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Some Coin Hunting Tips By Eric L. Nielsen

B ecause many people engaged in the hobby of treasure searching have chosen coin hunting astheir primary activity, it seems like a good idea topass on a few tips that could help to increase their suc-cess. As with any activity, the more you learn about it and the more you practice, the better you become.There are a few basics that must be considered beforemore advanced techniques can be applied.

Most important is the choice of the metal detector neces-sary to be adequately successful. Although most detec-tors manufactured today will detect coins at shallow depths, it takes a very good detector to reach the goodold coins buried very deep. If finding a lot of clad coinsand zinc pennies is all you care to do, just about any discriminating type detector will suffice. In most locali-ties the top 4 inches of soil has been pretty well depleted

of older coins. To reach the depth where the remaining coins reside requires a detector that has excellent ground balance capabilities to minimize the effect of minerals on the electromagnetic field of the detector coil.The field must reach deep enough to detect the coins.The detector must also be sensitive enough to provide a

good signal at that distance from the coil. The generalrule is that if it won't detect it in the air at that distance,it won't detect it in the ground. To qualify this, it is nec-essary to do air tests in a location that doesn't have elec-tromagnetic interference in the air. This can sometimes

be a challenge.

To make the choice of the right detector you must takeinto consideration the locations you will primarily search. Mountains may require a different detector thanthe prairie or farmland. Red iron rich clay soil willprobably require a different choice than black humusrich farmland. Alkali soil, salt water beaches, clay richsoils, and abundant black magnetic sand all create theirunique problems for the coin detector.

(Continued on page 3)

v. 15, n. 10 October, 2011 Going for the Gold

Rocky Mountain Prospectors &Treasure Hunters Newsletter

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

Contents

"Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million littlethings."

- Unknown

1 Some Coin Hunting Tips2 About The News2 Book Review

6 Huge Silver Haul7 Rare Roman Coin Recovered7 Local Treasure Tales8 Recognizing A Stroke8 Tales Of Gold Hill, Colorado10 Calendar of Events11 Calendars12 The History Of Gold14 Rhodochrosite16 Trading Post 17 RMPTHVaried Interests18 2011 Schedule of Events

19 Contact List

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Page 2 The News, October 2011

T he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky Mountain 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. Neither RMPTH , 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.

Copyright

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

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

About T h e Ne w s Adver t i s ingClassified advertising for topic related items is free

for 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

RMPTH is 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. RMPTH holds 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 by donation.

Book Review By Paul Lange

This month, I am taking you to school. I received a catalog in the mail entitled The Great Courses Fall 2011. It enables one to enjoy brilliant college lectures at home, on a laptop anywhere or in

your car. Looking through the many course offerings there is one entitled The History of the UnitedStates, 2 nd edition covering 84 lectures and The American Civil War covering 48 lectures. The best part of thesecourses is there is no homework, tests or grades. Learn from the best university professors and experience thepure joy of learning, any time, anywhere. Choose CDs or DVDs. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed and yourpurchase is replaceable if the product breaks, warps or gets damaged as long as the course is in production.Check them out online at www.ordergreatcourses.com

Review their privacy policy and other benefits of enrollment. You might find other course offerings that are to your liking. Learning doesnt get any more fun than this.

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"Education is learning what youdidn't even know you didn'tknow."

- Daniel J. Boorstin

TREASURE HUNTERSCODE OF ETHICS

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

I WILL fill all excavations.

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

I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy at 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 left of ghost towns and deserted structures.

I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or equipment.

Gold GlossaryDrift - In mining, a drift is defined as a horizontal passageway that is excavatedalong a rich vein of ore. Hard rock minesusually use drifts to obtain the rich ore,though, some hard rock mines are open

pit.

and it is easy to experiment at different depths with thesame target. This works okay for experimenting at depths greater than 4 inches, but because there is nosoil in the space within the tube, it is not as effective intesting at very shallow depths.

It is wise to also experiment with discrimination levels at various depths, because depth can also affect it. Digitaldisplays or older VDI meter displays may not reliably display true depths or identification of deep targets.Mineralization can also affect depths and displayed in-formation about the target.

Many searchers believe that a larger coil will find thedeeper coins. This may be true, but, remember that thelarger coil sees more mineralization which may havean adverse effect. It covers a larger area which alsomeans more targets may be under the coil at the sametime, making identification, discrimination and pinpoint-ing more difficult for your detector. In areas of minimaltrash, larger coils may help gain depth, but are probably

better suited for detecting deep large objects.

