RMPTH1012

Precious Metal Ingots By Fred Holabird, Robert Evans, and David Fitch, American Numismatic Association’s Numismatist magazine, July 2003 Ingot Analysis

P recious metal ingots are made for several reasons as previously mentioned. Those made for the min-ing industry are called dore, a French term mean-

ing gold and silver combined. These are made from the processing of ores from certain ore deposits. They con-tain the gold and silver in the ingot in the same approxi-mate proportions as the original ore. Most skilled assay-ers and metallurgists remove the impurities (such as copper and iron) during the melting process, using vari-ous chemicals (flux), particularly borax. If the amounts of other metals are significant and potentially economic, certain milling procedures might be instituted to recover a maximum amount of metal. The oxide portions of gold and silver deposits are often relatively free of large amounts of other metals. Ingots produced from placer gold are also a form of dore. They contain gold and silver as originally found in the lode deposit of their origin, as well as trace metals specific to each ore deposit. No lode or placer gold de-posit has ever been found to contain 999 fine gold. Some of the highest purity gold was found on the SS Central America, with a single ingot which Henry Hensch assayed at 973 fine. This high a purity of gold in placer or lode gold deposits is extremely rare in nature. Refining gold is a detailed, careful process that separates the gold, silver, and trace metals. It was not done com-mercially on the West Coast until the establishment of private refineries generally after 1860, and that refined metal was sold directly to the U. S. Mint. Internal refined gold and silver by the Mint was retained or shipped to New York or Philadelphia Mint facilities as can be best

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v. 16, n. 10 October, 2012 Going for the Gold

Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Newsletter

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

Contents

If you don't read the newspaper you are unin-formed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.

-- Mark Twain

1 Precious Metal Ingots 2 About The News 4 What The Old Time Prospectors

Left Behind 6 Clear Creek Gold Outing 7 Building Your Own Electrolysis

Machine 8 Black Hills Treasure Tale 9 Rare Diamond Ring Found 10 Calendar of Events 11 Calendars 13 Recluse Treasure 13 Gold Recovery Hibanker 14 Rules Of A Gunfight 15 Spanish American Doubloons

Found 16 Trading Post 17 Atocha Ring Found 18 2012 Schedule of Events 19 Contact List

Page 2 The News, October 2012

T he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is P.O. Box

271863, Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863. Opinions expressed in The News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the club or its members. Publication of information in The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordi-nators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of 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 for publication 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 have questions about a submission, please contact the edi-tor for information. Copyright Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in The News without prior permission, provided that proper author and publication credits are given and that 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 The News Advertising Classified advertising for topic related items is free for non-business ads. See the “Trading Post” section for 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 social club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detect-ing or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an educational and social forum of mutual benefit for members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and con-ducts various field outings, as well as offers special presentations and seminars. Active participants have voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News, is readily available on the Internet. Persons wishing to receive the newsletter in hardcopy, mailed format are required to provide the amount of $24 per year re-quired to print and mail. Otherwise, no annual dues are charged as the social club functions strictly by donation.

Australian Gold Fields of Yore “On some Victorian gold fields where the ground was literally a bed of large nuggets, the first diggers simply dug up a shovel

full of ground and bounced it up and down. If they did not hear the clang of gold they tossed the dirt aside. Sometimes the weight of the shovel full indicated the presence of a nugget.

This method, adopted at Kingower on what were called 'potato diggings' obviously missed small pieces of gold.”


Comparisons with Modern Assays Modern fire assays are routinely performed on gold and silver samples. Industries needing gold and silver analy-ses use a variety of analytical methods to determine gold and silver. Each of these methods is used within the un-derstanding of its limitations. For example, the term fire assay can cover various methods, some of which may be less accurate than others. The size of the analytical sam-ple (assay charge) is important because gold is usually erratically distributed in rock samples. Analytical sam-

