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The Greenie

One of the most fascinating aspects of detectingis to find a mystery object and then researchits use and history. Last September, we spenta week detecting in England. Our significant findshad to be left behind to be evaluated and an export

permit issued. Greenies or more modern coins maybe brought back without a permit. This is the story ofa supposed greenie with a hole drilled through itthat came home with us. The Greenie was found ina farmers field in a little village outside Hunstantonin Norfolk. Hunstaton is a small English seaside re-sort on the East Coast of England.

Once home we looked a little more closely at theGreenie and discovered that it was very light, weigh-ing less than 20 grams not a usual weight for a coin.

A hole was drilled through the top of the GreenieOur assumption was that it might be a seal from asack of grain used to prevent theft of the grain while it

was being transported from the mill.Cleaning revealed that out Greenie had a human

(Continued on page 3)

v. 15, n. 8 August, 2011 Going for the Go

Rocky Mountain Prospectors &Treasure Hunters Newsletter

The News

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

Contents

"A fool and his money are soon elected."

- Will Rogers

1 The Greenie2 About The News2 Dating Antique Bottles

3 Those Intriguing Little CaliforniaGold Pieces4 Alfred Wild5 RMPTH Treasure Hunt Ends6 Kerala Temple Treasure7 Blackbeard's Sword, Found!7 Detector Signals Produced By

Metallic Objects8 Manhattan Outing Report9 News Regarding The 2011 Detector

Coin HuntRevised!10 Calendar of Events

11 Calendars12 Potato Creek Johnny13 The Solid Muldoon15 Historic Wyoming Tour16 Trading Post18 2011 Schedule of Events19 Contact List

DUE TO A SCHEDULING ISSUE WITHTHE PULLIUM BUILDING THE AUGUST

MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY,AUGUST 4, INSTEAD OF THE USUAL

FIRST WEDNESDAY. PLEASE LET OTHERMEMBERS KNOW! WE WILL BE BACK TO

THE NORMAL FIRST WEDNESDAYSCHEDULE AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER.

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Page 2 The News, August 2011

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.

Submissions

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.

Copyright

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.

Dating Antique Bottles

Common bottles you'll find in many antique shops are candy containers, fire extinguisher globes, whiskey bottles, inkbottles, barbershop, tonic and mineral water bottles. Particularly valued are liquor bottles with presidents or politi-cians on them, tonic bottles in the shape of the body and fire extinguisher globes still containing the chemicals neces-sary 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, sur-face marks and bits of stone in the glass.

To date a hand-blown bottle, look at the pontil marks on the bottom, if there is color in them - 1845 to 1870 are the mostlikely years of 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 moldmarks don't go all the way up the neck of the bottle, in the late 1800s they ran to about a quarter inch from the top and after1903, the seam will run all the way to the top of the bottle.

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

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Page 3The News, August 2011

found in the U.K. Later jettons made in the 17th Cen-tury often had titles and portraits of reigning mon-archs, this type of jetton is less common.

One more problem emerges from this information,the article on the Krauwinckels states that in the Six-teenth Century jetton masters put their initials ontheir products. Later the Town Council of Nurembergrequired that their full name be on the jetton. Our

Greenie does not have Hans name on either side.Of course, the name could have been erased by wearand tear because the Greenie is not in very goodcondition.

Stay tuned for more revelations on the saga ofGreenie.

Edward and Mai Edwards

figure on one side. Where the head would be waswhere the hole had been drilled. The figure was hold-ing an orb in its left hand. An orb is a circular object,usually made from gold or other precious metals,sometimes with a cross on top. Its a fairly universalsymbol of royalty. Above the head are the Latin wordsREX BOME, meaning King Bome.

The obverse has the letters Regis Boeme in Signia meaning the insignia or coat of arms of the KingBoeme. On line searches only turned up sites fromEastern Europe in languages we could not decipher.

We concluded our Greenie was probably not a grainseal.