In areas with a lot of metal junk, a smaller coil may be a better choice. It will go between junk targets to find thecoins. The small coil may not have the depth capabili-ties to detect deep coins. Experimentation is necessary to determine what an individual detector and coil combi-nation will accomplish.

Practice at pinpointing is necessary until you can pre-cisely pinpoint the coin so that large holes or plugs donot have to be dug. A friend who purchased a new detec-tor which was very different from his older detector inthe way it operated was amazed when he read foruminformation and watched videos on the Internet demon-strating how to pinpoint and recover coins with the new detector. He said these supposed experts were pin-pointing to an area of about 4 inches by 4 inches anddigging a big plug, disintegrating it as necessary to re-cover the coin. While that might be fine in an open lot or field, my experience has been that anyone with a wellmanicured lawn would not be pleased and permission tohunt would be quickly rescinded. I guarantee that wordtravels quickly throughout a neighborhood, so doing it right is essential.

Practice at pinpointing can be accomplished by placing coins down while you have your eyes closed and covering them with a towel. You should learn to precisely centerover the coin. If you don't know exactly where the sweet spot is on your coil where it pinpoints, you would be

wise to determine this exact spot and mark it on top of the coil so you can use it when you pinpoint. Many coilsmay pinpoint an inch or more from center and double Dcoils are more difficult to learn to pinpoint with thanconcentric coils. Your test plot may provide insight intohow your detector is pinpointing. Many times in real

(Continued from page 3)


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Page 5The News, October 2011

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 VolunteersOctober - Johnny BerndsenNovember - Dave Montoya

situations there is a trash target next to or near a coinand, because most detectors pinpoint in an all metalmode, the detector might pinpoint the junk target morereadily than the coin.

I never dig a plug in a lawn without permission. I pin-point the spot, then use a probe made from a small di-ameter long shanked, high quality Philip's screwdriver

with the tip ground off and rounded as smooth as a ball bearing to locate the coin. I used a long, squareshanked, large screwdriver with the blade tip parallel totwo of the flat surfaces of the shank. This gives a largersurface area to lift a coin. All sharp edges and cornersare filed round and polished so there will be no damageto a coin while it is being extracted from the ground if care is used. I probe until I tap the coin, slit the grasssod with the large screwdriver almost down to the coin,then push the blade down under the coin and, with theflat side used like a small spade, I lift the coin with a prying motion, using my fingers of my other hand as a fulcrum. With practice, most times the coin is easily

lifted to the surface, but occasionally it will tip off thescrewdriver on the way up. If this happens I reach intothe slot with my fingers to get the coin. If for some rea-son the coin is not readily found or the ground has smallpebbles which make recovering coins more difficult, soilcan be easily removed from the slot to great depth andeasily replaced after the coin is recovered. After any soil

which was removed is replaced, it is easy to squeeze theincision in the grass together and, after being firmly pushed down, it is very difficult to see. No damage isdone and you can't tell where I have extracted coins. Ihave never had a property owner complain about the

way I extract coins. This technique does not work well if the ground is dry.

Dry ground can be problematic when searching and re-covering coins. I have always found more and deepercoins when the ground is wet. In most cases detectorsseem to detect deeper in wet soil. It is much easier toextract coins from wet ground without damage. Carry a transparent plastic bag to cover your detector electronicsin case you are caught in the rain. Hunting in the rain

works fine as long as there is no lightning, but be awarethat even though you have protected the electronics witha plastic bag, condensation will occur within the bag.

These are a few tips that may help make the search forcoins more successful. Variations of some of these tips



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have been published in magazine articles and books overthe years, so the basic information has been available forquite awhile. I just modify it so it is more effective. Youshould learn all you can and modify the techniques youlearn to fit your style and situations to increase your suc-cess. The most important thing is to practice until youknow exactly what your detector is capable of doing for

you under any situation. Extracting valuable old coinsefficiently without damaging them or doing damage to

well kept lawns is an art that can only be learned by re-covering hundreds of coins. With practice it can be done

very quickly and efficiently.

One final tip is to keep a log book or journal describing the location, age, conditions, soil, weather, and list of coins found and where they were found at the site anddepths of recovery, and any other information you may

be able to use later. Over the last 20 years coin detec-tors have improved considerably. I hope they continueto improve. You never know when you will have the op-portunity some time in the future to search a great site

with a much better detector that will detect coins that were undetectable in the past. Memory is fickle. Writedown all relevant information.

