RMPTH0213

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

1/20

12-Pound Gold Nugget

January 17, 2013

12-Pound Gold Nugget Found In Bal larat ,

Austra l ia , Could Be Wor th More T han $500,000

There's gold in them thar Ballarat, Australia.Really big gold.A 12-pound gold nugget, worth perhaps $500,000,was dug up Wednesday by a prospector using a$6,000 metal detector, local news site the Courier re-ported. A good investment, we'd say.

The identity of the prospector and exact location ofthe find remain secret, but the Courier wrote that theman took the mega-nugget to the Ballarat Mining Ex-change Gold Shop to confirm his incredible fortune.

Shop owner Cordell Kent said the nugget was un-earthed nearly two feet below the land surface.

Melted down, the "nugget" would be worth about$300,000, but its rarity multiplies its value, Kentsaid.

Kent told Australian news site Adelaide "Now that theprospector heard a faint alert on his detector andscooped up a pile of leaf mulch before digging. Theminer thought he had uncovered a gold car part atfirst but, to his disbelief, kept unearthing a bigger and

bigger chunk of real gold."

"Its extremely significant as a mineral specimen,"Kent said via Adelaide Now.

"We are 162 years into a gold rush and Ballarat is stillproducing nuggets -- its unheard of." Gold was firstdiscovered in Ballarat in 1851, and 20,000 miners

(Continued on page 3)

v. 17, n. 2 February, 2013 Going for the Gold

The News

Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com

Contents

"A free people ought not only to be armed anddisciplined, but they should have sufficient armsand ammunition to maintain a status of independ-ence from any who might attempt to abuse them,which would include their own government."

- George Washington

1 12-Pound Gold Nugget2 About The News6 Japanese Treasure Hunt

Extended7 Ketts Rebellion Coin Hoard8 Missouri Treasure10 Calendar of Events11 Calendars14 Declaration of Financial Inde-

pendence15 Buried Strong BoxesArizona16 Trading Post17 Terms Jewelers Use18 2013 Schedule of Events19 Contact List

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

2/20

Page 2 The News, February 2013

The News is the official newsletter of the RockyMountain Prospectors and Treasure HuntersClub (RMPTH): our mailing address is P.O. Box

271863, Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863.

Opinions expressed in The News are those of theauthors and do not necessarily reflect those of the

club or its members. Publication of information inThe News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Useof any information found in this publication is at thesole risk of the user. NeitherRMPTH, nor its coordi-nators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributorsassume any liability for damages resulting from useof information in this publication.

Submiss ions

Articles, letters and short items of interest on pros-pecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are

welcome and encouraged. All items submitted forpublication are subject to editing. Submittals for pub-

lication may be made in writing or, preferably, in AS-CII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you havequestions about a submission, please contact the edi-tor for information.

Copyr ight

Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groupsmay reprint or quote from any articles appearing inThe News without prior permission, provided thatproper author and publication credits are given andthat a copy of the publication in which the article ap-pears is sent at no cost toRMPTHat the above mail-ing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters

withRMPTHare invited to send a copy of their news-letter together with an exchange request.

About The New s Adver t is ing

Classified advertising for topic related items is freefor non-business ads. See the Trading Post sectionfor donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Do-nations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are avail-able on request.

About RMPTH

RMPTHis an independent nonprofit hobbyist socialclub, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detect-ing or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide aneducational and social forum of mutual benefit formembers.RMPTHholds a monthly meeting and con-ducts various field outings, as well as offers specialpresentations and seminars. Active participants have

voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News,is readily available on the Internet. Persons wishing toreceive the newsletter in hardcopy, mailed format arerequired to provide the amount of $24 per year re-quired to print and mail. Otherwise, no annual duesare charged as the social club functions strictly bydonation.

GOLD COIN RAFFLE WINNER

Ted Croswell was the lucky winner of the Quarter Eagle

Gold Coin raffle at the January meeting. Member PaulMayhak had donated the coin and managed the three-

month raffle to generate funds in support of the annual

coin hunt in September. Mission accomplished - Way to

go Paul and congratulations to Ted!

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

3/20

Page 3The News, February 2013

had descended on the place by 1853. Just last July, an eight-pound nugget wasuncovered in the region.

Kent said, per the website, that the discovery will create a new gold rush and provide a "life-changer" for thefinder.

"He is going to pay off a lot of bills and pay off his house," Kent remarked.

