About The Great British Treasure Hunt
Frequently Asked Questions
A groundbreaking experience built around a coin unlike any other. For the first time ever, an official UK coin becomes the gateway to an epic nationwide quest.
At the centre of the treasure hunt lies an intricately designed £5 coin. Inspired by Sir Isaac Newton, Master of the Mint and one of the greatest minds of all time, this coin holds more than meets the eye. This is not simply a coin to collect or gift, it is an object you will need to study, handle and align in order to solve key challenges. Hidden within its design and packaging are layers of secrets, riddles and puzzles waiting to be uncovered.
The Hunt is a multi-layered world of puzzles and discovery, woven across physical and digital realms. Players will move between their coin, its packaging and an online experience as they progress through increasingly complex challenges.
The challenge unfolds across multiple levels – the Level 1 is free to enter, does not require the coin and can be played straight away. To play further levels, the coin unlocks the full experience.
Many will join. Some will go far. But only a few will reach the final stage and be in with a chance of claiming the ultimate treasure.
Every great quest deserves a worthy reward. Eligible participants who complete the treasure hunt by 30 March 2026 will earn the chance to win a 250g solid gold bar worth £30,712*.
Specially cast and stamped with The Great British Treasure Hunt logo, it represents the ultimate prize – a treasure truly worthy of this remarkable quest.
There will only be one winner – selected at random from all eligible entrants who have successfully completed all levels by the closing date.
*Prize value subject to change by the time the winner is in receipt of the prize, including as a result of fluctuations in metal pricing.
The Great British Treasure Hunt competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom who are 18 years of age or older. Please see Terms and Conditions below for additional eligibility criteria.
Yes, anyone 18 years of age or older can join The Great British Treasure Hunt – however the competition element (the chance to win the gold bar treasure) is only open to residents of the United Kingdom.
The Great British Treasure Hunt unfolds across multiple levels, which will unlock at regular intervals. The Quests page will show you which levels are unlocked and available to play. A date / countdown will indicate when further levels will be unlocked and available to play.
Discovery Level 1 starts on 29 January 2026 at 09:00hrs (GMT). Level 1 is free to enter and can be played straight away – you do not need the coin to take part in this level.
To continue playing, you will need The Penny Drops coin and its packaging. Within the packaging, you will find a unique access code to enable you to progress to further levels, uncovering the path to the treasure.
You can join the Hunt any time from 09:00hrs (GMT) on 29 January 2026.
You do not need the coin or its packaging to take part in Discovery Level 1, but to continue playing (from Explorer Level 2 onwards), you will need The Penny Drops coin to unlock the full experience.
You do not need the coin or its packaging to take part in Discovery Level 1.
To continue playing (from Explorer Level 2 onwards), the coin is the key to unlock the full experience. You will need The Penny Drops coin and its packaging. Within the packaging, you will find a unique access code to enable you to progress to further levels, uncovering the path to the treasure.
The Brilliant Uncirculated and silver Proof editions are designed so that the coin can be interacted with to progress through multiple levels of challenges. Both editions contain clues and tactile finishes that encourage exploration. From hidden details to cleverly concealed messages, the packaging itself becomes part of the journey.
The gold Proof coin in the range is designed to be a collectable edition. Customers purchasing this coin will receive a complimentary Brilliant Uncirculated edition to enjoy the full experience of the treasure hunt.
Presented in premium packaging, the Brilliant Uncirculated and silver Proof editions contain hidden clues, cleverly concealed messages and tactile finishes that encourage interaction and exploration – rewarding curious hands and eyes. Within the packaging, you will also find a sealed envelope containing your unique access code (required to unlock the Hunt from Level 2 onwards) and a selection of problem-solving tools you may require along the way.
The gold Proof coin is a collectable edition. Customers purchasing this coin will receive a complimentary Brilliant Uncirculated edition, complete with envelope of problem-solving tools, to enjoy the full experience.
The Brilliant Uncirculated and silver Proof editions are designed so that the coin can be interacted with. Players will move between their coin, its packaging and an online experience as they progress through the Hunt.
The Brilliant Uncirculated coin can be easily removed from its blister housing. The silver Proof coin can be taken out of the magnetic acrylic block – the coin remaining protected within its clear capsule.
To join the Hunt, you will need to either sign into your existing Royal Mint account via the ‘Sign In’ option on the Quests page – or create a free account if you are a new customer.
When signed into your account, your progress will be saved.
The Hunt unfolds across multiple levels, which will unlock at regular intervals between 29 January 2026 and the end of the competition on 30 March 2026.