I have used these techniques to find some nice old coins,and have taught others to use them. They have also

been successful. One guy used what I taught him to re-cover more than 1000 silver coins and many thousandsof Wheat Head Pennies and clad coins. In fact, he finally concluded that the most efficient use of his time is tofind as many clad coins as possible and use them to buy

gold coins. You can be successful by learning everything you can and practicing what you learn. Also, persistencepays, so don't give up. Keep working at it until you suc-ceed. Pulling a nice old Barber coin or silver dollar fromthe ground is an incredible thrill. Actually, recovering any old coin, whether silver, copper, nickel or bronze isa thrill. I hope your coin hunting successes will beequally or even more thrilling.


Huge Silver Haul(AFP) 09/26/11MIAMI

W hen the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a GermanU-boat, it took its huge silver cargo to a watery grave. Seventy years later, US divers said they are working to recover what may well be the biggest shipwreckhaul ever.

Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration on Monday con-firmed the identity and location of the Gairsoppa and citedofficial documents indicating the ship was carrying some219 tons of silver coins and bullion when it sank in 1941 inthe North Atlantic some 300 miles (490 kilometers) off theIrish coast.

That's worth about $200 million today, which would makeit history's largest recovery of precious metals lost at sea,Odyssey said.

"We've accomplished the first phase of this project -- thelocation and identification of the target shipwreck -- and

now we're hard at work planning for the recovery phase,"Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig said in a statement.

"Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, weare extremely confident that our planned salvage operation

will be well suited for the recovery of this silver cargo."

Recovery is expected to begin next spring.

After a tender process the British government awarded Od- yssey an exclusive salvage contract for the cargo, and underthe agreement Odyssey will retain 80 percent of the silver

bullion salvaged from the wreck.

The 412-foot (125-meter) Gairsoppa had been sailing fromIndia back to Britain in February 1941, and was in a convoy of ships when a storm hit. Running low on fuel, the Gair-soppa broke off from the convoy and set a course for Gal-

way, Ireland.

It never made it, succumbing to a U-boat's torpedo in thecontested waters of the North Atlantic. Of the 85 people on

board, only one survived.

The Gairsoppa came to rest nearly 15,400 feet (4,700 me-ters) below the surface, but Odyssey is insisting that won't prevent a full cargo recovery.

"We were fortunate to find the shipwreck sitting upright, with the holds open and easily accessible," Odyssey chief executive Greg Stemm said.

"This should enable us to unload cargo through the hatchesas would happen with a floating ship alongside a cargo ter-minal."

Odyssey, a world leader in deep-ocean exploration, recently conducted remotely operated vehicles from its main ship,the Odyssey Explorer, to inspect the shipwreck. It said it acquired still and video imagery from the site which wereused to confirm the identify and evaluate the condition of the Gairsoppa.

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Local Treasure TalesWeld County, Colorado

Sucked Dow n And Gone

In the 1880s there was a man who sold some cat-tle and received gold coins in payment. His namein some stories was Vickers and the amount givenhas various totals, but it was supposedly upwards of $20,000 or a bit higher. According to the story he washeading towards Fort Collins to place it in the bankfor safe keeping. But before he reached Fort Collins, a

gang of outlaws, some say it was the Curry gang, tried

to get his gold. Vickers somehow held off the gang, but had also tossed his gold into a pool of water be-low a water fall, figuring he could fish the money out later. Vickers lived thru the attempt to kill him for the

gold and when he later tried to get the money out of the pool, he could not find it. What Vickers did find

was it appeared the falls had formed a sort of under- ground river and his money was sucked away into a crevice somewhere.

Rare Roman CoinRecovered

Duo f ind ra re Roman c o in bur iedin a Furness f i e ld

Published Sunday, 18 September 2011

A RARE Roman coin has been discovered in thefields of Furness.Metal detectorist duo Dave Taylor and Ian Miles, fromDalton, unearthed the coin along with another Romancoin.

Dr David Shotter from Lancaster University identifiedthe artefacts and estimated the coins were from 67

AD and 119 AD, when Emperors Nero and Hadrianruled.

In his findings, he reported the Nero-era coin wasquite rare.

Mr. Taylor and Mr. Miles have only been detecting together for a few months and have already made a number of discoveries. Mr. Taylor said: When we are

walking through the fields in the pouring rain for agesand the fields are like a mud bath, its great when youhear that beep. When you see a glimmer of silver, it makes it all worth it. Its such a buzz. It gives you that kick to carry on.

The friends found each of their coins in quick succes-sion while searching the same field. Mrl Taylors rarediscovery was made first.