A video of the gold was posted on YouTube on Jan. 16 by user Troy Aurum, whose Facebook page indicates heis a self-employed resident of Ballarat.

As huge as the nugget is, it's a mere pebble compared to the Holtermann Nugget found in Hill End in New SouthWales, Australia, in 1872. It weighed 639 pounds, and is considered by many to be the largest single mass ofgold ever found.

All this talk of instant riches giving you the bug? The gold detector used by the Ballarat prospector is reportedlya Minelab GPX-5000. We found a used one on eBay for $5,180.

Let the rush begin!

(Continued from page 1)

The 12-Pound Ballarat Monster

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

4/20


Random Gold Facts

The Greeks thought that goldwas a dense combination of

water and sunlight.

TREASURE HUNTERSCODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect private property and do no treasurehunting without the owner's permission.

I WILL fill all excavations.

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of naturalresources, wildlife, and private property.

I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesyat all times.

I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.

I WILL leave gates as found.

I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I

find.

I WILL NOT litter.

I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is leftof ghost towns and deserted structures.

I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, orequipment.

Gold Glossary

Open Pit Mine - In search of rich veins of quartz, open pit

mines are common today. Because of the danger associated

with drifts, open pit mines are dug from the ground down

and are never tunneled. They can be best described as, "A

big hole."

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

5/20


Property WantedFor Detector Hunt

RMPTH is looking for private property on which to holdan organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would bemost ideal if this property is known to have seen some

past historical activity. If you have such property orknow of someone who does, please contact Rick

Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.

1652 Sixpen c e Sel ls For

$430,000 At Auc t ion

MELVILLE, N.Y. -- A silver Colonial Massachusetts coinfrom 1652 that was found in a potato field has been auc-tioned for $430,000.

It garnered four times as much as auction officials ex-pected. It was sold last week at the Colonial Coin Col-lectors Club in Baltimore.

The coin is one of eight known to exist.

It was first auctioned in 1992 by Lillian King and sold toan auction house for $35,200. The man who ended upbuying the coin from the auction house resold it lastweek for the large sum.

King tells the newspaper that she wishes she had waited

to sell the coin.

Mineral Specimen Identification

As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan StateCollege of Denver, Dep. of Earth & AtmosphericScience, Professional Services Division offers FREEMINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participantswill aid in the education of future Geoscientists!

Details and specimen submittal forms with instructionscan be downloadedfrom:SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMENhttp://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/MINID.pdf

Refreshment Volunteers

January Rick MattinglyFebruary Tom WarneMarch Bob Miller/David LongmireApril David Montoya

May Ray McGehee/Ann NicholsJune Gary & SaraJuly Rolf ChristophersenAugust Need Volunteer!September Barb SchuldtOctober Dick & Sharon FrenchNovember Ted & Faye Croswell

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

6/20


Japanese Treasure

Hunt Extended

Author i t ies expand area fo r

$100 b ln t reasure hunt

Fri, December 28, 2012

The Binh Thuan Province Peoples Committeehas adjusted the plan for a 97-year-old man,Tran Van Tiep, to continue his long hunt forwhat he believes to be a treasure of 4,000-ton goldburied by the Japanese under a local mountain in1945.

Accordingly, Tiep, aresident of Ho ChiMinh City who has

spent 20 years search-ing for the treasure,can dig for thetreasure in an area of12,060 square meters,five times the current2,400 square meters.

The number of allow-able drills is also in-creased to 160, withthe diameter of a drill

being 100-150 mm.The search is allowed

to be carried out on themountain at an eleva-tion of 50-110 metersabove sea level.

Earlier on November15, provincial PeoplesCommittee chairmanLe Tien Phuong agreedto extend the durationfor Tiep to continue thetreasure hunt untilJune 30, 2013, insteadof October 30, 2012.

The latest extension was given after the searchingteam reported to authorities that they had foundmetal structures inside the Tau Mountain. Thesestructures were identified after the team had drilled atdifferent depth levels.

At some points that had been drilled, there were sig-nals showing metals near the surface, but at otherspots the metals appeared to be located deep under-

ground.

As previously reported, the aged man has long be-lieved that at the end of World War II, after Japan sur-rendered to the Allies, a Japanese general named Ya-mashita ordered his soldiers to bury about 4,000tons of gold and other jewelries under a mountainnext to Ca Na Bay, the boundary between Binh Thuanand Ninh Thuan.

The treasure may be valued at over US$100 billion,

Tiep claimed.

