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

The Royal Mint is set to launch a nationwide code-breaking challenge, with the chance for competition entrants to win a solid gold bar.

The Great British Treasure Hunt will feature a £5 denomination coin that includes numbers, letters, and symbols that can be used to uncover layers of secrets, riddles and puzzles.

The hunt, inspired by Sir Isaac Newton, who was master of the Mint, is made up of five levels, and the winner must be UK-based – although anyone can play for fun, the Mint said.

The first level is free to try through a dedicated microsite on the Royal Mint’s website. Once this has been completed, further stages can be unlocked through the use of “the penny drops” £5 coin and packaging.

Each level will be open with tips and hints dropped by the Royal Mint in waves, starting from January 29, with various terms and conditions applying.

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While there is no purchase necessary to take part in level one of the hunt, a purchase of either a penny drops brilliant uncirculated or silver proof coin will be needed to take part in levels two to five, as entrants will need to use the purchased coin and/or its packaging to complete the competition’s puzzles.

Level one of the treasure hunt does not form part of the competition.

The competition opens on February 3 and closes on March 30. Any entries received before or after the competition is open will not be included and no correspondence will be entered into. Dates for each level reveal may shift slightly, so people should check the microsite for details.

Entrants must successfully complete levels two to five inclusive of the treasure hunt by 11.59pm on March 30.

People must be aged 18 or over to take part in the competition, which is restricted to one entry per customer account.

At the culmination of the hunt, those still in the game will have the chance to win the grand prize of a solid gold 250g bar.

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Based on recent gold prices, the approximate value of the bar could be around £28,000 to £29,000, but this is only an indicative figure of the prize value, as gold prices are constantly changing, depending on market conditions.

One winner will be selected at random on or shortly after March 31, and will be notified by email.

Broadcaster and mathematician Bobby Seagull, who was gifted the first-ever minted edition of the penny drops £5 coin and named “player one” in the hunt, said: “As a maths-lover, I’m thrilled to be ‘player one’ for this coin that is truly a cryptographic masterpiece.

“Its design, inspired by Newton’s genius, is a physical key that turns symbols and numbers into a brilliant puzzle. This isn’t just a coin; it’s an invitation to a nationwide intellectual adventure.”

Nicola Mitchell, chief commercial officer at the Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint is stepping into a new era of coin collecting.

“The Great British Treasure Hunt coin is not just a beautiful collector’s item; it’s an interactive device with more than meets the eye. Hidden within its design and packaging are layers of secrets and puzzles to take players on a journey of discovery, perfect for those who love mystery, challenge and the thrill of the chase.

“Launching at the Science Museum with Bobby Seagull is a fitting way to mark this launch and open the Great British Treasure Hunt.”

The brilliant uncirculated version of the coin is available to buy for £22.50, with silver proof versions available for £149.50 and gold coins available to purchase for £5,195.

The coin will not be going into general circulation, the Royal Mint said.