The History of the JTQ Silver Ticket Collection

Every season tells a story. What started as a simple idea to make our treasure hunts even more interactive has grown into one of my favorite JTQ traditions. Every year we’ve hidden 10 Silver Tickets… or in one season, 10 Silver X’s… throughout the collection. Those ten pieces have become some of the most sought-after collectibles we’ve ever created.

Every single one has been found… except one.

That missing ticket is still out there somewhere.



2020-2021

This is where it all began. We were completely overwhelmed in the best way. Our treasure hunts were going viral, people were connecting with our family’s story, and we decided to hide 10 Silver Tickets inside 50,000 chocolate boxes. That first season gave us our very first Silver Ticket winners and our first Great American Treasure Hunt champions. Chad & Nikki solved the hunt and claimed the $100,000 grand prize, forever becoming part of JTQ history.



2021-2022

We wanted to surprise everyone by doing something completely different. There wasn’t any chocolate this year. Instead, the collectible tins were filled with raw gemstones, collectible coins, silver, and hidden Silver X’s. Finding one of the ten X’s meant you had struck treasure. It became one of the most memorable seasons we’ve ever had. Rather than racing to the finish, the remaining teams chose to negotiate an alternate group prize and continue the adventure together. It reminded all of us that sometimes the friendships and memories become just as valuable as the treasure itself.



2022-2023

Chocolate returned with an entirely new look. This season introduced our Dark Chocolate bar alongside the original Milk Chocolate, and it quickly became a favorite. We also increased the grand prize to $150,000, making it our biggest hunt yet. The hunt proved incredibly difficult. One by one, every remaining team eventually tapped out, leaving the treasure unfound and making this one of the toughest Great American Treasure Hunts we’ve ever designed.
 
 

2023-2024

We decided to try something new again. The Red Bars introduced an Alternate Prize, giving teams another way to win if the main hunt wasn’t solved. That addition became part of JTQ history when Raven & Thom claimed the Alternate Prize, proving there can be more than one unforgettable ending to an adventure.




2024-2025

The Northern Lights bar was inspired by the beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the places that have become such an important part of The Great American Treasure Hunt. That season, Smiley & Hunter claimed the Alternate Prize. It’s also the only season that still holds a mystery. Only 9 of the 10 Silver Tickets were ever claimed. To this day, we have no idea what happened to the tenth ticket. Maybe it was accidentally thrown away. Maybe it’s tucked inside a forgotten drawer. Or maybe there’s still an unopened Northern Lights bar sitting on a shelf somewhere, waiting to surprise someone years from now.

2025-2026

For the first time since JTQ began, we didn’t release a Silver Ticket collection. Our family experienced several major health emergencies, stepped into guardianship of a family member with special needs, and simply needed to be present for the people who needed us most. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right one. Sometimes the greatest adventure is simply taking care of the people you love.





2026-2027

The X Bars represent much more than a new wrapper. To me, they represent a new chapter. Everything we’ve learned over the last several years has been poured into this collection. Better storytelling. Better craftsmanship. More immersive adventures. A stronger community than we ever imagined when we packed those first boxes back in 2020. We’re incredibly proud of where this journey has taken us, but it still feels like we’re just getting started. Thank you for collecting the bars, hunting for the Silver Tickets, solving the riddles, and becoming part of the JTQ family. Here’s to the next chapter.

The Treasure Lies in the Adventure