The mountain was later identified as Tau Mountain,now in Phuoc The commune, Tuy Phong district, BinhThuan Province.

Tieps confidence in the existence of the treasure wasstrengthened in 1992 when he found an old Japanesesword with its scabbard, a 10,000-yen coin, a brokenmetal hookah, and two metal Black Dragon insigniasduring an excavation on the east side of the mountain.

TuoitrenewsThe News Gateway of Vietnam

Read more:http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/society/authorities-expand-area-for-100-bln-treasure-hunt-1.95357#ixzz2GOrxyA27

The ancient items the 97-year-old man has found under the Tau Mountain (Vietnam)during his search for the "Japanese Treasure"

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

7/20


tured and executed in the city. Kett himself was impris-oned and later hanged from the battlements of NorwichCastle.

The silver groats were found in a field in Wymondham inNorfolk.

BBC NEWS NorfolkBBC 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content

Ketts Rebellion Coin

Hoard

'H idden' co in hoard declared t reasure The s i l ver

groats w ere found in a f ie ld in Wymondham in

Norfolk

29 November 2012

Ahoard of coins minted during Henry VIII's reignand found by a metal detector enthusiast in aNorfolk field may have been buried to keep it safeduring Kett's Rebellion in 1549.

The 14 silver groats, found in a field in Wymondham,were pronounced treasure by coroner William Arm-strong in Norwich.

Kett's Rebellion during the reign of King Edward VI

started in Wymondham.

They hoard was found in April 2011 by Steven Clarksonand Mark Turner.

Objects which could qualify as treasure must be re-ported to the coroner under the 1996 Treasure Act .

Dr Adrian Marsden, of the British Museum, said in areport to the coroner it is "quite likely they (the coins)were hidden during the Kett uprising in July and August1549".

He said the coins "probably represent a small proportionof the hoard originally concealed".

A valuation committee will decide on the value and com-pensation to be paid to the finder and landowner.

The coins may have been concealed during Kett's Rebel-lionThe rebellion started in Wymondham after a small groupof peasants got together to protest against rich robberbarons who had stolen the common land, leaving thepeasants to starve.

Led by Robert Kett, the peasants marched 10 miles intoNorwich and gathered on Mousehold Heath, attractingthe support of the poorer people of Norwich.

Some 15,000 rebels eventually gathered and their battlesagainst government forces on the streets of Norwich ledto a national crisis.

They were finally defeated by an army of 13,000 mencommanded by the Earl of Warwick.

Hundreds of peasants were killed and 300 were cap-

Silver Groat

THANKS

A big hats off to all the members who assisted

Darrell Koleber with the panning demonstrations for

the Flatirons Rock & Mineral Show in December.

These sorts of effort exposes our club to the publicand helps gain future prospectors from the youth.

Well done!

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

8/20


Missouri Treasure

Thursday, November 29, 2012By ERIC CRUMP/Editor

Is there buried treasure in Saline County, Mis-souri?

The historical record suggests there is, or was, treas-ure left in several places, according to historianMarvin Wilhite.

Whether old treasures remain where they werestashed and whether they can be relocated is anothermatter, he said.

Wilhite started a presentation Tuesday, Nov. 20, atMarshall Public Library by recounting legendary Sa-line County treasures. Most were from the Civil Warera.

In one story, a group of Union soldiers were trans-porting a strong box containing payroll money whenthey were surprised by bushwhackers. The strong box

was left behind as they made their escape. When theyreturned for it, it was gone.

Another story involves a family from rural Marshallwho fled the strife of the Civil War. They buried thefamily silver before leaving, but they never returned.

Wilhite said he has talked to descendants of the fam-

ily who believe the silver might still be there.

Then there's the sunken riverboat that was carrying$150,000-worth of silver. Wilhite estimated the valueof the cargo might be worth considerably more than$3 million today.

"That gives you an idea of things that possibly couldbe in the county," he said. "It doesn't mean they are."

Wilhite is content to search for these treasures on pa-per as part of his historical research. There are othertreasures closer to hand, easier to find and often

quite interesting in their own right, he said.

Wilhite's searching began in earnest in 1978, when hebegan using a metal detector to scan for items at ornear the surface of local terrain. Much of his early

work was in Malta Bend, where he took the time topainstakingly excavate an old town dump to see whatitems of interest or value had been discarded there.

He's been looking for treasures since, though he saidthe most intense searching was for the first 10 years,

when he used his metal detector nearly every day.

