San Francisco Treasure Hunt Offers $10,000 Reward, Organizers Urge Caution

The hunt is on for $10,000 in buried treasure hidden somewhere in San Francisco, a year after one lucky seeker found a fortune on another quest in the city.

This year’s search starts, like the previous hunt, on Reddit.

“One year ago we announced here that we buried a $10,000 treasure chest. Many hunters went searching and it was found in just 11 hours,” the hunt’s organizers announced on the subreddit r/sanfransciso late last month. “We did it again.”

The organizers said the treasure chest, which weighs more than 150 pounds, is located within seven miles of city hall and is buried one foot underground.

The Reddit page is linked to a website with an old-timey clue map and some additional information about the hunt. The organizers said the treasure chest has “100 percent cold hard cash” inside.

The organizers explained why they would bury $10,000 worth of treasure, not once, but twice. Those behind the cash grab remain anonymous after also not being publicly identified in last year’s hunt.

“We love the lore of treasure. Pirate booty, sunken galleons, the mysteries and stories and movies… all of it,” the organizers wrote. “And we always hoped treasure hunting would feature more heavily in life, alongside quicksand and tattered rope bridges.”

The organizers said they had hoped this year’s search would take “a little longer than 11 hours” in their Reddit post.

They achieved their goal, and then some. It has been nearly three weeks since the hunt began, and the treasure has yet to be claimed as of Sunday, according to the organizers.

While the organizers urged seekers to “tread lightly” while hunting for the treasure, they said they have received complaints from San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department gardeners and Angel Island rangers about the destruction of the city’s green areas.

In an effort to curb damage caused by the hunt, the organizers made clear the treasure is not on Angel Island or in Francisco Park.

They also advised seekers to fill the holes they may dig, clean up any trash they find and if they see someone leaving any destruction, take their photo and publicly shame them.

“We are playing a game that's a little mischievous and comes with some inherent risk from some bad actors, but this is supposed to be fun and it should be obvious that we're not looking to ruin our green spaces,” the organizers said.

A spokesperson from the Recreation and Parks Department told ABC News, “Permits are required for digging in city parks.”

“They help protect park landscapes, infrastructure, and public safety,” the spokesperson said.

The Independent has reached out to the Recreation and Parks Department for comment.

Last May, the organizers buried a 22-pound treasure chest worth $10,000 in “gleaming ingots, currency, and San Francisco artifacts,” according to the website.

The organizers told KRON4 last year that they paid for the treasure themselves. If a donor isn’t found, this may be their last.

“It was a questionable financial decision the first time and downright idiotic the second. There truly can’t be a third,” the organizers said on their website.

This year’s hunt will likely be the last run by the organizers, “unless a deep-pocketed collaborator reaches out,” they said.