ples generally range from one quarter to five assay-tons in size. The quarter assay-ton sample is the smallest, requiring the least amount of original sample. It is also, therefore, generally the least accurate. The five assay-ton sample is the largest, consuming the most sample. It is the most accurate and usually the most expensive. The larger sample size usually produces better reproducibility, rendering more ac-curate results. Another analytical method commonly used at mine sites is atomic absorption spec-trometry (AA or AAS). This instrument is used to quantify the amount of gold and silver present in solutions that have leached the metals from ore samples. Aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids) or a solution of sodium cya-nide are commonly used to dissolve the precious metals out of the ore sample. This is a very fast analytical technique used when very high volumes of samples are required over a short period of time such that an important decision can be made immediately, such as choosing be-tween ore and waste. The homogeneity of the metal content in the ores is one impor-tant factor that dictates the analytical method, and most mines experiment con-stantly in various ore bodies trying to find methods that work most efficiently and economically. Trace element analyses are used for just that... traces or very low concentrations of

precious metals or other trace elements present in the samples. These methods include Atomic Absorption (AA), ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasmaatomic emis-sion spectrometry), ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry), LA-ICPMS (laser ablationinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), and XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectrometry). These methods are not suited to the accurate measurement of elements present in very high concentrations such as gold or silver in pre-


ascertained from the Reports of the Director of the Mint. Historical Assaying of Gold and Silver Historical, centuries-old methods of assaying gold and silver are basically no different than similar methodolo-gies used today. The fire assay was the universally ac-cepted method of analysis. There is little difference in modern methodology, but the equipment used to get the end result is much improved. Perhaps the most ad-vanced components are the furnaces. Furnaces of the 1850's were coal fired, while those of today are either gas fired or electric furnaces. Equipment varied in melting rooms depending upon the specific needs and requirements of each company. Accuracy has improved greatly over the years. Sloppy assayers using the measure-ment of carat as purity were sometimes accurate only to 1 or 2 decimal places. Some assayers used the touchstone as a measurement of purity, an archaic method matching specific colors on a streak plate known as a touchstone. This may be the source of some of the odd measurements of carats using fractions, such as California gold rush assayer Fred Kohler stating a purity of 20 15/16 carats on an ingot. Measurements using a touchstone are based on the user’s ability to interpret and compare colors on a streak plate. The method was commonly used by goldsmiths before and at the onset of the California gold rush. These measurements are not a quantitative analysis remotely comparable to the fire assay and have in-herent inaccuracy unacceptable to the bul-lion industry. Regardless, measurements in carats and fractions thereof led to great inaccuracies that would result in large scale errors if used on bullion shipments. For example, gold settlements today are done by a proofing process involving mul-tiple fire assays accurate to four signifi-cant figures, measured in thousandths, known as a fire assay bullion analysis. As an example, a touchstone "measurement" might show a "purity" only accurate to plus or minus 7.5%, a completely unacceptable number for settlement. For example, if your shipment was 10,000 ounces of gold, this represents a discrepancy of 750 ounces. Today that equates to $281,250 at $375 per Troy ounce gold. Using this illustration, it is easy to un-derstand why the assay method critically matters.

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The Eureka Bar This is the largest surviving assay ingot from the California gold rush period. It weighs 30 kilograms (80 troy pounds). Its worth in 1857 is stamped on the bar--$17,433.57. It sank, along with three tons of

gold, in the hold of the S.S. Cen-tral America. Recovered 1994.


The gravel and bench deposits along Clear Creek, just north of Denver con-

tains placer gold. All bars, and benches along Clear Creek, which is a tributary of

the South Platte River, had extensive placer operations which produced 16,800 ounces of gold between 1922 and 1959.

TREASURE HUNTER’S CODE 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 Glossary Hard Rock Mine - A hard rock mine is a tunnel that is dug into solid rock for the sole purpose of finding valuable or precious rocks, minerals, or metals. Gold originates deep within the earth in places called Pockets. The pockets are filled with gold, heavy ore, and quartz.

cious metal bullion analysis. Certain aspects of the min-ing and mineral exploration business use all of these analytical methods to their full advantage. The most accurate method of analysis for precious met-als bullion is the Fire Assay Bullion Analysis. It involves four separate analyses in a "proofing" process. Small amounts of metal are removed from the bullion and ana-lyzed. Three samples of the bullion are taken: 1) by the refiner, 2) by the mining company, and 3) an archive sample just in case an umpire is necessary (all taken at one time). The results are closely compared, and if the two show some variability, an umpire is called in to as-say the third sample. This is the only acceptable method-ology used today for bullion settlement by mining com-panies. All other methods render too great a margin of error. Over many years of production from three different mines, we had a variance of more than 1% only once or twice. This may vary from mine to mine and bullion to bullion, depending upon the nature of the ore deposit.