At the recent presentation, he unveiled a table with anarray of items he has found, each labeled and pro-tected by plastic.

He held up a small bell and gave it a tinkly shake.

"This little bell is one of the first things I found," hesaid. "I found it about 40 years ago in an old housethat had just fallen down."

And that illustrates another point he made abouttreasure hunting: Don't depend on gadgets alone.

Although he has had great success using a metal de-tector, Wilhite said the key to successful hunting ispaying close attention to the small details of the

world.

The bell was not the only item he found with unaided

eyes.

Wilhite took the audience on a tour of his display,which he said represented maybe 5 percent of hiswhole collection.

He was able to describe when and where each piecewas found, and in some cases he could provide moreinformation about the maker and age of the item.That's because he keeps meticulous records of eachfind.

Among his collection are numerous rings, tokens andcoins. The coins have long piqued his interest becausehe found so many foreign coins in Malta Bend.

One time, for instance, he was scanning the baseballdiamond and was coming up empty. As he trudgedtoward home, his metal detector beeped near second

base. There, he found a number of silver Canadiancoins. It wasn't the first time he'd found Canadiancoins in Malta Bend, either.

And the first coin he found when he started using ametal detector was Greek.

"I have no idea what it's worth," he said. "I have noidea what a Greek coin would be (doing) in MaltaBend."

In other cases, he has been able to determine thevalue of items found and something of the story be-hind them. One of his most valuable finds was a dia-mond ring. It is so small, he can't even slide it on hispinky finger.

(Continued on page 9)

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

9/20


Four boxes keep us

free

the soap box, the ballot box,

the jury box and

the cartridge box.

He found out later that a small woman lived in anearby home about 1901 or 1902.

"She was about four-feet eight and weighed about 80pounds," he said. "She was engaged to be married andthe guy just walked off and left her. So my speculation

is she probably walked out the back door and gavethe ring a flip."

Imagining the stories behind the artifacts is part ofthe satisfaction of the hobby, according to Wilhite. Ofcourse, valuable and/or interesting items aren't theonly things treasure hunters find.

"You also find junk sometimes," he said. "Fishingsinkers, a clip for a dog chain, a broken wrench. It'snot always good stuff or valuable stuff."

Drink can pull-top tabs, for example, are plentiful.

Wilhite figures if he had saved all the pull-tabs he hasfound, he could have filled barrels with them.

Wilhite also provided the audience with sage advicefrom an experienced hunter, noting good practices tofollow.

--Don't go on state or federal property with metal de-tector.

--Don't go on private property without permission.

--Make sure the person you get permission from isauthorized to give it.

--Leave the land just as you found it.

Marshall Democrat-NewsStory URL: http://www.marshallnews.com/story/1917992.html

(Continued from page 8)

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

10/20


Calendar of Events

MAP TO TH E MEETING PLACE

Pul liam Comm uni ty Bui ld ing

545 Cleveland Avenue , Lovela nd, Colorado

Directions:The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland,

Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is fromthe doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).

RMPTH DUESRMPTH is an unincorpo-

rated Social Club withno income generated. Allexpenses are covered bydonation. Members arerequested to considerdonating a minimum of$1.00 at each monthlymeeting to cover club

expenses.

February Meet ingWednesday, February 6. We will meet at the PulliamBuilding in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer tothe adjoining map for directions.

Meeting Agenda6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of

the Month Program7:30 - 7:45 Break7:45 - 9:00 "Relic Huntingby Tom Warne.

Visit RMPTH On The Internet Athttp://rmpth.com

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

11/20


Fe b r u a r y 2 0 13Su n M o n Tu e W e d Th u F r i Sa t

1 2

3 4 5 6RMPTH PlanningSession 6:00PRMPTH Meeting 7:00P

7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28

M a r ch 2 0 13Su n M o n Tu e W e d Th u F r i Sa t

1 2

3 4 5 6RMPTH PlanningSession 6:00PRMPTH Meeting 7:00P

7 8 9Colorado School ofMines Museum Tour

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

12/20


RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touchand continue to review and plan upcoming presentationsand outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor

Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for eachissue of The News. Please get information about any par-ticular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the

printing deadline for the next issue.

Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programsare in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.

Planning is a work in progress and additional outings andactivities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongo-

ing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month areemphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings.Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if youhave any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for

fieldtrips, outings, and programs.

The best made plans may change at the last minute dueto the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, ve-hicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please

be understanding of extenuating circumstances and con-tact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event ifthere is any question of an event being cancelled or

changed at the last minute.