At a dead end we wrote to Treasure Hunting Maga-zine including pictures and a description and receiveda reply very quickly. In addition to an e-mail responseour letter was published in the June edition of themagazine. . The experts determined that based on thelight metal, the absence of the name of a specific King,and the pendant hole our Greenie was a jeton or

medalet. The experts opinion was that this was atalisman hung around someones neck and presentedby the King of Bohemia as protection from the plagueor other serious illness. Because the King was Godsdivinely appointed representative on Earth, a Kings

blessing was a superior protection against disease.

Now our Greenie is a powerful protector against evil but how did it come from Bohemia to Norfolk Eng-land?

Next stop was a friend who is an archaeologist andhistory buff, who thought the Greenie might well bean actual Bohemian coin. His research voided the

coin theory, but brought up the fact that Richard II ofEngland married Ann of Bohemia in 1382. The Royalcouple toured their Kingdom and visited Norwich inNorfolk before Ann died in 1394. Norwich is not farfrom Hunstaton, perhaps Ann came to England with asupply of holy medalets to distribute.

One significant problem with this scenario is thatcoins minted in the Thirteenth Century were ham-mered, i.e. made by striking a die against a preciousmetal. Hammered coins were very irregular in qual-ity. Out Greenie is very symmetrical and obviouslymade using more modern technology.

Where to go next with our inquiries? Treasure Hunt-ing Magazine came to our rescue once again. In theJuly issue there was another letter to the editor froma reader who described our Greenie precisely andidentified it as a jetton, a product made by HansKrauwinckel II in Nuremberg Germany. Hans livedfrom 1586-1635. We turned back to Google to re-search Hans Krauwinckel. Hans and his brother,Egidius, were engaged in the creation of jettons.(Jettons were initially used as reckoning counters,later as gaming chips). Initially, many had inscrip-tions such as To God alone the Glory or Love meas I love you. Hans jettons are the most commonly

(Continued from page 1)

Those Intriguing Little

California Gold Pieces

by Betty Weeks

Fractional gold, the beautiful and intriguingminiature gold coins of old California, can beclassified into three distinct categories: thegenuine pieces that circulated as real money from1852 to 1856; the souvenir pieces issued from 1859

to 1882; and the outright fraud being foisted on thecollecting public at this time. An ad age to follow:Know your dealer!

The California Gold rush wrecked havoc with thefragile economy of California in the middle of the lastcentury. So little government money was in circula-tion in 1848 that pinches of gold dust became thecommon currency. It was a decided ad vantage for themerchant to have a bit of grease or hair oil on his fin-

gertips when prices were pegged to the pinch.

Silver coins from the East were to few and prices to

high to be of any use to most miners and the public.

Two fried eggs and greasy potatoes cost $4 in gold, abowl of thin soup sold for $1 in gold. Merchants paida three-percent premium for silver coins and federallyissued paper money was still 13 years into the future.Thus started the American love affair with the goldcoin, a love that has endured for almost 150 years.


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"I am not a vegetarian becauseI love animals; I am a vegetar-

ian because I hate plants."

- A. Whitney Brown

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

Flour Gold/Gold Dust - Gold that is so fine

that it looks and feels like flour or dust.

"The bread and butter of prospecting."

Nuggets are just a bonus.

In order to facilitate trade, the first series of fractionalCalifornia gold pieces appeared on the scene the

year was 1852. Some were octagonal, others wereround, and the values included a quarter dollar, ahalf-dollar, and a one dollar. With few exceptions allcarried the denomination and notation, CaliforniaGold.

Almost all were slightly underweight and made of un-alloyed gold. Production stopped when the new mintin San Francisco produced enough small coinage forcirculation.

For two years there was no production of small Cali-fornia gold pieces. In 1859, the fractional piecesstarted to appear again. Most had the Liberty headdesign that had appeared on the earlier issues, butthere were a few Indian Heads, and a few more car-ried the etching of George Washington. Although thedenominations remained the same, the newer pieces

were grossly underweight and the metal had been de-based to a 9 or 10 karat quality. Those continued tobe made until 1882 when a law enacted back in 1864outlawing the production of private coins was en-forced.

Miniature gold pieces of the period 1852 to 1856 canbe found in worn and circulated condition, whereasthe second series made from 1859 to 1882, were al-most always found to be in new condition, attesting tothe fact that these coins were seldom if ever circulatedas coins. Most were produced by jewelers as pocket

souvenirs or for use as costume jewelry.