What The Old Time Miners Left Behind

W hen you are out prospecting you come across various things that nature has done and then things that the gold prospectors before us did.

Sometimes both are hard to see or understand fully, it is literally decoding the past. In the days of the early gold rushes often prospectors in the desert had little re-sources at hand to construct or mark things compared to those miners in the high country when gold can be found in the pines. In the desert you have to keep your eyes open and think like an old timer (if that is possi-ble). The old miners were out in the desert far from any-where with very limited resources. All roads you find were made for one of a few possible purposes: 1) Economic Gain = mining, cattle or something profit-able 2) Dwelling = safety and shelter 3) To connect one resource with another, mine to mill road, town to town road etc. 4) To gain access to another resource I'm sure we could list a few more reasons but the ones above will do for now. So lets say you are an old gold prospector out in the field far from anywhere with just your small supply of food and water, possible rifle, gold pan and pick, knife, rope, canvas tent, tobacco and other



Property Wanted For Detector Hunt

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

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

Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.

limited supplies you could carry via horses or mules. As you are spending your time looking for placer and lode gold you are also having to spend time finding water and food etc. as you do this you will loose a boot tack here a button there, toss out an old can or two. You are leaving workings and clues that say that you were there. You are also moving rocks, stacking rocks, making mine and prospect tailings, etc. At some point you have to leave what you have found to cash in the gold you have recovered or else it has no value. This means you also have to again return should you want more gold. This could take weeks or months so you would have to with limited resources mark your finds or your way back. In the desert you have little wood compared to the forest areas so you might use stacks of rocks to mark your claim or find or provide a route marker. That is not to say there are not plenty of trees in the desert, there are but you generally won't find them suitable for mine shaft headers etc. unless they are large ones near a spring and while those types of areas do exist the wood there is generally limited in quantity. However thick branches from Palo Verde or Mesquite Trees could be used as claim markers. You might carve into to or otherwise change the appearance of large sa-guaro cactus. Many miners and prospectors used rope to make markings in cactus and these can be hard to tell apart from natural growth and for the most part are now erased by time. You also might consider putting long pieces of rock into cactus, thick branches from Palo Verde or Mesquite Trees or carving into the large sa-guaro cactus to mark your gold prospect or that way to it. The list can go on and on for how to and how were trails and finds marked in the desert, we can't cover them all. In the forests you had much more to work with larger trees, but this too had its own set of challenges. The point is keep your eyes open, every piece of old trash you dig in gold country got there by some means, it means something, activity. Every dig and hand stack of rock was done purposefully. There was a reason. Any-thing out of the ordinary if done by man was done for a reason. Look, think, observe while you are gold pros-pecting in the desert and in the forest. Its sometime these little clues that lead to big finds. Arizona Gold Prospectors http://www.arizonagoldprospectors.com/

(Continued from page 4) Mineral Specimen Identification As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants will aid in the education of future Geoscientists! Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions can be downloaded from: SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/MINID.pdf

Refreshment Volunteers

October—Johnny & Jeanne Berndsen November— Barb Schuldt


CLEAR CREEK GOLD OUTING

O n Saturday, October 20, 2012 RMPTH members Darrell Koleber and Bob Smith will lead another gold outing to Clear Creek in North Denver (see info and map below). This site is a great place to learn gold panning and sluicing, while producing gold!

There is plenty of fine gold here. Many of the experienced gold hounds also work this site be-cause, even though the majority of the gold is fine, it adds up quickly. Darrell and Bob plan to be onsite by 9:00am on the 20th. If you have not been to the site be-fore plan to bring your panning or sluicing equipment (no motorized equipment allowed here) a good shovel and several 5-gallon buckets (one to sit on!). The stream flow will be very low so you may opt to wade or wear hip boots. Also, bring a lunch and drinks. Dress appropri-ately for the weather conditions. See you over the Gold Pans!


