"Found It": US Treasure Map Directs Explorer To Over Rs 8 Lakh Discovery

NDTV

15-05-2025

A San Francisco treasure hunter discovered a secret chest with USD 10,000, approximately Rs 8.6 lakh, worth of riches after a mysterious Reddit thread talked about the same.
First mentioned on a San Francisco subreddit, the hunt ended when the reported $10,000 treasure chest was discovered buried in the city on Tuesday.
While locals frantically searched for the hidden treasure, the lucky finder shared a picture of an open metal box filled with cash, rare baseball cards, and precious metal ingots on X, along with the caption, "Found it."
In case you wanted to know how to find a treasure: ????‍☠️
"Eighteen Bold letters Preserved In a clearing"
There are 18 gigantic concrete letters piled in a field near India Basin Park, remnants of a sign created by Michael Manwaring and removed in 2020. They're intended to… https://t.co/JFPBZ3r221 pic.twitter.com/wbUnRf6sCt
— . Vincent (@wivincent) May 14, 2025
The discovery was made less than 12 hours after an unidentified group released a pirate-style map of a "chest worth over $10,000," which could be located using mysterious clues about San Francisco.
According to the website attached to the Reddit post, the 22-pound container was "brimming with gleaming ingots, currency, and San Francisco artefacts." Gold made up around half of the treasure's worth.
A representative for the pirates told KRON 4 that the finder, who uses the X handle @wivincent, is a "value investor and tech guy from Europe."
On X, the hunter revealed how he made the impossible treasure hunt possible.
The first clue on the map said, "Eighteen bold letters, preserved in a clearing, sight a dark room's view of brave surfers reeling."
The finder explained that the remains of a sign made by Michael Manwaring and taken down in 2020 were 18 enormous concrete letters stacked in a field close to India Basin Park. The ultimate plan is to use them as park signage.
"A dark room's view..." meant surfers and surf fishermen are reeling from the view of Camera Obscura.
The second clue was "from dry ruin's gate to solar's tall mast, chart a historic cross- the art of one's path."
The finder explained that "dry ruin's gate" meant Pool of Fleishhacker, and "solar's tall mast" meant Point of Infinity on what is known as Treasure(!) Island but is Yerba Buena Island.
"Chart a historic cross" was defined as drawing lines connecting these points, and X truly marks the spot.
The third clue read, "Go trace the true route, venture only at night: to be certain of bearing, you'll need to pack a light."
The hunter noted it meant five minutes down the path and along a side trail to a rock outcropping indicated by tiny indicators that glow when exposed to UV light from the X.
The final clue was "in the steadfast basin, where feet part and agree, dig a shovel's depth down - you'll find the treasure you seek."
It meant that the chest was hidden in a hole surrounded by big boulders, about eight inches deep. There is a brief and obvious divide in the trail as it passes around the rocks.
Later, the modern-day pirates confirmed their treasure had been found in the Mount Sutro Open Space Preserve, southwest of San Francisco's downtown.