least until its solvability is confirmed. The auction is scheduled to conclude on November 20, and officials anticipate a significant final bid as the cryptographic community awaits the outcome.