Rare Coin Treasure Hunt Kicks Off in Boston

Americans with a taste for adventure and an interest in rare coins have a new opportunity to hunt for treasure—no passport required. Stack's Bowers Galleries, a well-known rare coin dealer and auction house, is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its first auction by launching a public treasure hunt across four US cities. The event, inspired by similar hunts like the Great Canadian Treasure Hunt, will take place in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Miami, where the company has retail locations, Popular Science reports. The hunt will unfold over five days in each city, with clues posted on social media at 10am every day from Tuesday through Saturday about the city landmark where a certificate is hidden.

The hunt kicked off in Boston on Tuesday and will run there until Saturday. New York is next, from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18, followed by Philadelphia from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25 and Miami from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1. Participants who find the certificates for rare coins and banknotes can redeem them at local Stack's Bowers Galleries locations for prizes ranging in value from $300 to about $3,500. In total, about $10,000 worth of prizes are up for grabs. Each winner will also receive a copy of the 2026 Guide Book of United States Coins. Winners have the option to keep their coin or sell it back to the auction house. The event is free to enter, and the company hopes it will generate new interest in coin collecting by showcasing some of the rarities in the field, from Colonial-era silver to currency that's traveled in space.

The daily prize goes to the first person to find the certificate, take a selfie with it, and bring it to the Stack's Bowers Galleries outlet, WCVB reports. Tuesday's riddle was, "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." Coin collector Tim Salerno found the certificate in bushes in the Downtown Crossing shopping district. He plans to keep his prize. "This is a 1907 2.5-dollar gold coin," he tells NBC Boston. "It's a really cool numismatic piece to add to my collection to keep building that legacy from my grandpa."