Golden Chest

Golden chests are spawned as part of generating a new world and were added in the 1.3 update.

Appearance
A golden chest looks almost exactly like a wooden chest except for being bright yellow instead of brown.

Where Found
Golden chests are created only on the generation of a new world, although worlds created with an earlier version may spawn them when opened using version 1.3 or later.

They are located randomly underneath sand or sometimes dirt (with sand nearby), just above stone or the permanent stone back wall called "bedrock." Dirt or water can overlay the sand, and black sand can substitute for regular sand. They are typically located no more than fourteen blocks below sea level.

They can also rarely be found sitting on stone in previously unexplored caves. They are also common near cave troll lairs, which might also have a level 0 trade portal.

Crafting
Beginning in version 1.5, golden chests can be turned into gold ingots at a level 3 furnace or its electric counterpart.

Use
When spawned, they may contain copper coins, gold coins, platinum coins, copper ingots, iron ingots, gold ingots, and/or various gems. (Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Diamond.) Specific gem(s) and quantity of any item is randomly determined (from 1 to 99 per stack). There can be multiple occurrences of the same type of item in the same chest, usually of varying quantity per slot. Usually, the most common drop is copper coins. Ingots and gems most commonly appear singly, but have been found in multiple quantities.

Aside from the content they are created with, golden chests function just as crafted chests. They can be relocated, filled, carried, nested, and stacked with other golden chests. They cannot be stacked with regular chests, nor can they be crafted on a crafting surface.