Mr. Miles said: He came running across the field likea 10-year-old with a lollipop. He was like a child,shouting Ive found a Roman coin.

Mr. Taylor said: Its amazing to think that you aretouching something that no one else has been in con-tact with for 2,000 years.

The pair are members of the National Council forMetal Detecting and believe honesty is the best policy

when detecting.

Mr. Taylor said: We would always split any of ourfinds 50/50 with the farmers. Even if we arent selling it, we would find out how much it was worth and givethem half the money. We cant thank them enough.

Without their permission, we couldnt do anything.

We like to go back and show them what we havefound. Then they come out with all sorts of storiesand it tips you off to look in other areas. Its great.

Also, with us on the land, it means they have an extra pair of eyes out. Its added security.

As these Roman coins were found separately and are

from different eras, they cannot be classified as treas-ure, but both Mr. Miles and Mr. Taylor hope that oneday they will come across a hoard.

Mr. Taylor said: It takes a lot of patience. We are out every night. Youre always hoping to make that littleline in the history books.

Its like winning the lottery. If we were to find a hoard, I would rather keep it locally, maybe in theDock Museum. Its history from this area, so it shouldstay here.

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk

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Tales of Gold Hill,Colorado

Early Colorado Gold Mining History.

"Before the Denver Mint opened on July 20, 1860, gold dust was the principal medium of exchange. It was taken at every store and for every transaction except for mailing letters at the Pony Express Office. Prospectors carried the dust intheir buckskin bags and everyone had his own gold scale.Stores had their scales too, but if none happened to beavailable, one pinch equaled twenty-five cents. Scales were-n't universally adjusted, there was loss in measuring andsome grades of gold contained impurities. Counterfeitersadded brass filings. Amalgamated gold dust was worth $14an ounce, scale gold $14.75 to $16 an ounce and lump gold$18 to $20 an ounce.

When I needed to obtain the coins necessary to mail a letter

I traded some gold dust at the exchange in Denver. In buy-ing gold, they were very careful to extract all the dirt and black sand before weighing it. First it is placed in a mortarand broken, and after having been ground sufficiently, it isturned into a tin tray and subjected to the blowing process(which they always prefer to perform out of sight) whichseparates the dirt from it, after which the magnet is runthrough it, taking out the black sand, when it is weighed(and here, if you are not sharp, mistakes are often made),then the ounces, pennyweights and grains are counted andfigured up, and you receive the value in coin."

M. M. Clark, "A Trip to Pike's Peak" 1861. Clark was anearly miner in the Gold Hill District above Boulder, Colo-rado.

Recognizing a StrokeRead and Save Someone ' s L i fe !

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke

victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse theeffects of a stroke .... totally. He said the trick

was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE:Remember The 1st Three Letters .... S.T.R.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to iden-tify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disas-ter. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage

when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognizea stroke by asking three simple questions:

S - Ask the individual to Smile.T - Ask the person to Talk and speak a simple

sentence coherently - i.e., "It is sunny out today."R - Ask him or her to Raise both arms.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks,call 999 / 911 immediately and describe the symp-toms to the dispatcher!

New Sign of a Stroke .... Stick out Your Tongue.

Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indica-tion of a stroke.

A placer mining claim isnormally 20 acres, generallymeasuring 660 by 1,320 feet.The long direction of the claimis usually oriented parallel tothe stream. Remember, valid

claims may exist with novisible markers. If there is an

error in the locationdescription, the marker on the

ground rules.

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I called my stockbroker andasked him what I should be

buying.

He said, "If the currentadministration is in officemuch longer, canned goodsand ammunition are your

best bet."

Dog For SaleA guy is driving around the back woods of Montana andhe sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-stylehouse: 'Talking Dog For Sale ' He rings the bell and theowner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice lookingLabrador retriever sitting there.

'You talk?' he asks.

'Yep,' the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dogtalk, he says 'So, what's your story?'

The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that Icould talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help thegovernment, so I told the CIA. In no time at all theyhad me jetting from country to country, sitting in roomswith spies and world leaders, because no one figured adog would be eavesdropping.'

'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight yearsrunning.. But the jetting around really tired me out, andI knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided tosettle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to dosome undercover security, wandering near suspicious

characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredibledealings and was awarded a batch of medals.' 'I gotmarried, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just re-tired.'

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the ownerwhat he wants for the dog.

'Ten dollars,' the guy says.

'Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are youselling him so cheap?'

"Because he's a liar. Henever did any of that crap."