Surprisingly, the last issues are still being manufac-tured today. Many carry fractional designs, but theylack the denomination. As an example, one may say1/2 but lack the word doll or dollar. Producers believethat they are within the law if the denomination isomitted.

All of the late day pieces have been backdated to con-

(Continued from page 3)


$1 California Gold Piece

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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 Paul Lange

or Rick Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.

Refreshment Volunteers

August - Gary AndersonSeptember - Barbara SchuldtOctober - Johnny BerndsenNovember - Dave Montoya

RMPTH Treasure Hunt

Ends

R

MPTH member Tom Warne put in his time onresearch and was rewarded with winning theprize, a huge Maria Teresa Thaler silver coin.

Thanks to Paul Mayhak for putting on this fun treas-ure hunt.

Congratulations Tom!

Alfred Wild

Li t t l e know n h is tory of

Loveland, Colorado pioneer, Al f red Wi ld

This is the story of Alfred Wild, who was thefirst to develop the plaster industry in Colo-rado through a company named Buckhorn

Plaster in the 1880's. Along the treeless Big Thomp-son River, Wild found an unusual rock formationcalled The Devil's Backbone, where he homesteaded.First, he grew hops and was so successful he wasdubbed Colorado's Pioneer Hop Grower. When hesold out at a large profit, he looked for other avenuesof success. He was soon introduced to the mining

business near Cripple Creek.

He started his own machine business and, through

his ingenuity and improvising, discovered a soft,white material that seemed able to absorb water. Theproduct was a real nuisance to big mining companies

but Wild determined to find out something about thissurplus, unwanted product. He sent a sample of thematerial to the Brown University in Rhode Island andthe material turned out to gypsum of the highest pu-rity. Eureka! Wild had a bonanza and no one wantedit.

Experimenting with his wife's pots and pans, he pul-verized it into a fine power and from that first failedexperience, he went on to learn how to manufacture

plaster. Out of money, he found a millionaire to buyhim a carload of sacks. Shortly, builders everywhere

were clamoring for his product what we know to-day as Sheetrock or plaster board!

Wild also founded the Bucknorthern Railway, a twofoot gauge railway line.

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Kerala Temple Treasure

12bn (20 Bi l l ion) and Count ing

O

ne vault is still left to open as scale of the of-ferings made to shrine in the past 500 yearscomes to light

It's like a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple ofDoom. Even before the unlocking of the last of six se-cret vaults at Kerala's larg-est temple, the centuries-old treasure in gold, silverand precious stones discov-ered in its cellars is alreadyestimated to be wortharound 12.6bn (20 Bil-lion).

"Though we knew that offer-ings made to the temple bydevotees for the last 500

years were lying in thesesecret cellars, the scale ofthe treasure has definitelysurprised us," temple offi-cial Hari Kumar told theGuardian. "All of Kerala is celebrating this extraordi-nary find." Its discovery has made the Hindu templeof Padmanabha Swamy in the state capital Thiruvan-thapuram the richest in India.

During the past week, a team of experts appointed byIndia's supreme court has opened five vaults dedi-cated to the deity Lord

Vishnu to uncover anenormous hoard of goldidols, jewellery studded with diamonds, emeralds andother precious stones, antique silver, and even two

golden coconut shells studded with rubies and emer-alds.

The shrine dates back to the 10th century, but thepresent massive granite structure was built only inthe 18th century after King Marthanda Varma ex-

panded and consolidated the Travancore kingdom. Ithas historically been a royal temple, but offerings tothe Lord Vishnu, in the form of gold and jewellery,have come not just from Travancore kings and otherKerala royalty but millions of ordinary devotees.

The vaults containing the offerings have remainedlocked at least since the 1930s, when the last inven-

tory was reportedly carried out by Travancore's thenrulers. India's supreme court ordered a fresh inven-tory of the treasure after a face-off between the cur-

rent head of the formerTravancore royal familyand a lawyer who chal-lenged them about the man-agement of the temple

wealth, claiming there wasinadequate security.