there is a good electrical contact between the bare wire and the alligator clip. Now, repeat that procedure to the other strand of wire. You will now have two sin-gle-wire sections, each with its own alligator clip. Now, make up an ample supply of electrolyte solution, at the ratio of 1/2 teaspoon of common table salt for every 8 ounces of water. Pour some of this electrolyte solution into the cup, nearly filling it. Place both alli-gator clips into the solution, being careful not to let them touch one another. Remember, once we plug the adaptor into the wall socket, electrical current will be flowing to the alligator clips, and if they touch one an-other, the adaptor will short out, and be ruined. After you've made sure that the alligator clips are not in contact with each other, plug the adaptor into the wall socket, and watch to see which of the two alliga-tor clips begins to produce bubbles. The one that be-gins to bubble is the cathode, or negative pole of the AC adaptor. The side that does not bubble is the an-ode, or positive electrode. Unplug the adaptor, re-move the alligator clips from the solution, and in some way mark the polarity of the wires. Bend the stainless steel spoon into a sharp "U" shape so that, when hung over the lip of the cup, the "bowl" of the spoon can reach about half way deep into the cup. Hook the cathode ("bubble side") alligator clip to the portion of the spoon which is outside the cup. Hook the anode to the object to be cleaned, and suspend it into the solution, over the edge of the cup opposite the spoon, and use one of your spare alligator clips (or a clothes pin, etc.) to secure that artifact-holding wire in place. You want to be sure that the object to be cleaned is fully immersed in the solution, and sus-pended more or less at the same level in the cup as the bowl of the spoon. Once that is done, you are now ready to begin the electrolysis cleaning of your artifact. Making sure that the two electrodes are not touching, plug the adaptor into the wall socket. Within moments, the object to be cleaned should start producing bubbles. If not, un-plug the adaptor, and reposition the alligator clip on the artifact, preferably at a point where metal is show-ing. Then plug the adaptor back into the wall socket. Once the coin or artifact is merrily bubbling away, then everything has been done right. So what is taking place? During electrolysis, ions (atoms which either have an excess or deficiency of electrons, and thus are electrically charged) are liberated from the poles, and these migrate through the electrolyte solution to the oppositely charged pole. The cathode, to which the artifact is attached, is the point of entry of anions (negatively charged atoms with a surplus of electrons) into the electrolyte solution. The liberation of anions, from the chemical compounds which constitute the corrosion on our artifact, triggers chemical changes within those compounds, causing them to disintegrate


Building Your Own Electrolysis Machine By Jim McCulloch

A s all detectorists are aware, long-term burial in corrosive soil, or immersion in salt water, doesn't do the appearance of most metallic ob-

jects any favors. Regrettably, tarnish, rust, and corro-sion are the natural consequences of chemical inter-action with most metals. Many methods have been devised to remove the vari-ous forms of oxides, sulfides, carbonates, chlorides and assorted types of verdigris from metallic objects. The method employed most often by professional con-servators of recovered metallic objects is electrolysis, a process wherein the object to be cleaned is sub-merged in a special, electrically-charged chemical so-lution which causes to corrosion to disintegrate. The purpose of this article is to inform Treasure Quest readers how they can build an inexpensive elec-trolysis machine which will do a splendid job of clean-ing coins or other small metal artifacts. The first thing you will need to obtain, if you don't already have one, is a 9 to 12 volt AC adaptor, often called an AC/DC convertor, or battery eliminator. This is the same electrical device which plugs into an elec-trical wall outlet and lets you operate portable radios, cassette players, and so forth, without the use of bat-teries. When choosing the AC adaptor for your mini elec-trolysis machine, take note of its rated output. This will be printed somewhere on the adaptor, and will usually be listed in milliamps (1/1000th of an am-pere) which is designated by the symbol "mA," as in "350 mA." The higher the output, the faster the clean-ing effect; I recommend the selection of an adaptor of at least 300 milliamp output. You will also need several small electrical "alligator clips," a stainless steel spoon, a non-metallic cup or small bowl, water, and some common table salt. To convert your AC adaptor into an electrolysis ma-chine, first cut off the little plug device from the end of the wire. (The "plug" referred to here is the one that connects to the radio, cassette, etc., NOT the one that connects to the wall socket) Once you've removed that little plug, you will note that the wire to that little plug is a double-strand wire; beginning at the cut off tip, very carefully separate (pull apart) those two individ-ual strands of insulated wire for a distance of about 6 inches, leaving the insulation intact on each of the wires. Next, strip away about a quarter to a half inch of insulation from the tip of one of those loose wires, and where the insulation has been removed firmly affix (crimp into place) an alligator clip. Be sure that


