Gold coins from a treasure trove of gold and silver coins worth $500 million and recovered from a Spanish ship believed to be from the wreckage of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a ship sunk by the British Navy in 1804 as it returned from South Americ
Gold coins from a treasure trove of gold and silver coins worth $500 million and recovered from a Spanish ship believed to be from the wreckage of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a ship sunk by the British Navy in 1804 as it returned from South America, are handled by a Spanish expert at an undisclosed warehouse in Sarasota, Florida in this handout photo released February 23, 2012. Reuters

A group of merry pranksters buried a treasure chest in Venice Beach, Calif., only to dig it up and discover it the next day in front of a gaggle of stunned beachgoers. And it's all on video.

The guys behind the gag, who posted the video on the YouTube account for the user Bangakang, Punk'd the whole beach with the ploy.

First, the young men filled a chest with gold-foil-encrusted chocolate coins, then they hauled it down to Venice Beach in the middle of the night. They next buried it under a thick layer of sand, then abandoned it until morning.

The next day, the guys, filled with excitement about the impending completion of their ploy, headed to the beach and pretended to be just another crew of beachcombers.

On the video, they eventually begin yelling that they've found something big, and the troupe begins to dig their way to the sunken treasure. When they reach it they call out in excitement and the whole beach clears as people stand around in awe, wondering just what the trunk will hold.

The boys fake trying to open it by hitting it with a shovel and tearing at it with their hands, giving just a glimpse of what the crowd believes to be gold coins.

Open it! the crowd members repeatedly chant, and all at once it comes open, causing a bit of a ruckus and a stampede as everyone tries to get as close as they can to the action.

But, alas, they discover it's all just chocolate. They'd been duped by the faux treasure-hunters of Venice Beach, who have a message for the good sports who they pranked:

Thanks to all of those who provided us with their footage afterwards and to those who fell for it and made this video worth more than gold.

Press play below to watch the shenanigans for yourself:

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