CODE breakers could win a gold bar worth up to £29,000 by cracking a series of ground-breaking challenges.
The Royal Mint has launched a brand new £5 coin that’s used to solve a series of tough puzzles – and you can do the first batch without the coin right now.
The special coin includes numbers, letters, and symbols that can be used to uncover layers of secrets, riddles and puzzles as part of the Great British Treasure Hunt.
Weekly clues are available that are unlocked with the coin, across five levels.
It’s inspired by Sir Isaac Newton, who was master of the Mint and “one of the greatest minds of all time”.
The Royal Mint says this is the first time ever that a UK coin has been used as a key to unlocking a national mission.
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Celebrity mathematician Bobby Seagull was gifted the first-ever minted edition of The Penny Drops £5 coin and named “player one” in the hunt.
“As a maths-lover, I’m thrilled to be ‘player one’ for this coin that is truly a cryptographic masterpiece,” he said.
“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.”
So do you think you have what it takes?
Find out about the first four puzzles below – with the answers in the final box at the bottom of the page.
Use the special interactive Royal Mint site where to enter your answers here.
Levels two to five, which require The Penny Drops £5 coin, must be completed by March 30 to take part in the full competition.
One finalist who has completed all the challenges will be selected at random to receive a solid gold 250g bar.
Based on recent gold prices, the approximate value of the bar could be around £28,000 to £29,000 – though this is only an indicative figure, as gold prices are constantly changing, depending on market conditions.
“The Royal Mint is stepping into a new era of coin collecting,” said Nicola Mitchell, chief commercial officer at the Royal Mint.
“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 coin is available to buy from £22.50.
A silver proof versions costs £149.50 and a special gold coin edition is available to purchase for £5,195.
#1 Uniting the Shield
Click on the word shield on the interactive page for a key diagram needed to solve this riddle.
Riddle:
Upon the coins a shield is shown,
Six fragments split yet not alone.
Seek in your change, the puzzle starts,
To find the whole from broken parts.
Set them down where arrows guide,
The shapes unite, the shield’s inside.
From these the letters shine in view,
The path ahead is marked for you.
Hint: The Queen Elizabeth II definitive set is a series of coins you will find in your change – each one unique, yet somehow familiar. Could they be fragments of a larger design?
#2 Seven Siblings
Riddle:
Seven siblings born of light,
Yet none may speak or stand.
They chase the storm but flee the night,
A bridge above the land.
Hint: Is there something formed of light, where seven colours reside together? What could that dial be trying to tell you? Have you looked closely at the symbols along its edge?
#3 The Constellations
Do the discs move? Can you align the heavens?
#4 Newton’s Heptagon
Click on the word marker shown on the page, which will load an image of a coin needed to crack this riddle.
Riddle:
In metal’s mirror, time is cast,
A tribute to a thinker past.
Not the coin that starts your quest,
But one once struck with no less zest.
Blazing Sun and paths that spin,
Each orbit drawn with care and vim.
Yet answers lie not in the skies,
But nestled where the maker hides.
Two quiet marks may first appear,
But seek the name that’s written clear.
Not where morning makes its start,
But where the sun and shadows part.
Hint: Two little marks. Could they be the artist’s initials? Then look again – the full name is hiding in plain sight, not where the morning makes its start, but where the sun and shadows part.
ANSWERS
#1 Uniting the Shield: NEWTON
#2 Seven Siblings: The rainbow symbol
#3 The Constellations: Move the discs shown on the page until they align perfectly
#4 Newton’s Heptagon: WEST