into less complex chemical substances. Proof of these chemical changes are seen not only in the artifact be-coming progressively more clean, but also in the dis-coloration of the electrolyte solution as dirt and vari-ous chemicals are released into it. How long does it take for an object to become clean? That depends on how badly it is corroded. After a few minutes, unplug the adaptor, remove the coin or arti-fact from the solution, and gently rub it with your fin-gers or a soft toothbrush to remove loosened corro-sion, then rinse it thoroughly in clean water. If it is acceptably clean, then there is no further need for electrolysis. If it still needs further cleaning, return it to the solution, and resume electrolysis. This process may have to be repeated several times for badly cor-roded or heavily concreted objects. During this proc-ess, should the electrolyte solution become notably discolored, replace it with fresh solution. Several things should be kept in mind regarding elec-trolysis. First, it should be remembered that corro-sion progressively affects the metal of the object, and in advanced stages of corrosion little or none of the original metal may be left; in other words, all that may be left is a lump of corrosion more or less resem-bling the original object. This is especially true if the object was made of thin metal to begin with, or if the metal was one that corrodes especially easily, such as tin, aluminum, etc. Sometimes, severely corroded ob-jects will crumble away to nothing when submitted to electrolysis. Thus, you will have to make the decision whether submitting a particular object to electrolysis will likely be worthwhile. Also, don't be in too big a hurry to clean every object you recover. Keep in mind that cleaning off the layer of corrosion will merely reveal "what's left" of the ob-ject, and in some cases, that is not very impressive. If the object has reasonably good patina and is aestheti-cally pleasing, leave it "as is." A word of caution: from time to time, feel the AC adaptor to determine if it is getting too hot. If so, dis-connect it, to let it cool off. Such overheating will oc-cur as the artifact becomes progressively cleaner. This, in turn, allows for a greater flow of electrical current to pass through the adaptor, increasing its temperature. Thus, never leave your electrolysis ma-chine on and unattended for any length of time. Careful use of your mini electrolysis machine will help transform many of those ugly blobs of corrosion into beautiful coins and relics. Thanks to Treasure Quest Magazine


Black Hills Treasure Tale

I n the fall of 1878, the Monitor was held up at a stage stop called Canyon Springs about 37 miles south of Deadwood. According to accounts at the

time, five gunmen took over the stage stop and waited for the coach to arrive. Once the stage arrived a gun-fight erupted and one of the guards was seriously wounded by a high caliber rifle bullet. Another guard inside the coach was wounded and a third killed when he tried to run off. The gang took the stage into the woods where they worked for two hours to open the strongbox and even-tually made off with $3,500 in currency, $500 in dia-monds, hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry and 700 pounds of gold dust, nuggets and bullion. The gold ingots were loaded onto a two-wheeled wagon and the tracks set off to the East through the Black Hills fol-lowing various canyons and stream beds. As the news of the holdup (and a reward from Home-stake Mine) spread throughout Dakota and Wyoming several posses formed up and rode in every direction based on rumors of where the outlaws had been seen. As a result, within six weeks, the stageline let it be known that 60 percent of the loot had been recovered. But the wagon and two big ingots were still missing. If you want to look for the gold here are some clues: US Highway 85 leaves Deadwood, SD, heading south-west winding its way through Cheyenne Crossing and then into Wyoming. Highway 85 then turns south and heads straight to Cheyenne following, for the most part, the old stage road, passing close to Jenny Stock-ade near Newcastle and continuing south to Lusk, the home of the famed Stagecoach Museum. The treasure is said to be buried somewhere near the old Canyon Springs Stage Station. Canyon Springs was a relay station located in Beaver Canyon about 37 miles south of Deadwood. Of course the gold could be any-where between there and, say, Buffalo Gap.


I'm not saying there should be a capital

punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything

and let the problem solve itself?

Rare Diamond Ring Found 14 April 2011

A rare 15th Century diamond ring found in Leices-tershire has sold at auction for £42,000 ($72,000 US) - double its estimate.