Common senseI love it and we need more of it!

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

13/20


Items on display during Marvin Wilhite's presentation on treas-ure hunting Tuesday, Nov. 20, represent about 5 percent of hiscollection, he said. In his first decade pursuing the hobby, hescanned with his metal detector almost every day, he said.

(Eric Crump/Democrat-News)

A Contemporary Tale

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping

trip.

After a good meal and a bottle of brandy they laydown for the night, and went to sleep.

Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his

faithful friend.

"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you

see."

Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars."

"What does that tell you?"

Watson pondered for a min-

ute. "Astronomically, it tells

me that there are millions of

galaxies and potentially bil-

lions of planets. Astrologi-

cally, I observe that Saturn

is in Leo. Horologically, I

deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past

three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-

powerful and that we are small and insignificant.Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beau-

tiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Holmes?"

Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "Watson,

you ass. Some bastard has stolen our tent."

Local historian Marvin Wilhite holds up a small bell, one of thefirst items he found when he started hunting for treasure more

than 40 years ago. Wilhite described a number of finds during apresentation Tuesday, Nov. 20, at Marshall Public Library.

(Eric Crump/Democrat-News)

Dating Antique Bottles

Common bottles you'll find in many antique shops are candy containers, fire extinguisher globes, whiskey bottles, ink bottles, barber-

shop, tonic and mineral water bottles. Particularly valued are liquor bottles with presidents or politicians on them, tonic bottles in theshape of the body and fire extinguisher globes still containing the chemicals necessary to put out a flame.Usually older bottles from this period will be greenish/blue due to the impurities in the glass, there may also be bubbles, surfacemarks and bits of stone in the glass.

To date a hand-blown bottle, look at the poltil marks on the bottom, if there is color in them - 1845 to 1870 are the most likely yearsof manufacture.

To date a molded bottle, look at the height of the seam, the higher the seam-the later the bottle. Pre-1860, the side mold marks don'tgo all the way up the neck of the bottle, in the late 1800s they ran to about a quarter inch from the top and after 1903, the seam willrun all the way to the top of the bottle.

References: Munsey, Cecil, The Illustrated Guide to Collecting Bottles, Hawthorn Books, 1970.

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

14/20


Declaration of Financial

Independence

In 1989, a Philadelphia financial analyst discovered something un-usual in an old picture he'd bought for $4 at a flea market inAdamstown, PA. He'd purchased the painting (an old, torn depictionof a country scene) because he liked the frame. He liked it even moreonce he discovered that a rare copy of the Declaration of Independencelurked within it.

The frame fell apart in his hands when he attempted to detach it fromthe painting,

leading him to discover a folded document which appeared to be an oldcopy of the Declaration of Independence between the canvas and wood

backing. A friend who collected Civil War memorabilia advised him tohave it appraised.

It was real: one of 500 official copies from the first printing of the Decla-ration of Independence in 1776. (Only twenty-foursimilar copies were known to exist before this find,of which a mere three were privately owned.) Thisrare document was offered for sale by Sotheby's on4 June 1991, and the lucky find fetched even morethan had been anticipated: the $800,000 to $1.2million estimate turned into $2.42 million by thesound of the gavel.

What did Donald Scheer of Atlanta, head of VisualEquities Inc., get for his $2.42 million? Monthsprior to the auction, Sotheby's had confirmed theprinted broadsheet not only as authentic but also asone of the three finest known, as crisp as it was onthe evening it was printed by John Dunlap to carrythe news of America's independence to the people ofthe thirteen colonies. (This copy was put up for saleagain in June 2000, fetching a $8.14 million bidfrom television producer Norman Lear in an onlineauction.)

Donald Scheer's charming story was turned to acommercial purpose: In the autumn of 1997, Su-nAmerica ran TV commercials based on his tale,utilizing the theme that you could either hope to getlucky like Scheer did, or you could work out aninvestment plan withSunAmerica.

March 2006 saw a smaller-scale repetition ofScheer's experience when Michael Sparks was

browsing a thrift shop in Nashville, Tennessee, andhappened upon a yellowed, shellacked, rolled-updocument. Learning from a clerk that the itemcould be had for a mere $2.48, Sparks purchasedit, took it home, and after doing some online re-search eventually learned that he had bought one of200 "official copies" of the Declaration of Independ-ence commissioned by John Quincy Adams in1820. He spent nearly a year authenticating andconserving the document before selling it at auctionin March 2007, where it fetched $477,650.

