Sold For $962,500
*Includes Buyers Premium
Jim Sanborn's original Kryptos archive that reveals the secrets of K4 and the much anticipated K5, plus an afternoon with Sanborn as he personally explains each document and demonstrates how these materials unlock the complete Kryptos mystery.
The collection includes the original handwritten plaintext of K4 with a signed typed letter from cryptographer Ed Scheidt, the original coding charts used to create K1, K2, and K3, the original coding system for K4, an unpublished 1988 alternate of the K1 plaintext and coding chart, an unpublished 1988 alternate of the K4 plaintext and coding chart now known as K5, and the handwritten signed Kryptos plaintexts used for screen cutting K4 (2 pieces). These are the working documents that Jim Sanborn created and used to construct Kryptos.
The secret within the secret, carries a deeper layer of the mystery where solving K4 is not the end, but possibly a beginning. The winning bidder will be the first to learn what lies beyond K4 and gain exclusive access to the highly anticipated K5.
During the private afternoon session, Sanborn will walk the new owner through the original Kryptos archive, explaining how each piece reveals the secrets of both K4, K5, and the broader Kryptos project. This includes both the physical archive and the complete knowledge from creator to collector.
The Kryptos Archive: [For reasons of secrecy, no photos will be provided of items 1–7]
1. the original handwritten plaintext of the K4 code, with a signed typed letter from cryptographer Ed Scheidt
2. the original coding system for K4
3. handwritten signed Kryptos plain texts used for screen cutting K4 (2 pieces)
4. the original coding charts used to create K1, K2, and K3
5. original unpublished 1988 alternate K1 plaintext and coding chart
6. original unpublished 1988 alternate K4 plaintext and coding chart now known as K5
7. the original scrambled texts shown to the Department of Historical Intelligence
8. a private afternoon session with Jim Sanborn, who will personally walk the winning bidder through the plaintext codes, coding charts, and all archive materials, including K5
9. a U.S. Government "Escort Required" badge issued to Jim Sanborn for access to the CIA grounds
10. a color photograph of the original model submitted to the CIA panel in 1988 (Jim Sanborn photograph)
11. a 3/8" thick 12"x 24" Kryptos "proof of concept" curved copper plate, 1988, signed "J.S.1988"
12. a photograph in Sanborn's studio during the cutting of the Kryptos code, with the copper "proof of concept" piece on the table in the background (Jim Sanborn photograph)
13. a signed black and white photo of Jim Sanborn with one of the curved Kryptos copper plates, 1990 (photograph courtesy of the artist)
14. a copy of the original signed GSA contract for the Kryptos commission with an original front page
15. an original copy of the speeches given by William Webster and Jim Sanborn at the dedication ceremony
16. the original CIA color photograph of William Webster receiving the code to Kryptos from Jim Sanborn at the small dedication ceremony in 1991 (CIA staff photographer)
17. an original copy of the dedication pamphlet signed by William Webster
The Kryptos sculpture, created by American artist Jim Sanborn, was installed in 1990 on the grounds of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, under the auspices of CIA director William Webster. Crafted from curved copper plates inscribed with a mysterious coded text, Kryptos was conceived as a meditation on secrecy, language, and the hidden nature of intelligence work. Sanborn collaborated with retired CIA cryptographer Edward Scheidt. Together, they developed four distinct encrypted passages (K1–K4) meant to challenge both professional and amateur codebreakers, merging art with the mystique of espionage.
Since its installation, Kryptos has become one of the most famous unsolved codes in modern history. Of the sculpture's four coded sections, the first three were deciphered in the 1990s by a CIA analyst, an independent cryptographer, and the NSA, revealing a blend of poetic text, a cryptic description of something "buried out there somewhere," and a paraphrase of Howard Carter's account of the opening of King Tutankhamun's tomb. The fourth section, known simply as K4,has transformed Kryptos into a cultural phenomenon—part artwork, part riddle, and part spy legend.
Sanborn has periodically released hints to assist aspiring K4 codebreakers, including fragments of plaintext such as "BERLIN" and "CLOCK." Yet even with these clues, the full meaning of K4 has resisted decryption. The enduring mystery of Kryptos speaks to the tension between knowledge and secrecy—a fitting metaphor for its home at the CIA. More than three decades after its unveiling, Kryptos continues to intrigue and frustrate codebreakers around the world, standing as both a masterpiece of cryptographic art and a monument to the power of the unknown.
Recent Developments Regarding K4:
In early September 2025, two independent researchers discovered archival materials related to K4 during research at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art. From these materials, they were able to derive the K4 plaintext. Upon being notified, the Smithsonian immediately sealed Sanborn's archives for 50 years to protect Sanborn's intellectual property rights.
As reported in The New York Times on October 16, 2025, the researchers have stated they do not plan to release the solution.
The materials in this auction provide the only authorized path to understanding how K4 functions as an artistic statement. As noted by Elonka Dunin, one of the world's leading Kryptos researchers, "If they don't have the method, it's not solved." While others may possess the plain text, what they do not and cannot have is the method with which K4 was encoded or the artwork's complete artistic vision.
Even if the K4 text one day surfaces publicly, only the winning bidder will possess Sanborn's explanation of the relationship between K4 and K5, and what the complete message truly means. This auction therefore represents something more valuable than access to a solution—it offers exclusive understanding of Sanborn's complete artistic vision, a secret that has never been shared and will be revealed only once, during the private afternoon session with the artist himself.
The Kryptos archives have not been shared with RR Auction and remain in the possession of Jim Sanborn. RR Auction is relying on Sanborn's representation of the contents and has not independently examined or verified the materials. Bidders acknowledge that the intellectual content of Kryptos, including the K4 plaintext, may become publicly known through independent research or disclosure.