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Calendar of Events

MAP TO TH E MEETING PLACEPul l i am Communi t y Bu i ld ing

545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, 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.

O c t o b e r M e e t i n g Wednesday, October 5. We will meet at the PulliamBuilding in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer tothe adjoining map for directions.

Meeting Agenda 6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of

the Month Program7:30 - 7:45 Break7:45 - 9:00 "Bottle Hunting by Rick Mattingly

and others. Bring your own found bottles to display!

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Octob er 2011Sun Mon Tue W ed Thu Fr i Sa t

1

2 3 4 5RMPTH PlanningSession 6:00PRMPTH Meeting 7:00P

6 7 8

9 10Columbus Day

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31Halloween

Novem ber 2011Sun Mon Tue W ed Thu Fr i Sa t

1 2RMPTH PlanningSession 6:00PRMPTH Meeting 7:00P

3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11Veterans Day

12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24Thanksgiving

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 15 th 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.

rines, masks, cups, diadems, and jewelry, plus hun-dreds of decorated beads and buttons. These elegant

works of art were created by skilled craftsmen morethan 3,500 years ago.

The ancient civilizations appear to have obtained theirsupplies of gold from various deposits in the MiddleEast.

Mines in the region of the Upper Nile near the RedSea and in the Nubian Desert area supplied much of the gold used by the Egyptian pharaohs. When thesemines could no longer meet their demands, depositselsewhere, possibly in Yemen and southern Africa,

were exploited.

Artisans in Mesopotamia and Palestine probably ob-tained their supplies from Egypt and Arabia. Recent studies of the Mahd adh Dhahab (meaning "Cradle of Gold") mine in the present Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reveal that gold, silver, and copper were recoveredfrom this region during the reign of King Solomon(961-922 B.C.).

The ancient civilizations appear to have obtained theirsupplies of gold from various deposits in the MiddleEast.

The gold in the Aztec and Inca treasuries of Mexicoand Peru believed to have come from Colombia, al-though some undoubtedly was obtained from othersources. The Conquistadores plundered the treasur-ies of these civilizations during their explorations of the New World, and many gold and silver objects weremelted and cast into coins and bars, destroying thepriceless artifacts of the Indian culture.

Nations of the world today use gold as a medium of exchange in monetary transactions. A large part of the

gold stocks of the United States is stored in the vault of the Fort Knox Bullion Depository.

The Depository, located about 30 miles southwest of Louisville, Kentucky, is under the supervision of theDirector of the Mint.

Gold in the Depository consists of bars about the sizeof ordinary building bricks (7 x 3 5/8 x 1 3/4 inches)that weigh about 27.5 pounds each (about 400 troy ounces; 1 troy ounce equals about 1.1 avoirdupoisounces.) They are stored without wrappings in the

vault compartments.

Aside from monetary uses, gold is used in jewelry andallied wares, electrical-electronic applications, den-tistry, the aircraft-aerospace industry, the arts, and


The History Of GoldA p r e c i o u s m e t a l s i m p o r t a n c e t o t h e w o r l d

By Harold Kirkemo, William L. Newman, and Roger P. Ashley

G old was among the first metals to be mined because it commonly occurs in its nativeform, that is, not combined with other ele-ments, because it is beautiful and imperishable, and

because exquisite objects can be made from it. Arti-sans of ancient civilizations used gold lavishly indecorating tombs and temples, and gold objects mademore than 5,000 years ago have been found in Egypt.

Particularly noteworthy are the gold items discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1922 in thetomb of Tutankhamun. This young pharaoh ruledEgypt in the 14th century B.C. An exhibit of some of these items, called "Treasures of Tutankhamun," at-tracted more than 6 million visitors in six cities dur-ing a tour of the United States in 1977-1979.

The graves of nobles at the ancient Citadel of Mycenaenear Nauplion, Greece, discovered by Heinrich Schlie-mann in 1876, yielded a great variety of gold figu-

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medical and chemical fields.

The changes in demand for gold and supply from do-mestic mines in the past two decades reflect pricechanges. After the United States deregulated gold in1971, the price increased markedly, briefly reaching more than $800 per troy ounce in 1980. Since 1980,

the price has remained in the range of $320 to $460per troy ounce. The rapidly rising prices of the 1970'sencouraged both experienced explorers and amateurprospectors to renew their search for gold. As a result of their efforts, many new mines opened in the1980's, accounting for much of the expansion of goldoutput.

The sharp declines in consumption in 1974 and 1980resulted from reduced demands for jewelry (the ma-

jor use of fabricated gold) and investment products, which in turn reflected rapid price increases in those years.

