San Francisco, CA
Valuable coins placed throughout San Francisco by shop owner for scavenger hunt
Valuable coins placed throughout San Francisco by shop owner for scavenger hunt
A San Francisco coin collector and shop owner in the Marina District plans to give away $10,000 worth of rare coins in a scavenger hunt. The hunt begins Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO – A San Francisco coin collector and shop owner plans to give 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 starts on Friday and there will be clues 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 and Chandler expects them to be found in a matter of hours.
“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.
He said at noon on Friday, he will post photos with clues on the store’s Instagram: Witter Coin.
He also gives this one hint: “Think like a tourist.”
Good luck and happy hunting!
San Francisco, CA
Exclusive: San Francisco Police Department investigating Zoox collision with a parked car | TechCrunch
The San Francisco Police Department is investigating an accident involving a Zoox autonomous vehicle that crashed into the driver’s side door of a parked car, TechCrunch has learned.
Officers responded to the crash, which occurred at around 2 p.m. local time on January 17 near the intersection of 15th and Mission Streets, according to the department. The Zoox robotaxi was traveling along 15th street when a street ambassador named Jamel Durden opened the driver’s-side door of his 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, according to MissionLocal, which first reported the crash.
Durden’s hand was reportedly smashed during the crash, and the Zoox vehicle suffered damage to its glass doors. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) told TechCrunch the Zoox vehicle was carrying a passenger at the time, which has not been previously reported. That passenger was an employee of Zoox, according to the company, and was not injured, which the SFPD confirmed.
The police department declined to provide TechCrunch with an incident report “[d]ue to the fact it is still an open investigation.” Zoox filed its own police report about the incident, the company told TechCrunch, but said no additional details have been requested. In a statement on January 20, Zoox said it was “cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident.”
The California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates autonomous vehicles in the state, has also met with Zoox about the January 17 crash. The DMV told TechCrunch that Zoox filed a crash report “in compliance with California regulations.” That report is not yet publicly available.
Zoox is in the early stages of building out its robotaxi service in San Francisco. In November, the company started offering free rides to members of the public who are part of the “Zoox Explorer” early-rider program. The company is operating a similar program in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This rollout has come with challenges. The Amazon-owned company issued a recall in December to fix an issue where some of its vehicles were crossing center lanes and blocking crosswalks. (Zoox also issued two different software updates during recalls earlier in 2025 before it started offering public rides.)
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The January crash in San Francisco happened when Durden “suddenly opened” the door of his car into the path of the robotaxi, according to Zoox. The company said the robotaxi “identified the opening door and tried to avoid it but contact was unavoidable.” (Durden’s employer could not be reached for comment.)
Zoox also said it offered medical attention to Durden, who allegedly declined. According to MissionLocal, Durden refused medical treatment until his car was towed.
“Safety and transparency are foundational to Zoox, and we are cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident,” the company said in a statement.
San Francisco, CA
Video: Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco
new video loaded: Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco
transcript
transcript
Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco
Residents were shocked to see a young mountain lion roaming the streets of San Francisco this week. Local animal control agencies were able to capture and tranquilize it on Tuesday.
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Swear to God, am I tripping? There’s a mountain lion. What is that? I can see it. Oh my God. What the. Dude!
By Cynthia Silva
January 27, 2026
San Francisco, CA
Animal control locates mountain lion in San Francisco
A young mountain lion that was spotted Monday night in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood has been located, city officials said.
Around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday, city officials said San Francisco Animal Care and Control found the mountain lion and that they are working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage the situation. No injuries were reported.
A biologist is on their way to the scene, with the plan to tranquilize the animal and move it to a suitable location, officials said.
The mountain lion was first reported Monday night after being seen near Octavia Street and Pacific Avenue, according to an alert from the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management.
Animal Care and Control officials said experts believe the animal is about a year old. It had also been seen earlier Monday morning near Lafayette Park, just a few blocks from the later sighting.
City officials said the mountain lion was likely lost and may have been trying to move south out of the city.
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