A Real-Life Treasure Hunt Is Underway in These American Cities
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is hiding certificates for rare coins and banknotes this month as it celebrates the 90th anniversary of its first auction in October 1935
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It may sound like something out of an adventure novel, but a real-life treasure hunt is underway in America.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries, a rare coin dealer and auction house, is hiding “treasure”—in the form of certificates that can be redeemed for rare coins and banknotes—around several East Coast cities this month. The company is organizing the treasure hunt to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its first auction in October 1935.
The festivities kicked off last week in Boston. This week, the firm is hiding the certificates at five iconic locations around New York City, with one location revealed every day for five days. The treasure hunt will next move on to Philadelphia (October 21 through 25) and Miami (October 28 through November 1). The company has storefront retail galleries in each of the cities.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries is posting riddles that double as clues to the hiding spots on social media. For instance, in Boston, one of the clues read:
Where fashion stands in retail grace,
Once stood a store of bygone pace.
Amid the modern, seek the old—
A coin of pine, a cent of gold.
In New York, another riddle was:
Two silent lions guard the way,
Yet wisdom’s tide does not decay.
Beneath the towers where stories rest,
Seek the stone seat where travelers’ guests.
In total, the hunt includes around $10,000 worth of treasures, with individual prizes ranging from $300 to $3,500. In Boston, for instance, the prizes included a 1907 $2.50 gold coin, an 1881 Morgan silver dollar and a 1924 Saint-Gaudens $20 gold piece, per Boston.com’s Frances Klemm.
Fun fact: What are Morgan dollars?
Minted between 1878 and 1921, these coins are named for their designer, George T. Morgan.
Anyone can participate for free in the treasure hunt. And if you do happen to find one of the hidden certificates, the company is asking you to snap a selfie with it, then send the gallery a direct message on social media to claim your prize.
In addition to drumming up business and boosting brand awareness, the company hopes the treasure hunt will encourage more hobbyists to start collecting coins.
“As we look toward our centennial, we continue to spread our love of numismatics to the general public,” says Brian Kendrella, president of Stack’s Bowers Galleries, in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Great Canadian Treasure Hunt is also underway. It’s being organized by the trade publication Northern Miner and other sponsors, and the grand prize is 217 one-ounce gold coins valued at around $700,000 (1 million Canadian dollars), with other smaller prizes along the way.
All of the prizes are hidden on public lands and don’t require any special equipment to reach. “You don’t have to climb any mountains,” Anthony Vaccaro, president of the Northern Miner Group, tells CBC News’ Jonathan Migneault. “You don’t have to cross any wild rivers.”
The primary clue for the Great Canadian Treasure Hunt is a mysterious 13-stanza poem. But additional riddles are also being released as the adventure continues. The contest is only open to residents of Canada. The hunt will end on December 31, 2026, unless the prizes are found sooner.
“The Great Canadian Treasure Hunt is more than a contest. It’s an invitation to explore Canada’s legendary mining roots while flexing your brainpower,” says Vaccaro in a statement. “We want to inspire a new kind of exploration grounded in curiosity, logic and appreciation for Canada’s rich natural history in a way that’s never been done before.”
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