Gold is called a "noble" metal (an alchemistic term) because it does not oxidize under ordinary condi-tions. Its chemical symbol Au is derived from theLatin word "aurum." In pure form gold has a metallicluster and is sun yellow, but mixtures of other metals,such as silver, copper, nickel, platinum, palladium,tellurium, and iron, with gold create various colorhues ranging from silverwhite to green and orange-red.

Pure gold is relatively soft--it has about the hardnessof a penny. It is the most malleable and ductile of metals.

The specific gravity or density of pure gold is 19.3compared to 14.0 for mercury and 11.4 for lead.

Impure gold, as it commonly occurs in deposits, has a density of 16 to 18, whereas the associated wasterock (gangue) has a density of about 2.5. The differ-ence in density enables gold to be concentrated by

gravity and permits the separation of gold from clay,silt, sand, and gravel by various agitating and collect-ing devices such as the gold pan, rocker, and sluice

box.Mercury (quicksilver) has a chemical affinity for gold.

When mercury is added to gold-bearing material, thetwo metals form an amalgam. Mercury is later sepa-rated from amalgam by retorting. Extraction of goldand other precious metals from their ores by treat-ment with mercury is called amalgamation. Gold dis-solves in aqua regia, a mixture of hydrochloric andnitric acids, and in sodium or potassium cyanide. Thelatter solvent is the basis for the cyanide process that

(Continued from page 12) is used to recover gold from low-grade ore.

The degree of purity of native gold, bullion (bars oringots of unrefined gold), and refined gold is stated interms of gold content.

"Fineness" defines gold content in parts per thousand.For example, a gold nugget containing 885 parts of

pure gold and 115 parts of other metals, such as silver and copper, would be considered 885-fine. "Karat"indicates the proportion of solid gold in an alloy

based on a total of 24 parts. Thus, 14-karat (14K) gold indicates a composition of 14 parts of gold and10 parts of other metals. Incidentally, 14K gold iscommonly used in jewelry manufacture. "Karat"should not be confused with "carat," a unit of weight used for precious stones.

The basic unit of weight used in dealing with gold isthe troy ounce. One troy ounce is equivalent to 20 troy pennyweights.

In the jewelry industry, the common unit of measureis the pennyweight (dwt.) which is equivalent to 1.555

grams.

The term "gold-filled" is used to describe articles of jewelry made of base metal which are covered on oneor more surfaces with a layer of gold alloy. Quality marks may be used to show the quantity and finenessof the gold alloy. In the United States no article of goldalloy coating of less than 10-karat fineness may haveany quality mark affixed.

Lower limits are permitted in some countries.

No article having a gold alloy portion of less than one-twentieth by weight may be marked "gold-filled," but articles may be marked "rolled gold plate" providedthe proportional fraction and fineness designationsare also shown. Electroplated jewelry items carrying at least 7 millionths of an inch (0.18 micrometers) of

gold on significant surfaces may be labeled"electroplate." Plated thicknessesless than this may be marked "gold flashed" or "gold

washed."

Gold was produced in the southern Appalachian region as early as 1792 and perhaps as early as 1775 insouthern California. The discovery of gold at Sutter'sMill in California sparked the gold rush of 1849-50,and hundreds of mining camps sprang to life as new deposits were discovered. Gold production increasedrapidly. Deposits in the Mother Lode and Grass Valley districts in California and the Comstock Lode in Ne-

vada were discovered during the 1860's, and the Crip-(Continued on page 15)

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Rhodochrosite

T he history of precious metal mining is filled with mines that were oversupplied with opti-mistic backers and undersupplied with valu-able ore. The Home Sweet Home Mine in BuckskinGulch above Alma, Colorado, is a prime example of this. Were it not for a brief mention of some Rhodo-chrosite that was found here while mining for Silverin 1878, chances are that the specimen seen here

would still be quietly resting in the cold, wet and darkinterior of Mount Bross, where it formed some 30million years ago. As it is, that mention, along with a few others, sparked the interest of a combined groupof determined mineral collectors, miners and finan-cial backers, who funded and executed a serious min-ing venture designed to find and recover treasureslike this one.

