Royal Mint to launch nationwide code-breaker challenge with a £28,000 gold prize

The Royal Mint will run the Great British Treasure Hunt from Feb 3 to Mar 30, with a 250g solid gold bar valued at roughly £28,000 offered as the grand prize.

The Royal Mint is launching the Great British Treasure Hunt, a nationwide code-breaking challenge built around a new £5 "penny drops" coin. The challenge uses numbers, letters and symbols on the coin and its packaging to unlock five levels of puzzles. The first level is free to try on a dedicated microsite, while further stages require use of the purchased coin or its packaging. The launch was marked at the Science Museum and broadcaster-mathematician Bobby Seagull was named player one. Key details: - The coin is a £5 denomination that carries numbers, letters and symbols designed to be used in the treasure-hunt puzzles. - Level one is available for free on a dedicated microsite and hints will be released in waves starting from Jan 29; levels two to five require use of a purchased coin or its packaging. - The competition opens on Feb 3 and closes on Mar 30; entrants must complete levels two to five by 11:59pm on Mar 30 and entries outside the window will not be included. - Entrants must be aged 18 or over, the competition is limited to one entry per customer account, and the eventual winner must be UK-based (anyone may play level one for fun). - The grand prize is a solid 250g gold bar; based on recent prices the Royal Mint said the bar could be worth approximately £28,000–£29,000, and one winner will be selected at random on or shortly after Mar 31 and notified by email. - Coin versions and retail prices include a brilliant uncirculated edition at £22.50, a silver proof at £149.50, and gold coins available to purchase at higher prices; the coin will not go into general circulation. Summary: The Royal Mint's initiative pairs a collectable coin with an online puzzle spanning five levels and runs through late March. The competition timetable is set: it opens Feb 3, entries must complete the required levels by Mar 30, and a single UK-based winner will be chosen at random on or shortly after Mar 31 to receive the 250g gold bar.