"There are six vaults, fromA to F, and only Vault B hasstill to be opened," saysKumar. "This vault has spe-cial locks, and we don't

want to break them. Sowe're getting experts to ex-amine them, and we should

be able to open them onFriday."

The entire operation is going on under heavy policesecurity, but nothing is being filmed or photographed."Taking photos within the sacred space of the temple

is strictly prohibited," says Kumar.

Kerala's chief ministerOommen Chandy has re-

jected the demand that thetreasure should be used for public benefit. "It belongsto the Padmanabha Swamy temple and will be pre-served there," he said.

guardian.co.uk Guardian News and Media Limited2011

The Kerala TempleThe ultimate case of hiding treasure in plain site?

Last c ount $22 B i l l ion !

"There is a fine line between fishing and just standing

on the shore like an idiot."

- Steven Wright

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Blackbeard's Sword,

Found!

Archaeologist s Discover P i rate Treasure Of f

Nor th Carol ina Coast

By: TIME.com

I t's likely Edward Teach didn't need much to scare hisenemies. After all, the notorious pirate better knownas Blackbeard boasted a thick mass of facial hair sointimidating that it got immortalized in history.

He also numbered among the first corsairs to fly a blackflag with bones on it. And, according to some accounts,he had a habit of lighting fuses beneath his hat, a halo ofsmoke giving the bristlysea dog a decidedly de-monic aspect.

But archaeologists nowsuspect they've found onemore clue behind thepirate's menace: whatcould very well be Black-beard's sword, or at leastpart of it. National Geo-graphic published photosreleased by a team thathas for over a decadebeen excavating theQueen Anne's Revenge,which was Blackbeard's

flagship until it ranaground in an inlet offthe coast of North Caro-lina in 1718. These in-clude fragments of agilded hilt and pommel,possibly of French design (Blackbeard's ship was a ret-rofitted French merchant vessel). The shipwreck hasbeen worked on since 1997.

Before abandoning the Queen Anne's Revenge, Black-beard used it in a daring 1717 blockade of the port ofCharleston, S.C, where he and his fleet successfullymanaged to obtain ransom from the British colonial gov-ernment for the town and its inhabitants. But troopsdispatched from Virginia would eventually catch up tohim after he had already abandoned his flaghship and in a fearsome sea fight Blackbeard was eventuallysurrounded and hacked to death. His headless body wasthen tossed into the ocean. The pirate may now languishin Davy Jones' Locker, but his likely blade may havebeen brought to light further evidence of how Black-beard's bite was as bad as his bark.

Detector Signals

Produced By Metallic

Objects

By Ken Oyler

Now we move to those signals that are pro-duced by metallic targets. It's important tonote that all metallic targets, of sufficient sizeand proximity to the searchcoil, produce repeatablesignals, provided that the coil height and the sweepspeed are consistent with each pass. The electromag-netic field from the coil is highly affected by iron (aferrous metal), the iron targets generally have a more

broad response. In other words, as the searchcoilpasses over such a target, there is a wide full-width ofthe searchcoil response. Also, as the coil goes over an

iron target the sound in both directions will be some-what "fuzzy" and with an experienced ear, the soundof iron can be differentiated from the sharp "beep" or"zip" of a non-ferrous target.

Non-Ferrous metals (such as gold, lead, brass, etc.)respond with a more "narrow" signal, sort of a sharp"zip" sound for the smaller targets, and a louder "ZAP"sound for the bigger ones. Again, iron targets producea wide "buzz," non-ferrous targets a narrow "zip." Intime you will be able to hear the difference. (Note:Iron nails and pieces of iron wire will often produce"double-blip" signals with each pass of the search

coil.) Switching the detector to Iron ID or Iron Reject,will in most cases cause the signal to break up, espe-cially when the coil is closer to the target. You stillshould always dig the target, because you might havea small nugget close to a piece of iron.

Circa 1715, Captain EdwardTeach (1680 - 1718), better

known as Blackbeard, a piratewho plundered the coasts of theWest Indies, North Carolina andVirginia. Hulton Archive/Getty

Tecknetics T2

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Group shot at the Hanging Tree

Manhattan Outing

Report

T

rail Boss Paul Lange filed the following reporton the Manhattan outing held on Saturday,July 23, 2011.