In the course of their mining operations, this speci-men was recovered from what is certainly the premierfind of this mine's history - arguably the premier min-eral find of all time as well. The "Good Luck Pocket"

was discovered on September 21, 1992 and meas-ured 4 x 3 feet and was only 2 to 6 inches across. In-side were found brilliantly lustrous, simple rhombiccrystals of the most amazing deep red color imagin-able. This notable specimen features two cherry-redrhombs up to 1 inches on edge that slightly inter-penetrate each other with a minor third crystal off tothe right side. There is a tiny amount of Chalcopyriteand Tetrahedrite on the obverse side, but otherwise

no other minerals are present.The size and perfection of form and luster, coupled

with the intense red color produce an effect that isabsolutely un-Earthly. There is no damage and thecondition is as good as it gets, largely thanks to thecare with which this specimen was recovered. That it

was a part of the renowned Houston Museum's collec-tion speaks volumes as to the comparative ranking of this specimen relative to its peers. It was originally purchased by the Museum in 1993 and was consid-ered one of the Museum's more significant specimens.It was only de-accessioned when a larger specimen

from the same pocket was donated to the Museum.Measuring 4 inches wide by 2 inches high by 1 7/8inches thick, it sits on an acrylic base.

Heritage Auctions, Inc.http://fineart.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=6061&lotNo=49017&type=around-coinnews-tem061811

Chief among offerings at recent Heritage Auction was a magnifi-cent, deep cherry colored Rhodochrosite from the Good Luck

Pocket, Main Stope, Sweet Home Mine, Mount Bross, BuckskinGulch, Alma District, Park Co., Colorado, which realized a jaw-

dropping $358,500 auction June, 2011.

Good Luck Pocket, Main Stope, Sweet Home Mine (HomeSweet Home Mine), Mount Bross, Buckskin Gulch, Alma Dis-

trict, Park Co., Colorado, USA

Clean That Coil Cover

You should always utilize a coil cover to protect that expensive detector coil from damage. How-ever, should your detector ever become unsta-

ble, giving false signals, etc., suspect the coilcover. Carefully remove the cover from the coiland clean both the cover and the coil itself.Even though coil covers provide a tight fit, overtime mineralized dust can accumulate insidethe coil cover and result in false signals. Makethis simple procedure a part of your normalannual maintenance.

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Gold Glossary

Drywasher - A common desert mining tool.The drywasher is like a highbanker butlacks the need for water. A drywasheroperates by the use of wind. The light junk

material is blown off the top of the sluicein the drywasher and the gold stays on thebottom. The sluice riffles in a drywasherare backwards for better recovery.

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

YOURADVERTISEMENT COULD BE HERE!

Call Rick Mattinglyat 970-613-8968or [email protected]

ple Creek deposits in Colorado began to produce gold in 1892. By 1905 the Tonopah and Goldfield deposits in Nevada and the Alas-kan placer deposits had been discovered, and United States goldproduction for the first time exceeded 4 million troy ounces a year--a level maintained until 1917.

During World War I and for some years thereafter, the annual pro-duction declined to about 2 million ounces. When the price of gold

was raised from $20.67 to $35 an ounce in 1934, production in-creased rapidly and again exceeded the 4-million-ounce level in1937.

Shortly after the start of World War II, gold mines were closed by the War Production Board and not permitted to reopen until 1945.

From the end of World War II through 1983, domestic mine pro-duction of gold did not exceed 2 million ounces annually.

Since 1985, annual production has risen by 1 million to 1.5 mil-lion ounces every year. By the end of 1989, the cumulative output from deposits in the United States since 1792 reached 363 millionounces.

Consumption of gold in the United States ranged from about 6 mil-lion to more than 7 million troy ounces per year from 1969 to1973, and from about 4 million to 5 million troy ounces per yearfrom 1974 to 1979, whereas during the 1970's annual gold pro-duction from domestic mines ranged from about 1 million to 1.75million troy ounces. Since 1980 consumption of gold has beennearly constant at between 3 and 3.5 million troy ounces per year.Mine production has increased at a quickening pace since 1980,

reaching about 9 million troy ounces per year in 1990, and exceed-ing consumption since 1986. Prior to 1986, the balance of supply was obtained from secondary (scrap) sources and imports.

Total world production of gold is estimated to be about 3.4 billiontroy ounces, of which more than two-thirds was mined in the past 50 years. About 45 percent of the world's total gold production has

been from the Witwatersrand district in South Africa.

The largest gold mine in the United States is the Homestake mineat Lead, South Dakota. This mine, which is 8,000 feet deep, hasaccounted for almost 10 percent of total United States gold pro-duction since it opened in 1876. It has combined production and

reserves of about 40 million troy ounces.

Thanks to the Prospectors Paradise website: www.prospectorsparadise.com


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All mistakes and

misspellings wereintentionally made sothat you could have the

pleasure of finding them.

