The Bottomless Treasure Chest

Ahoy, mateys!

Somewhere in Grandpa’s house sits an old chest with a letter inside from a real pirate captain. Only good skallywags may open it. When they do, they roll the captain’s dice, add up the numbers, and take exactly that many treasures. Not one more. The chest knows.

Here’s the magic: whatever they leave behind multiplies. Between visits, the chest quietly refills itself (with a little help from the grown-ups), so the longer they wait and the better they behave, the bigger the haul. It started on a beach in Mexico: we half-buried the chest in the sand, video-called the grandkids to show them our discovery, and asked if we should bring it home. I’ve run it at my house ever since, and it’s the first thing they ask about when they walk in the door. And there’s no plastic in mine: real metal coins, rings, gems and keys. When they pour it through their fingers, it sounds like treasure.

How the magic works

What be in each chest

• The Captain’s Letters on aged parchment: West Coast (Captain Thomas Cavendish), East Coast (Blackbeard), Caribbean (Captain John Rackham), and a lady pirate’s letter from Anne Bonny
• The Pirate Code: the chest’s three rules, printed to tape inside the lid
• Plunder passes for good skallywags, so the grown-ups decide when the chest opens
• A Treasure Ledger to log every roll and every haul
• The Quartermaster’s Guide for grown-ups: what to put in, how much, how to make it “multiply,” and keeping it cheap
• Everything you need once: the chest keeps the adventure going for years

$9.99 · instant download. Digital download, print at home. Supplies not included.

Parley! (Questions)

What goes in the chest?

Two ways to fill it. The Captain’s Hoard is the authentic way, and how I fill mine: no plastic, only real metal coins, rings, chains, gems, stones, shells and keys. It sounds like treasure, metal on metal. The Deckhand’s Chest is the quick, budget-friendly way with plastic coins and gems. Our Treasure Trove page lists 200+ real treasures by category, plus the plastic list.

How many dice?

The Floor Grandpa uses three: a 4-sided, a 6-sided and an 8-sided die, the kind used in tabletop adventure games. That’s 3 to 18 treasures a roll, and a real adding challenge. Use fewer dice for little ones or a smaller hoard. Roll once at the start of a visit to set the number, or roll every time: the chest master decides.

What if they try to take more than they rolled?

The letter warns them: the chest knows, and it doesn’t take kindly to thieves. The guide has a few gentle “curses” for grown-ups to use, like the chest staying locked until the next visit.

Which letter should I use?

Pick the coast you call home: Captain Cavendish for the West Coast, Blackbeard for the East Coast, Captain John Rackham for the Caribbean. Or use Anne Bonny’s letter for a crew that wants a lady pirate. All four are real pirates from history, and all four letters follow the same rules.

We don’t live near the grandkids. Will it work?

Aye. Keep the chest at your house so it’s waiting every visit, or set one up at their house and mail a fresh handful of loot ahead of birthdays and holidays.

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