The Quests page will show you which levels are unlocked and available to play. A date / countdown will indicate when further levels are unlocked and available to play.
You will only be able to work through the puzzles / levels in order – the next challenge will not be available until the previous one has been successfully completed.
If you submit an incorrect answer, a message will let you know, and you will have the opportunity to keep trying until you have submitted the correct answer. On Levels 1 – 4, you will also see a ‘Need a Hint?’ option if you get stuck. You will not be able to progress onto the next puzzle or level until you have submitted the correct answer. The number of guesses taken will be displayed at the end of each puzzle.
Within the coin’s packaging, you will find a unique 16-digit access code inside the sealed envelope. You will need this code to progress to Level 2 and uncover the path to the treasure.
Can’t find your access code? Get in touch - selecting 'The Great British Treasure Hunt' from the drop-down menu.
The competition is restricted to one entry per unique access code, and one entry per customer account. Please see Terms and Conditions below for more information.
To enter this competition, you must successfully complete all levels of the Treasure Hunt by 23:59hrs (BST), 30 March 2026. Any entries received after the closing dates / times will not be included.
The Treasure Hunt will remain playable after this date (without the competition element) via royalmint.com/treasure-hunt, until The Royal Mint so decides.
The Hunt unfolds across multiple levels, which will unlock at regular intervals between 29 January 2026 and the end of the competition on 30 March 2026. The Hunt is not timed – one winner will be selected at random from all eligible entrants who have successfully completed all levels of the Hunt by the closing date. See Terms and Conditions below for more information.
The Quests page will show you which levels are unlocked and available to play. A date / countdown will indicate when further levels will be unlocked and available to play.
One winner will be selected at random on or shortly after 31 March 2026, using an online independent True Random Number generator from all eligible entrants, and will be notified by email. See Terms and Conditions below for more information.
The Great British Treasure Hunt 2026 is inspired by Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest minds of all time.
Before he became well-known for his theories of gravity and light, Isaac Newton was appointed Warden of The Royal Mint in 1696 and later Master of the Mint in 1699 – remaining in this position for around 28 years. With his trademark precision, intellect and unrelenting tenacity, Newton took on the national crisis of widespread counterfeiting and played a significant role during the Great Recoinage of 1696 – 1698. Find out more about Sir Isaac Newton and The Royal Mint.
In addition to the main competition, five separate ‘Side Quests’ will be made available alongside each level of the Hunt, with a chance to win other prizes. Side Quest competitions are available to enter (Terms and Conditions apply) whether or not you’re taking part in the main Hunt. Completion of Side Quests will not contribute to successfully completing the main competition.
The Brilliant Uncirculated and silver Proof editions will be available to purchase from The Royal Mint Experience gift shop – subject to stock and availability.
In celebration of this epic nationwide quest, you can strike your own The Penny Drops 2026 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin* at The Royal Mint Experience from 29 January – 25 February.
*Please note this edition of the coin is not playable. Find out more and book your tour.
Join the Hunt
The Great British Treasure Hunt is a groundbreaking experience built around a coin unlike any other. At the culmination of the hunt awaits a remarkable reward. Many will join. Some will go far. But only a few will reach the final stage and be in with a chance of claiming the ultimate treasure – solid gold.
The Great British Treasure Hunt
The Penny Drops
Competition Terms and Conditions
Introduction
- The promoter of this competition is The Royal Mint Limited of Llantrisant, Pontyclun, United Kingdom CF72 8YT (The Royal Mint). If you have any questions about this promotion, please get in touch with us at services@royalmint.com.
- Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions and agreed to be bound by them when they take part in the competition.
Eligibility
- The competition is:
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- open to residents of the United Kingdom;
- open to individuals who are 18 years of age or older;
- not open to employees, or their immediate family, of The Royal Mint and its group companies, or any third-party involved in connection with this competition or the wider product campaign (including any promotional activities supplier of The Royal Mint);
- restricted to one entry per unique code (where a unique code is required under the competition); and
- restricted to one entry per customer account.
The competition
- The competition forms part of The Royal Mint's "The Great British Treasure Hunt" campaign of 2026 (Treasure Hunt). Level 1 of the Treasure Hunt does not form part of this competition. Only entrants who successfully complete all of levels 2 - 5 (inclusive) of the Treasure Hunt will be entered into the competition.
- There is no purchase necessary to take part in level 1 of the Treasure Hunt, however a purchase of either The Penny Drops 2026 UK £5 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin or The Penny Drops 2026 UK £5 Silver Proof Coin is necessary to take part in levels 2 - 5 (inclusive) of the competition, as entrants will need to use the purchased coin and/or its packaging to complete the competition’s puzzles.