Trading Post

About Trading Post

The News runs classified ads in Trading Post for 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 Trading Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968evenings

or e-mail at: [email protected]

Commerc ia l Adver t i s ingSpec i f i ca 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].

NOTICE : As part of our community outreach, Metro-politan State College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & At-mospheric Science, Professional Services Divisionoffers FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION.Participants will aid in the education of future Geo-scientists! Details and specimen submittal forms withinstructions can be downloaded from:http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/ MINID.pdf"Uwe Richard Kackstaetter, Ph.D. (Dr.K)

Assistant Professor of Geology Department of Earth & Atmospheric SciencesMetropolitan State College of DenverOffice: SI2014 | (303) [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. Contact Homer at (970) 224-4244

FOR SALE: Two CoilTec coils for MineLab GP or SDSeries: 14" Round Mono, $150.00. 5" x 10" Joey Mono, $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.

Before you criticize aman, walk a mile in hisshoes. That way, if hegets angry, he's a mile

away and barefoot.

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WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALEMINERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect other prospectors claims and not work those claims without the owners permission

I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses

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

I WILL be 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 and debris that I find - I will not litter

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

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting and mining

I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge excess 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 NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting and mining

Offer Your Assistance To AnyOf Our Program Coordinators

RMPTH Varied Interests By Rick Mattingly RMPTH Newsletter Editor and WebMaster

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and TreasureHunters Club a big name that may not really fully explain who we are and what we

do. On first glance it may appear from our monikerthat our primary interest is gold prospecting. Thetreasure hunting portion of our title is a bit obscure.

While it is true that a large portion of our membersare dedicated gold prospectors, about fifty percent arededicated detectorists people who are interested indetecting for coins, tokens, jewelry, relics and even

gold nuggets. And, in all of our pursuits, most of usare also interested in related history. Hey, not only ishistory fascinating, it also tells us where to look.

Now, in addition to gold prospecting and detecting many of our members are also into bottle hunting,

gem hunting, dump digging and, yes, cache and treas-ure hunting. In fact, many of us are interested in allaspects of what the club has to offer.

So, no matter what your collecting interests are, rest assured that there is a place for you within our ranks.

Rocky Mountains Prospectors and Treasure Hunters

Club a big name that covers a lot of interests.Come join us to share in the thrill of the hunt and tomeet others with similar interests.

Did you know that money is not made from paper?

Money notes are not made from paper, it is mademostly from a special blend of cotton and linen. In1932, when a shortage of cash occurred in Tenino,

Washington, USA, notes were made out of wood for

a brief period. The wood notes came in $1, $5 and$10 values. The world's largest coins, in size andstandard value, were copper plates used in Alaska around 1850. They were about a metre (3 ft) long,half-a-metre (about 2 ft) wide, weighed 40 kg (90 lb),and were worth $2,500.

A collector of paper money, coins, tokens, and re-lated objects is called a numismatist. A collector of paper money is called a notaphilist.- info supplied by didyouknow.com

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Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity

January Club Business and Open Forum No Trip/Activity Scheduled

February Love Token Coin PresentationBy Rick Mattingly No 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

April Gold and Platinum in Wyoming

By Wayne Sutherland, WGSClear Creek Gold Panning

May Detecting PresentationBy Tom Warne

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

Advertised and Open to the Public

June Gold Nugget Shooting PresentationBy Rick MattinglyNugget Shooting Clinic at Lions Park

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

July Gold Refining Presentation

By David Emslie

Manhattan Ghost Town Detector Outing

Gold Nugget Shooting Outing

August Crack & Crevasse ProspectingBy Bryan MorganAmes Monument, Vedauwoo & Wyoming State Museum

Tour

September Meteorite PresentationBy Dr. Robert Brownlee

Annual Coin & Prize HuntColorado Mineral & Fossil ShowDenver

Lucite Hills Wyoming Gem Outing

October Bottle Hunting Presentation

By Rick MattinglyOff-Road Detector & Cache Hunt

November Annual Show & Tell &Silent Auction Local Detector Outing

December Annual Find of the Year Awards &Christmas Party Flatirons 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]

Presentations Paul LangeJohnny Berndsen1-970-663-57761-970-667-1006

[email protected] johnnyberndsen.com

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] [email protected]

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 News Rocky Mountain Prospectors &Treasure Hunters ClubP.O. Box 271863Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863

OCTOBER, 2011 ISSUE

RMPTH1011

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