13 people attended the ghost town tour to Manhattanand off road detecting trip July 23. The weather was

warm but it did not rain. We saw the old town siteand cemetery, the hanging tree, camp and mine sitesand prospect holes. Attendees were told where goldhas been found on past outings here before.

Photos by "SPYKE" (Mike Noll)

Paying respects at the old Manhattan Cemetery

Group shot with one of the few original Manhattanbuildings in the background

Definition of

Geocaching

"The hobby of usingbillion-dollar government

satellites to find

Tupperware hidden in the

woods."

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"What is a

committee? A group of

the unwilling, pickedfrom the unfit, to do

the unnecessary."

- Mark Twain

News Regarding The

2011 Detector Coin

HuntRevised!

This September RMPTH will again be holdingour annual Detector Coin Hunt. Since this isprimarily an event for members with detec-

tors, about one half of the cost of the coins and prizesis covered by the club, along with donated prizeitems. The other half is then covered by a small entryfee paid by participants.

The fee for this event for RMPTH members and im-mediate family will be $15 per adult and $10 perchild 13 - 16 years of age. Younger family children arefree.

The discounted fees for pre-payment entry will be $10per adult and $5 per child 13 - 16 years of age.

Younger family children are free. Please see RobertCrain to enter this event.

Because it is always a challenge to estimate participa-tion for this event, and the equivalent number ofprizes required, we will be offering a discounted entryfee structure this year for pre-payment. This will alsoassist with the cost of obtaining coins and prize mate-rial prior to the hunt in September. Anyone who optsto take advantage of this pre-payment plan but cannotmake it to the hunt may request a full refund, so you

cant lose on this deal.

Oh, and dont forget the popular Pot-Luck lunch. And,as an added incentive this year, we will be holding aSwap Meet after lunch so start putting together allthose items for swap or sell.

Finally, you do not have to participate directly in thedetector hunt to join in. Should you just wish to ob-serve and participate in the Pot-Luck lunch and SwapMeet, please do so!

Thanks for helping us put on another fun hunt thisSeptember!

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Calendar of Events

MAP TO TH E MEETING PLACE

Pul liam Comm uni ty Bui ld ing

545 Cleveland Avenue , Lovela nd, Colorad o

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.

August Meet ingThursday, August 4th. 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 "Crack & Crevasse Prospecting by

Bryan Morgan

NOTE THE SPECIAL MEETING DAY INAUGUST! WE WILL BE MEETING ONTHURSDAY, NOT WEDNESDAY, DUETO A SCHEDULING ISSUE WITH THE

PULLIAM BUILDING.

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August 2011Sun Mon Tue W ed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3August Club Meet-ing Tomorrow!

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

5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13Ames Monument,Vedauwoo &Wyoming StateMuseum Tour

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

Septem ber 2011Sun Mon Tue W ed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5Labor Day

6 7RMPTH PlanningSession 6:00PRMPTH Meeting 7:00P

8 9 10Annual Coin &Prize Hunt

11 12 13 14Colorado Mineral &Fossil Show

15Colorado Mineral &Fossil Show




19 20 21 22 23 24Lucite Hills Wyo-ming Gem Outing

25 26 27 28 29 30

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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 editorRick Mattingly needs timely event information for each

issue 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.

Potato Creek Johnny

Potato Creek Johnnys real name was John Per-rett. In 1883, when he was 17, he immigratedto the Black Hills from Wales. Potato CreekJohnny had various jobs in the area but at 25 decidedthat he would become a gold prospector. He began a

claim on Potato Creek (part of Spearfish Creek),which gave him his nickname and eventually led tohis claim to fame. In 1929, Potato Creek Johnnymade history when he purportedly found one of thelargest gold nuggets in the Black Hills. The weight ofthe leg-shaped nugget was 7-3/4 troy ounces. In later

