Valuable coins placed throughout San Francisco by shop owner for scavenger hunt

SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco coin collector and shop owner is giving away $10,000 worth of rare coins in a scavenger hunt.

He's hoping to get more people interested in coin collection and says this is a great way to educate people about the role coins play in history. The hunt began on Friday when clues were posted online.

Seth Chandler, owner of Witter Coin in San Francisco's Marina District, is giving away a total of 11 coins; five gold, five silver and one copper. He said the rare coins are pieces of history made in San Francisco. The coins won't be hard to find, according to Chandler who expected them to be found in a matter of hours. In a Friday evening update, the business owner said he could only confirm that six of the 11 coins had been found.

"I thought of the idea to place 11 different coins, all made in San Francisco, in 11 different neighborhoods," said Chandler. The value of the coins ranges from $250 to $2,500 each. A $20 gold coin from 1915 and a penny made in 1909 are the two most valuable.

"I love coins. I've been collecting coins since I was four-years-old," said Chandler. "When you hold a round piece of metal when it's two or three hundred years old, you think about our founding fathers. You think about the country the coin was made in. You can really connect with history."

This scavenger hunt is open to the public and aligns with National Coin Week.

"San Francisco is the king of coin cities, the only city in the country with three mints," Chandler said.

A U.S. Mint still operates in the Upper Market area. It produces special edition, commemorative coins.

The city's first U.S. Mint started operations in the Financial District in 1854. It's now home to the San Francisco Historical Society, a museum.

The second U.S. Mint building in San Francisco is on Fifth Street in the SoMa neighborhood. It is now a venue space.

"There is no artifact that even comes close to our coins to tell a story of a civilization," said historian and coin collector, Don Kagin. "It tells so much about who we are and what we are and our U.S. Mint has done a good job."

Chandler said he and his staff have hidden coins in locations across the city, but that they will be giving clues on social media. Each coin will be in a plastic bag along with a card that has information on how to contact his store: Witter Coin.

"We're encouraging people to bring it back here to our shop on Lombard Street just so we can meet them, see how excited they are. But most importantly, educate them about the coin they found," said Chandler.

The clues began to drop Friday at noon on the store's Instagram: Witter Coin.

He also gave this one hint: "Think like a tourist."

Good luck and happy hunting!