The ring, which had a guide price of £15,000 to £20,000, was purchased by a private European buyer at Bonhams in London on Wednesday. Metal detectorist John Stevens discovered the gold ring in a field close to Fleckney in July 2008. Emily Barber from Bonhams said: "It's a wonderful find, an unexpected one, and a great result." Diamonds were not commonly used during the 15th Century as craftsmen did not have the tools to cut them. The crystal in the ring remains the same pointed shape as it would have been found in nature. "It's very rare to have jewels from this period come up for auction, so when they do, they're competed over by collectors," Ms Barber said. Mr Stevens said he would give half the profits to the owner of the land where the ring was found. He is also planning a celebratory holiday and hopes to buy new metal detectors for two of his friends who were with him at the time of the discovery, The ring's original owner is unknown, but Gothic script inscribed around the outside of the loop reads: "amour mi tien" [love keep me] in Old French. British Broadcasting Corporation News Leichester

The outside of the ring is inscribed with the words "amour mi tien" (love keep me).


Calendar of Events

MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE Pulliam Community Building

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 from the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).

RMPTH DUES

RMPTH is an unincorpo-rated Social Club with

no income generated. All expenses are covered by donation. Members are requested to consider donating a minimum of $1.00 at each monthly meeting to cover club

expenses.

October Meeting Wednesday, October 3. We will meet at the Pulliam Building in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer to the adjoining map for directions. Meeting Agenda 6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour 7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of the Month Program 7:30 - 7:45 Break 7:45 - 9:00 "Detecting Railhead Camps” presen-tation by RMPTH member Rick Mattingly


October 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

4 5 6

7 8 Columbus Day

9 10 11 12 13 Off Road Detector Hunt

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Meat Market Gold Outing

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 Halloween

November 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 Election Day

7 RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

8 9 10 Local Detector Outing

11 12 Veteran’s Day

13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 Thanksgiving

23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30


RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor Rick 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 programs are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.

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

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

fieldtrips, outings, and programs.

The best made plans may change at the last minute due to 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 if there is any question of an event being cancelled or

changed at the last minute.


Recluse Treasure September 20, 2012 at 6:26 AM by AHN Raquel Erhard – Fourth Estate Cooperative Con-tributor Carson City, NV, United States

A recluse who died alone in June left $7 million dollars worth of gold treasures hidden in his Carson City home, the authorities are already

tracking down a relative living in California who is said to inherit the wealth. The 69-year-old Walter Samaszko Jr. has only $200 left in his bank account when he died. Carson City Clerk-Recorder Alan Glover told the Los Angeles Times that one never expect such amount of fortune inside the house. He added it was a run-of-the-mill 1,200-square-foot tract home still with orange shag carpet. Described as a loner by officials, Samazko has been dead at least a month when a neighbor informed authorities. The recluse has been living in the house since the 60s, his mother used to live with him until she died in 1992. CBS Sacramento re-ported that Sondra Baxter, a neighbor of Samazko for more than 50 years, helped make one of the biggest gold discoveries in Carson City. Baxter, together with the real estate agent, who happened to be her friend, discovered the treasure hidden throughout the entire home while sorting the man’s belongings. Authorities said that the gold coins, minted as early as the 1840s in countries including Mexico, England, Austria and South Africa; were located in a crawl space from the garage. Glover informed the Times that the man was appar-ently buying gold from a coin dealer. The gold coins were found in sealed boxes marked ‘books’ while some are wrapped in tinfoil stored in ammunition boxes. There was also a family silver set with rolls of U.S. $20s and Mexican five peso coins.

A metal detector was finally used by officials to search the backyard to make sure all coins have been uncov-ered. Samaszko also had stock accounts of more than $165,000 and another $12,000 in cash in his resi-dence. Glover is now working to find the man’s closest living relative, said to be a first cousin working as a substi-tute teacher living in San Rafael, California.

Gold Recovery Hibanker by Bob Butler

T he processing, production and recovery capa-bilities of this multi-stage system, (3 and 4 stage recovery system), are far greater than

most other hibankers using only the single riffle de-sign. This design will process up to one cubic yard of unclassified gravel per hour with adequate water vol-ume of 140+ GPM. A very important part of this recovery system is its ability to separate and flush out the major portion of the un-wanted light weight sand and gravel while trap-ping the Gold and black sand values. This ability will save a lot of time, effort and expense when the concentrates are reduced down to the Gold and other values. Each stage in this system is separate, containing its own hi-ribbed carpet and raised expanded metal. On clean up, this allows each section to be cleaned and tested until it is determined which section contains the highest percentage of gold. After many months of daily use, it is observed that the first stage in the hop-per box retains the greater amount of gold and the other sections in line decreasing until the final section



Rules Of A Gunfight Some words to the wise. Shooting advice from

various Concealed Carry Instructors.