years W.E. Adams bought the nugget for $250 and putit on display in the Adams Museum. A replica of thenugget is on display at the Adams Museum and theoriginal is stored in the museum safe deposit box.The nugget made Potato Creek Johnny famous inDeadwood and in the late 1930s, early 1940s visitors

would watch Johnny pan gold, hear him tell tales, get

his autograph, or visit him at his cabin on PotatoCreek. He was a particularly big attraction for chil-dren because Johnny was only 4 feet 3 inches tall.Potato Creek Johnny died at the age of 77 in Dead-

wood in February 1943. The funeral processionpassed by the Adams Museum and carillon chimestolled 77 times. Potato Creek Johnny is buried at Mt.Moriah Cemetery alongside Wild Bill Hickok and Ca-lamity Jane.

Colorado Minera l & Fossi l Show

Denver Centr a l Hol iday Inn

4849 Bannock St ree t

Denver, Colo ra do

Septem ber 11-18, 2011

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The Solid Muldoon

The Solid Muldoon was a "prehistoric humanbody" unearthed in 1877, near Beulah, Colo-rado. Named after either the legendary wres-tler William Muldoon or the location of its discovery,Muldoon Hill, the figure enjoyed a brief tour of the

United States before it was revealed to be a hoax.

The Solid Muldoon was created by George Hull, sevenyears after his infamous Cardiff Giant hoax. The fig-ure was made of mortar, rock dust, clay, plaster,

ground bones, blood and meat. It was kiln-fired forseveral days and buried near Mace's Hole in Beulah,Colorado.

Three months later, it was "discovered" by WilliamConant, an associate of P.T. Barnum, and was dis-played around the state. The Denver Daily Timesclaimed that "there can be no question about the

genuineness of this piece of statuary".

Following the successful Colorado exhibition, theSolid Muldoon went on the road, attracting crowds allthe way to New York City. P.T. Barnum was rumoredto have offered $20,000 for the body. The hoax waseventually revealed to the New York Times as a man-made figure "with a knowing smile on his face as ifenjoying the joke," one reporter noted. Following alack of visitors, the Solid Muldoon disappeared frompublic attention

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Solid Muldoon

Stock certificate from The Solid Muldoon Gold Mining andMilling Company, Cripple Creek, ColoradoFrom collection of Rick Mattingly

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Colorados Cripple Creek Mining

District produced millions of

ounces of gold but only about

300 ounces were recovered in

surface placer operations.

Cripple Creek's gold was

truly a hidden treasure!

Old New s

Bal t im ore , MD New spaper Ar t ic le f rom 1936

Double-Jack Hand Drilling For Blasting

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Gold Glossary

Flumes - Flumes are like sluice boxes,they do not have riffles though and

are used solely to transport water in

areas where a ditch would be impossi-

ble (cliffsides, rocky hillsides). Twoflumes were built in the construction

of the China Ditch.

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]

Historic Wyoming Tour

On Saturday, August 13, we will be doing an auto tour of his-toric sites in southeastern Wyoming. First we will visit theghost town site of Sherman and the amazing Ames Monu-ment. This site has a history that could be made into a movie. We

will then take a tour of the Vedauwoo area with its incredible rock for-

mations. We will then proceed to Cheyenne for lunch and end with a tourof the Wyoming State Museum.

More details at the August 4 (THURSDAY) club meeting.

Mans Evolution To Detecting

AMES MONUMENT IN 1878Note the tiny human to the right

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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 is ing

Spec i f ica t ions

(Monthly 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].

FOR SALE: Keene High Banker, includes stand, hoseand 5 HP Briggs and Stratton pump. Great condition,$900.00 or Best Offer. Contact Cindy Bone at (970)669-8247.

FOR SALE: Prospecting equipment: 4" Dredge andmore plus Whites VSAT Gold Detector. ContactHomer at (970) 224-4244

FOR SALE: Two CoilTec coils for MineLab GP or SDSeries: 14" Round Mono, $150.00. 5" x 10" JoeyMono, $75.00. Like New. Plus Shipping. Call (307)886-3937 or Cell (307) 654-1432.

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

FOR SALE: Garret Treasure Ace 300 Detector.- $225OBO. Contact Roger at (970) 622-0821.

NOTE:Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and

seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.

