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No digging needed: $10,000 in prizes up for grabs in San Francisco treasure hunt
Nothing will be buried, and participants won’t need to dig or enter restricted areas.
A modern-day Gold Rush is coming to San Francisco with $10,000 worth of rare coins and collectibles up for grabs in a citywide treasure hunt.
ByCameron Bopp
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 2:53AM
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) –A modern-day Gold Rush is coming to San Francisco with $10,000 worth of rare coins and collectibles up for grabs in a citywide treasure hunt.
The hunt runs Tuesday, Oct. 20, through Saturday, Oct. 24. Each day, a prize certificate will be hidden at a different iconic San Francisco landmark.
Clues will be posted daily at noon on the Instagram account @stacksbowers_sf. The first person to find each certificate can bring it to Stack’s Bowers Galleries at 333 Pine Street to claim their prize.
The five prizes have a combined value of $10,000, including Saturday’s grand prize, an 1877 gold coin minted in San Francisco, now worth about $4,500.
“Well, back in the day, it was only worth $20. But now it’s like a $4,500 coin,” said Joe Pielago, store manager of Stack’s Bowers Galleries in San Francisco. “It’s appreciated a little bit.”
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The treasure hunt is part of a nationwide event organized by Stack’s Bowers Galleries, a rare coin and currency dealer that has been in business for nearly a century. The company is giving away $40,000 in prizes across four cities, including Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Boston.
In previous cities, hidden cameras captured treasure hunters arriving at the hiding spots just minutes after clues were posted online.
“I heard it was like organized chaos, you know, respectful chaos, if you will,” Pielago said. “But I think people just enjoy the hunt, the thrill of it.”
Pielago, who is helping coordinate the San Francisco hunt, said all five hiding spots will be publicly accessible and connected to recognizable city landmarks. Nothing will be buried, and participants won’t need to dig or enter restricted areas.
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The event also pays tribute to San Francisco’s Gold Rush history and its longtime connection to rare coin production.
“Instead of us taking gold from the field and making coins, we’re kind of putting gold back in the field for everyone to go find,” Pielago said.
For official clues and updates, follow @stacksbowers_sf on Instagram.
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