A treasure hunt worth $10,000 in prizes is taking over Philadelphia this week, giving residents and visitors a chance to track down hidden certificates that can be exchanged for rare coins and special bills.<\/p>\n
For the second year in a row, coin dealer Stack’s Bowers is organizing the citywide hunt,<\/a> set to begin Tuesday, Oct. 13, and continue through Saturday, Oct. 17.<\/p>\n The clues will lead treasure hunters to special certificates hidden throughout Philadelphia. Anyone who finds a certificate can claim a prize, with a combined $10,000 worth of prizes available during the five-day event.<\/p>\n Mark Schimel of Stack’s Bowers said the chance to win something valuable can be a powerful motivator.<\/p>\n “When people think about it, it\u2019s like yeah, ‘I need the money.’ So, I think it does motivate people,” Schimel said. “Philly people get very involved. They get very excited about a lot of things. As soon as you give them something to do, they\u2019re out.”<\/p>\n The event comes as social media-driven treasure hunts have become a growing trend in Philadelphia, with mystery individuals hiding money around the city and sharing clues online.<\/p>\n This week’s hunt includes a collaboration with the person behind the Instagram account Find the Cash PHL<\/a>, which has nearly 200,000 followers. The account’s mystery creator has been hiding money around Philadelphia for months, drawing attention from people eager to join the search.<\/p>\n The trend has caught the attention of visitors, too.<\/p>\n “Modern day treasure hunting. People are hiding money under rocks. Absolutely insane man, that\u2019s insane,\u201d tourist Cody Collisio said.<\/p>\n But not everyone is rushing to join the hunt.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s on them if they want that money. Me, I trust in god, never was big on having money,\u201d said Sherbritta Hand, who was in Center City.<\/p>\n For some participants, the excitement of the search is part of the appeal, although the potential financial reward can be just as important.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think it\u2019s a fun activity, but most people like actually need the money,\u201d treasure hunter Kylei White said.<\/p>\n With new clues arriving each evening through Saturday, Philadelphia is becoming one giant treasure map for anyone hoping to strike gold.<\/p>\n Participants can join the search by following Stack’s Bowers on Instagram<\/a>, where a new video clue will be released each night at 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t