Red meat is notbad for you.

Fuzzy green meat

is bad for you.

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fuse them with the collectible issues. No Federalcounterfeiting laws are broken in reproducing thesecoins, as they never were a legal issue to begin with.However, the Hobby Protection Act, administered bythe Federal Trade Commission, may be violated sincelegislation requires the word copy be put on the fac-simile.

Unless one is caught in the act of making them, it isdifficult to prove the pieces were not made before theHobby bill was enacted in 1977.

There are more than 1000 varieties of the genuineand souvenir issues. Incidentally, few of the modernpieces are gold. Most are brass or carry a thin gold

veneer.

The first issues range in price from $125 for quartersto $450 for dollars. Some of the scarcest pieces have

brought as much as $20,000. Not a bad price for goldpieces weighing as little as 6 grains. The souvenir

pieces have enough collectors interested in this seriesto command premiums ranging from $100 to severalthousands of dollars each.

The latter day reproductions have incurred the wrathof the collectors. Most are not worth the charges for acertified check that many unscrupulous dealers de-mand. Just because they say California Gold is noassurance that they are even gold.

Just be sure the pieces carry the words cent, ordollar. Know your source and be sure

there is a money back guarantee in case your goldcoin should be fools gold!

Sources: California Gold; Treasure Anthology; Gold,Gems and Jewelry.Note: This article was written in 1986. Prices mayhave changed by now. BW

August 2000 issue of the Treasure Trail Societynewsletter

(Continued from page 4)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

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Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity

January Club Business and Open Forum No Trip/Activity Scheduled

FebruaryLove Token Coin Presentation

By Rick MattinglyNo Trip/Activity Scheduled

March

Update on Mining Laws, Permits andLand Access for the 2011 ProspectingSeason, What the Future Looks Like.

By Ben Higley, President,Gold Prospectors of Colorado

GPS, Compass & Map Clinic

AprilGold and Platinum in Wyoming

By Wayne Sutherland, WGSClear Creek Gold Panning

MayDetecting Presentation

By Tom Warne

Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas EventProspecting, Detecting & More Clinic at Lions Park -

Advertised and Open to the Public

JuneGold Nugget Shooting Presentation

By Rick MattinglyNugget Shooting Clinic at Lions Park

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

JulyGold Refining Presentation

By David Emslie

Manhattan Ghost Town Detector Outing

Gold Nugget Shooting Outing

AugustCrack & Crevasse Prospecting

By Bryan MorganAmes Monument, Vedauwoo & Wyoming State Museum

Tour

SeptemberMeteorite PresentationBy Dr. Robert Brownlee

Annual Coin & Prize HuntColorado Mineral & Fossil ShowDenver

Lucite Hills Wyoming Gem Outing

OctoberBottle Hunting Presentation

By Rick MattinglyOff-Road Detector & Cache Hunt

NovemberAnnual Show & Tell &

Silent AuctionLocal Detector Outing

DecemberAnnual Find of the Year Awards &

Christmas PartyFlatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

Good Hunting in 2011!

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club2011 Schedule of Events

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Rocky MountainProspectors & Treasure Hunters

Contact ListRMPTH Coordinators Home E-Mail

Coordinator Paul Lange 1-970-663-5776 [email protected]

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 MonthJoe JohnstonBetsy EmondPaul Mayhak

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

[email protected]

[email protected]

PresentationsPaul LangeJohnny Berndsen

1-970-663-57761-970-667-1006

[email protected]

Club Historian Peggy Stumpf 1-307-632-9945 [email protected]

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

Panning DemosBryan MorganDarrell Koleber

1-970-416-06081-970-669-2599

[email protected]@yahoo.com

Setup &Refreshments

Volunteer Needed!

Door PrizeTom WarneJacob WoottonJohnny Berndsen

1-970-635-07731-970-980-60161-970-667-1006

[email protected]@yahoo.com

General Information Contact: Paul Lange at 1-970-663-5776

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

Lets Go For The Gold !

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The NewsRocky Mountain Prospectors &Treasure Hunters Club

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

AUGUST, 2011 ISSUE

RMPTH0811

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