- In addition to this main competition as described above, five separate “side quests” will be made available alongside each level of the Treasure Hunt, with a chance to win other prizes. The terms and conditions relating to those side quests can be found at the bottom of the side quest competition pages. For the avoidance of doubt, access to and completion of these side quests are unrelated to and will not contribute to successfully completing the main competition.
- The Royal Mint may provide participants of the Treasure Hunt with a score function, which may include notifications regarding their rank or position within the competition. Any score function is for informational purposes only and will not be construed as confirmation of any winning status. For the avoidance of doubt, the score function will not be considered in the determination of the winner, nor will it contribute to the successful completion of the main competition.
- Competition entry is not conditional on consenting to marketing.
- The Treasure Hunt starts on 29 January 2026 at 09:00hrs GMT. This competition opens on 5 February 2026 at 10:00hrs GMT and closes on 30 March 2026 at 23:59hrs BST. Any entries received before the opening or after the closing dates / times will not be included and no correspondence will be entered into. The Treasure Hunt will remain playable (without this competition element) until The Royal Mint so decides.
- To enter this competition, you must successfully complete levels 2 - 5 (inclusive) of the Treasure Hunt by 23:59hrs BST, 30 March 2026.
- One winner will be selected at random on or shortly after 31 March 2026, using an online independent True Random Number generator from all eligible entrants, and will be notified by email.
- Names may also be announced on The Royal Mint’s website and social channels.
The prize
- The winner will receive one unit of a 250g Gold Cast Bar.
- The gold cast bar contains 250g of 999.9 fine gold and, as of 28 January 2026, is worth approximately £30,712 (subject to change by the time the winner is in receipt of the prize, including as a result of fluctuations in metal pricing). The gold bar is imprinted with The Royal Mint logo, The Great British Treasure Hunt logo, the year date 2026, the alloy and a unique serial number.
- The Royal Mint reserves the right to replace the prize with an alternative prize of equal or higher value if circumstances beyond The Royal Mint's control makes it necessary to do so.
- There is no cash alternative, and the prize is non-refundable, non-negotiable, and non-transferable and cannot be used in conjunction with any offer.
Claiming the prize
- Once the winner has been notified by email, they will have 48 hours from being notified to respond to claim their prize and confirm their eligible address for delivery. If the winner fails to claim their prize, or chooses not to claim it, the prize will be forfeited and a new winner drawn.
- The winner may be asked to participate in any related publicity to the prize and/or asked to write a review of the prize.
- The prize will be delivered to the winner within six weeks of the competition closing date above.
Ownership of entries
- All entries and any accompanying material submitted to The Royal Mint will become the property of The Royal Mint on receipt and will not be returned.
- By submitting your entry and any accompanying material, you agree to:
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- assign to The Royal Mint all your intellectual property rights with full title guarantee; and
- waive all moral rights,
in and to your entry and otherwise arising in connection with your entry to which you may now or at any time in the future be entitled under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 as amended from time to time and under all similar legislation from time to time in force anywhere in the world
Limitation of liability
- All decisions made by The Royal Mint relating to this competition are final and binding.
- Under no circumstances, unless required or prohibited by law (in which case your statutory rights are not affected), will The Royal Mint:
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- be responsible or liable for any loss, damages, costs or expenses arising from or in any way connected with any errors, defects, interruptions, malfunctions or delays in the promotion of the competition;
- be responsible or liable to compensate the winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, costs, expenses personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of The Royal Mint;
- accept entries that are:
- lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit, regardless of cause;
- automatically generated by computer;
- completed by third parties or in bulk;
- illegible, have been altered, reconstructed, forged or tampered with;
- photocopies and not originals; or
- incomplete; or
- accept proof of posting or transmission as proof of receipt of entry to the promotion.
General
- If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, The Royal Mint may, at its sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude entrants from participating in the competition.
- The Royal Mint reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the competition where it becomes necessary to do so.
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with any social media platform used by The Royal Mint as part of the promotion.
- The information submitted in the competition entry are for the following purposes:
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- to enter the competition;
- so that we can contact you to inform you of the outcome of the competition;
- so that we can contact you regarding any publicity requests;
- so that we may reach you via social media platforms; and
- as a method of contact for any related or future promotions if you choose to opt in to marketing communications.
- Personal data supplied during the course of this promotion will only be processed as set out in The Royal Mint’s Privacy Policy.
- The competition will be governed by English and Welsh law and entrants to the competition submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
