Stack's Bowers Galleries is turning October into a nationwide scavenger hunt for rare coins, hiding $40,000 worth of numismatic prizes across four cities starting with Miami. Treasure Hunt 2026 will roll through Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Boston, with a fresh prize certificate tucked away at a different spot every day of each city's five-day run.
The event is free to join, and according to Popular Science, hunters can sign up on the event website for exclusive updates and early clues before each hunt kicks off. Each of the four participating galleries will give away $10,000 worth of collectibles, with individual prizes ranging from roughly $300 up to a grand prize valued around $3,500, the outlet reports.
Miami Kicks Off the Hunt With Shipwreck Lore
The hunt begins in Miami from Oct. 6 through 10, according to the same Popular Science report. As reported by Cleveland.com, the Miami hunt will highlight the city's history of shipwreck treasure. Clues there will draw on Florida's coastal history and shipwreck treasure lore, according to CoinNews.
From there, the hunt heads to Philadelphia, though the exact dates carry a wrinkle. CoinNews reports the Philadelphia hunt runs Oct. 13 through 17, while an older Popular Science page instead lists Oct. 21-25 for that city. Either way, the Philadelphia riddles are expected to tie into the beginnings of American coinage and currency, per CoinNews, fitting for a city that is home to the first U.S. Mint, which struck the nation's first coins in 1792, according to Cleveland.com.
Gold Rush Clues Head West to San Francisco
San Francisco's turn comes Oct. 20 through 24, the same Popular Science report states. The hunt there channels the spirit of the 1849 Gold Rush, per Cleveland.com, with CoinNews reporting the clues will be inspired by the city's Gold Rush-era history.
The final stop is Boston, running Oct. 27 through 31, according to Popular Science. Boston hosts the closing leg of the hunt, per Cleveland.com, and the city's clues are expected to tie into its streets, parks and centuries of American history, CoinNews reports. Boston dates to 1630, making it one of the oldest cities in the United States, according to CoinWeek.
How to Play and Claim a Prize
Participants are expected to follow city-specific clues and solve riddles tied to each location's history to track down a hidden certificate. Anyone who finds one can take it to the corresponding Stack's Bowers gallery to claim the associated collectible, per CoinNews, and the outlet notes that all four participating galleries accept walk-in visitors.
This isn't the company's first go at the format. Stack's Bowers had already held treasure hunts in Boston and New York in 2025 and ran another giveaway in Miami that October, according to Axios. That earlier Philadelphia hunt offered a 1927 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, minted in the city and worth $3,500, as its grand prize, Axios reported.
The prizes on offer reflect just how valuable old American coins can get. Popular Science notes that a rare $20 double eagle gold coin made during the California Gold Rush sold for $1.44 million in 2024, while a small silver coin struck in 17th-century Boston fetched $2.5 million the same year. Nobody's finding coins worth that much buried on a city sidewalk this October, but for collectors and curious passersby alike, the hunt offers a free shot at a piece of that history.
