Chests are the most common type of container in Diablo I which can be opened for potential treasure. They may be opened by any player by clicking on them like any other object. They may contain items and/or gold, but sometimes don't contain anything. Their contents depend on the Walkthrough areas in which the chest is present and is appeared randomly.
There are many different kinds of chests, from simple boxes to ornately decorated varieties, but they all function about the same.
Some chests are spawned as locked chests, but only appeared in a single level-only quest is an Ogden's Sign. They can be only opened with after talking to oh-so naughty Snotspill. Each time you open a locked chest, you get a Tavern Sign for Ogden to return for a reward. Rogues are expert lock-pickers and she requires a Trap Disarm to open locked chests.
Some chests may also contain Traps such as Fire Arrow and Nova, etc.