After Michael Sparks' lucky find made the news inFebruary 2007, Stan Caffy contacted reporter MaryHance of the Tennessean and told her that he wasthe one who had (unwittingly) donated the valuabledocument to the Music City Thrift store in March2006:

"I bought it at a yard sale in Donelson about 10 years, ago, in Donelson Hills, Ithink," said Stan Caffy, a pipe fitter.

For years, the document hung in Stan Caffy's garage, where he works on bicycles asa hobby.

He married his wife, Linda, a little more than a year ago. As part of the ritual ofcombining households, she pushed him to clean out the garage, which had filled up

with all sorts of extraneous things.

"I used to be a packrat but now I am trying to get rid of things. The best I can re-call, we had a little debate about whether to keep it (the Declaration) or donate itand she won."

And so it was that Linda took the Declaration along with a pile of other stuff anantique table, a shower massage head, and a faucet to donate to the Music City

Thrift store last March.

"I'm happy for the Sparks guy," Stan said. "If I still had it, it would still be hanginghere in the garage and I still wouldn't know it was worth all that. It is just life. SoI'm not really upset. But you can't help but feel not very smart for doing it."

Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/luck/declare.asp 1/18/2013

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

15/20


Gold Glossary

Ore - Any natural combination of minerals.

Especially one from which a metal or met-

als can be profitably extracted. Commonly

a mixture of one or more of the following:quartz, gold, copper, silver, sulfur, iron,

and nickel.

Symbol: AUAtomic Number: 79

Atomic Weight: 196.967

Melting Point: 1063 (1945 F)Specific Gravity: 19.2

MOHs Scale of Hardness:2.5 - 3

Karat

24K = 100% Pure Gold18K = 75% Pure Gold14K = 58% Pure Gold10K = 42% Pure Gold

Troy Weights

1 grain = 0.0648 grams24 grains = 1 penny

weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams20 DWT = 1 ounce =

480 grains = 31.10 grams

Gold Fac t s

YOURADVERTISEMENTCOULD BE HERE!Call Rick Mattinglyat 970-613-8968or [email protected]

Buried Strong Boxes

Arizona

C

anyon Station is located at the foothills of the Cerbat Moun-tains near Kingman. It was the site of a stage station near the

mouth of the narrow canyon, through which the road twistedup the Cerbats before descending to Mineral Park. All that is left ofCanyon Station today is the diminishing foundations of well-agedstructures and a weed infested road leading to them.

Tradition claims that a robbery took place near the Canyon Station inOctober of 1873. A man named Macallum (McAllen) and his partnerreceived information from an unnamed source that a shipment of

government funds, $72,000 worth, in gold coins was in route to FortMohave from Prescott. The two men made careful plans to rob thestagecoach of its precious contents. With his partner standing guardMacallum stopped the stagecoach, demanded the strongbox and sentthe coach on its way. The coach traveled a short distance and soon a

posse was formed to pursue the two bandits.

Meanwhile the robbers had no chance of carrying their unwieldy prizewith them any extended distance, so they decided to bury the strong-box containing the loot. It wasn't long before the sheriff's posse caughtup with them killing Macallums partner. Macallum was sent to the

Yuma Territorial Prison for an undetermined sentence. He did notreveal the location of the hid-den money, hoping to enjoythe loot after serving hisprison term. While in prisonMacallum became well ac-quainted with another inmate.

Macallum became very ill andbefore his death he relayedinformation regarding the rob-

bery to the inmate.

It is believed that this inmate returned to Canyon Station and talkedto Andy Goodwill, who at the time was living in the Canyon Station

building and cultivated a fine orchard and garden there. Goodwill re-ported that he had no objection and the man continued the search forthe money, staying in the area for a few days. At the time of his depar-ture, the man told Goodwill that the place had changed and he could-n't find any marker described by the old inmate. Discouraged afterhis extensive search, the man left to no avail.

What makes this story more creditable is the fact that a few yearslater Nelle Clack, who owned Clacks Canyon at the time, told of ahideout she believed the robbers used. It was a cave formed by twolarge boulders. There Nelle Clack found a few personal belongings left

by persons who had been living there for a short period of time. Itwas an ideal spot for observing the movements of people and wagonsat the station.

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

16/20


All mistakes and

misspellings wereintentionally made so

that you could have thepleasure of finding them.

