Compete to crack secrets lost to history—for fun, clout, and (no) profit
Problems › 124
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-08 | Public page prepared from the campaign record |
Two postcards in the Historical Cryptology Portal are addressed to Miss B. Pitman at Sunny Cottage, Piddletrenthide, near Dorchester. Both have open sign-offs from Charlie. HCP1425 pictures Chingford Old Church; HCP1426 pictures High Beech Church in Epping Forest. Each address side carries a dense private field beside the ordinary address.
The first field has eleven physical lines; the second has nine. Baseline dots divide groups, while dots also occur inside some signs. Arches, angles, boxes, crosses, and hooked strokes recur. Similar top-bar forms are especially easy to confuse. The first postmark reads 5 March 1906, one day earlier than its catalogue date; the second is cataloged 14 March but its scanned date is obscured.
The neutral rendering below is the preserved source-reader inventory. The second card’s inventory is preliminary: some broad classes merge subtly different forms, so identical labels are not guaranteed identical signs. Use the linked originals to check those distinctions. Can the private passages be read together?
Source rendering. Line breaks follow the evidence record; square brackets mark uncertainty.
HCP1425, source-only rendering
01 T7-25-01 S02 · S03 S04 T7-25-02 S06 S07 S08 S09 ·
02 S05 S10 S11 S11 S02 · S07 · S12 S15 S19 S10 ·
03 S02 S15 S15 · S04 T7-25-03 S10 · S05 S15 S07 S11 S10 ·
04 S18 S10 S06 S06 · S12 S15 S19 S10 · S02 S15 S15 ·
05 S18 S07 S06 S06 · S06 S07 S13 S10 ·
06 S11 S12 S07 T7-25-04 S14 · S07 · S04 S08 S03 · S11 S07 S06 S06 ·
07 S04 T7-25-05 S10 · S09 S15 S07 S08 S09 · S08 S22 · S14 S11 S04 S08 S04 S09 S10 ·
08 S15 S08 · S11 S12 S15 T7-25-06 S16 S03 S04 S02 · S07 S20
09 S20 S07 S08 S10 · S07 T7-25-07 · S04 T7-25-08 · S06 S06 S08 S09 S07 S08 S09 ·
10 S11 S15 · S14 S10 S10 · S02 S15 S15 · S04 S09 S04 S07 S08
11 S03 S10 S04 T7-25-09
HCP1426, preliminary source-only rendering
01 S01 S02 · S03 S04 S01 S06 S07 S08 S09 · S05 S10 S11 S11 S02 ·
02 S11 S12 S04 S08 S13 S14 · S01 S10 S01 S02 · S01 S15 S03 S12 ·
03 S16 S15 S01 · S08 S07 S17 S10 · S06 S10 S11 S11 S10 S01 ·
04 S07 · S12 S04 S03 · S04 · S16 · S21 · S20 S01 {S05|S06} S13 ·
05 S16 S10 S01 S17 S02 · S02 S10 S14 S11 S10 S01 S03 S04 S02 ·
06 S07 · S12 S15 S19 S10 · S07 S11 · S18 S07 S06 S06 S21 ·
07 S05 S10 · S20 S07 S08 S10 · S11 S06 S08 S07 S09 S12 S11 ·
08 S08 S10 S06 S06 · S07 S14 · S11 S06 S08 S07 S09 S12 S11 ·
09 S09 {S05|[?]} S07 S01 S06 · S07 S14 · S04 · S08 S07 S17 S10 ·
Wide transcriptions scroll sideways within this box.
| # | Solution | By | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solution 124-1 A reading, written up in full | @offgramercy | ACCEPTED |
Still open: One unique sign and one malformed word remain anomalous in the first card
Submit a source or reading if you can resolve it.