Trading Post

About Trading Post

The News runs classified ads in Trading Postfor three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads

for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70

words) long are free. To place an ad in TradingPost contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968evenings

or e-mail at: [email protected]

Commerc ia l Adver t i s ing

Spec i f i ca t i ons

(Month ly Donat ion Rate)

Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") $30Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") $20One Third Page (3" X 4") $15Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $ 5

Ads must be received by the 15th of thepreceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for in-

formation on this service at(970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at:

[email protected].

Gold Fact s

It is estimated that the total amount of gold ever minedworldwide is 152,000 metric tons, only enough to fill 60tractor trailers. By comparison, each year 907,000,000

metric tons of iron is produced worldwide, 6000 time thetotal gold produced throughout history.

FOR SALE: 5HP pump motor, Gold King 3" Hi-banker/dredge attachment w/adjustable stand, GoldBuddy drywasher (never used) w/o blower motor,Gold Grabber Hi-banker, Schmidt Gold Trap"Bazooka" 4" and 3" dredge, c tool, crevice nozzle &125 feet hose, Rock net and steel cable, misc. fittingsand valves, large metal bucket. Prefer to sell all to-

gether for $1,700, but negotiable. Call Eric Sticklandat (303) 833-6848 or [email protected].

FOR SALE: Problem free, two month old, cleanGarrett AT Pro detector from smoke-free home. Prac-tically brand new, purchased August 24, 2012; full

warranty. Only worked over grass and sand at LakeLoveland, with coil cover on at all times. Zeroscratches on coil, rods or control unit. Machine is wa-ter proof to a depth of 10 feet (water-specific head-phones required, not included). Comes with factoryheadphones with independent volume control foreach ear, retail box, instruction manual, DVD and

warranty card. Paid $600 at Gold-N-Detectors in

Golden, CO. Will consider any and all reasonable of-fers. Contact with questions or offers via email:[email protected]

FOR SALE: 23-foot Forest River Sierra bumper pulltravel trailer with slide out. Has all the comforts ofhome. Great condition and not used enough - Need tosell ASAP! Price $7995. If you have any questionsplease call Jennifer Lange at 970-980-5776.

FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal De-tector: 10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD SeriesSuper Coil, two batteries w/wall & car charger, head-phones, backpack, waist battery pack, signal enhan-

cer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video,carry case. Ready to go for the gold: $1900. ContactPaul at (970) 482-7846.

WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-221-1623

WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint orused. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.

YELLOWSTONE FAREWELL Wyoming adventurenovel. Diamonds, Gold, Volcanic activity, Prospecting.Factual geology; Fictional story. $18.00 + $4.00 S&H.Spur Ridge Enterprises, POB 1719, Laramie, WY

82073. Internet: http://yellowstonefarewell.com/

NOTE:Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and

seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

17/20


Terms Jewelers Use

Every business has its own language. Here are im-portant jewelry terms you need to know.KARATS are a measure of golds fineness. PURE gold is24 karats. its the snuff of which the gold bars in FortKnox are made. Gold coins, such as American Eagles,

are also 24K gold. Pure, 24K gold is too soft to be usedfor jewelry.

SOLID gold is an item made of at least 10K gold that issolid through and through, rather than hollow.

BASE METALS like copper, zinc, silver, and nickel aremixed with gold to make an alloy are enough to use forjewelry.

18-KARAT gold is used for jewelry most often in Europe.Its 18 parts gold to 6 parts base metal.

14-KARAT gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts basemetal. Most of the jewelry you find in U.S. stores is 14K

gold.

10-KARAT gold is commonly used for mens rings andchildrens jewelry. Be-cause its 10 parts gold and 14parts base metal, its harder and more damage resistantthan 14K.

GOLD FILLED & GOLD OVERLAYare essentially the same thing, a base metal coated withgold. The gold mush be at least 10K and it must equal atleast 1/20 of the total weight of the piece of jewelry. If yousee a mark that reads12KGF, the item is gold filled.

GOLD ELECTROPLATE consists of a very thin layer of

gold, at least 10K, over a base metal. Methods of apply-ing the gold vary. Electroplate is less durable than goldfilled and gold overlay.VERMEIL is a thin layer of gold over sterling silver. Mu-seum catalogs offer a lot of vermeil (and gold-filled) jew-elry

PINK WHITE, YELLOW & GREENGold can be 10K, 14K, or 18K. The colors have nothingto do with the fineness of the gold. Theyre related to thetypes and proportions of base metals used. Copper andsilver make gold look pink. White gold requires nickel inthe allow. Silver cadmium, and copper create green.

Different finishes can give gold jewelry different looks.

The DIAMOND-CUT finish is probably the most heavilypro-moted. Tiny cuts in the surface - like facets on dia-monds - give a little gold a lot of sparkle. HAMMEREDgold has evenly spaced indentations. Roses and scrolls,such as you might find in a traditionally styled banglebracelet, are often ETCHED. A HIGH-POLISH finishscratches easily but, over time, the scratches can give thepiece a rich patina. A MATTE finish has a dull, soft look.

Reprinted from Consumer Reports, December 92Thanks to Eureka! TH Club for running it in their May93 issue.

WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALEMINERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILLrespect other prospectors claims and not workthose claims without the owners permission

I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses

I WILLbuild fires in designated or safe places only, andin accordance with current State and Federal guidelines

I WILLbe careful with fuels and motor oils and be cog-nizant of their potential destructive effect on the envi-ronment

I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash anddebris that I find -I will not litter

I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous tothose around me at all time

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of naturalresources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, andrespect all laws or ordinances governing prospectingand mining

I WILL NOTremove stream bank material, destroynatural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor dischargeexcess silt into the waterways

I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream

I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized

equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water

I WILL NOTprospect in areas closed to prospectingand mining

Offer Your Assistance To AnyOf Our Program Coordinators

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

18/20


Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity

January Bottle HuntingBy Rick Mattingly

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

FebruaryRelic Hunting

By Tom WarneNo Trip/Activity Scheduled

MarchGhost Towns of the Rockies

By Preethie BurkholderColorado School of Mines Museum Tour

AprilSouth Pass, Wyoming History

By Rick Mattingly

Detecting Clinic at Lions Park -Advertised and Open to the PublicWyoming Geologic Survey Tour &

Diamond Prospecting Clinic

Phoenix Mine & Argo Mill Tours

MayRMPTH Prospecting DVD Overview &

Patent SearchingBy Rick Mattingly

Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas EventProspecting Clinic at Lions Park -Advertised and Open to the Public

Clear Creek Gold OutingGPS, Compass & Map Clinic

JuneDetecting England

By Ed & Mia Edwards

Clear Creek Gold OutingDiamond Hunt Outing

Colorado Gold District Tour

JulyBurrows Cave

By Russell Burrows

South Pass, Wyoming Gold & Detector Outing

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

August Meteorite HuntingAmes Monument Tour and Vedauwoo Detector Outing

Lucite Hills Gem OutingVics Gold Panning Outing

SeptemberBattery Facts

By Batteries Plus

Annual Coin & Prize HuntDenver Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show

Fort Laramie Wyoming Tour

OctoberGold & Silver Refining Presentation

By David EmslieOff-Road Detector Outing

NovemberAnnual Show & Tell &

Silent AuctionLocal Detector Outing

DecemberAnnual Find of the Year Awards &

Christmas PartyFlatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

Good Hunting in 2013!

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club2013 Schedule of Events

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

19/20


Rocky MountainProspectors & Treasure Hunters

Contact ListRMPTH Coordinators Home E-Mail

Coordinator Robert Crain 1-970-484-6488

Coordinator Bryan Morgan 1-970-416-0608 [email protected]

Coordinator Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 [email protected]

The News Staff

Editor-in-Chief Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 [email protected]

Assistant Editor Dick French 1-970-482-2110 [email protected]

Internet Web Site

Web Master Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 [email protected]

Volunteers/Coordinators

Find of the YearJoe JohnstonBetsy EmondPaul Mayhak

1-303-696-69501-970-218-02901-970-482-7846

[email protected]

[email protected]

Presentations Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 [email protected]

Club Historian Volunteer Needed!

Club Librarian Joe Johnston 1-303-696-6950 [email protected]

Panning DemosBryan MorganDarrell KoleberBob Smith

1-970-416-06081-970-669-25991-303-530-4375

[email protected]@[email protected]

Setup &Refreshments

Volunteer Needed!

Door PrizeTom WarneJohnny Berndsen

1-970-635-07731-970-667-1006

[email protected]

General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-613-8968

Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com

Lets Go For The Gold !

7/29/2019 RMPTH0213

20/20

The NewsRocky Mountain Prospectors &Treasure Hunters Club

P.O. Box 271863Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863

FEBRUARY, 2013 ISSUE

RMPTH0213

Documents

Transcript of RMPTH0213