I f you own a gun, you will appreciate this. If not, you should get one and learn how to use it.

• Guns have only two enemies rust and politicians. • Its always better to be judged by 12 than carried by. • Our Police Officers carry guns to protect them-selves, not you. • Never, ever, let someone or something that threat-ens you get inside arms length. • Never say "I've got a gun." If you need to use deadly force, the first sound they hear should be the safety clicking off. • The average response time of a 911 call is 23 min-utes, the response time of a .357 is 1400 feet per sec-ond. • The most important rule in a gunfight is: Always win - cheat if necessary. • Make your attacker advance through a wall of bul-lets . . . You may get killed with your own gun, but he'll have to beat you to death with it, cause it'll be empty. If you're in a gun fight: 1. If you're not shooting, you should be loading. 2. If you're not loading, you should be moving, 3. If you're not moving or shooting, you're dead. • In a life and death situation, do something . . . It may be wrong, but do something! • If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid. Non-sense! If you have a gun, what do you have to be para-noid about? • You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or any other word, but a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much a universal language. • You cannot save the planet, but you may be able to save yourself and your Family.

contains almost nothing. Since the first stage contains the most gold and also the least amount of sand, it should be "harvested" regularly and the next stages can be run much longer with the final stage cleaned at the end of the day. Also checking this stage will tell if the gravel that is being processed has any gold or other value. For more information about this and other Gold Re-covery Equipment, contact Bob Butler at [email protected] or 719-395-2003 (Buena Vista). Thanks to Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, The Gold Nugget newsletter, January 2012


HIBANKERS


Gold Glossary Highbanker - A highbanker is a sluice box with mobility. Instead of being put right in the creek like a sluice, the highbanker uses a water pump to transport the water into higher and sometimes richer placer reserves. In addition to the ability to go just about anywhere, the highbanker also is able to run more material in less time than the sluice. These characteristics make the highbanker a common modern day mining tool.

Symbol: AU Atomic Number: 79

Atomic Weight: 196.967 Melting Point: 1063° (1945° F)

Specific Gravity: 19.2 MOH’s Scale of Hardness:

2.5 - 3

Karat

24K = 100% Pure Gold 18K = 75% Pure Gold 14K = 58% Pure Gold 10K = 42% Pure Gold

Troy Weights

1 grain = 0.0648 grams

24 grains = 1 penny weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams

20 DWT = 1 ounce = 480 grains = 31.10 grams

Gold Facts

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT COULD BE HERE! Call Rick Mattingly at 970-613-8968 or [email protected]

Spanish American Doubloons Found

Doubloons 1790-1802, found April 2010 in Lincolnshire, worth £6,800

July, 2012

I t was a day I will never forget, said Sue Green, the manager of a care home in Lincoln who had only been metal detecting for a few months before her new-found hobby led her to a treasure trove.

“I’d found the odd button and bit of lead, but nothing like this.” Mrs Green, 63, was with her brother David Wilkinson, in a field near Lincoln, and were about to head home when she heard a loud beep from her metal detector. “I looked down and saw a shiny yellow thing, which I assumed was just the inside of a jam jar lid. When I picked it up, and saw that it looked like a gold coin, I was practically shivering with excitement. "We kept looking and found four coins that day and two weeks later, we returned and found two more. I couldn’t believe it. I conjured up ideas of a highwayman or perhaps even pirate gold.” Research by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) uncovered that Mrs Green and her brother’s find are Spanish American “eight escu-dos” coins, also known as “doubloons”. They date from between 1790 and 1802, when much of South America was under Spanish control. Weighing 0.88oz, they bear the bust of Charles IV of Spain. Each bears a mint mark showing their origins from Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua and two from Chile. They are believed to be part of an earlier hoard of 19 coins uncovered in 1928 in the same area by a farmer and are Britain’s only find of doubloons. Adam Daubney, the PAS finds liaison officer for Lincolnshire, said: “This is the only hoard of gold doubloons unearthed in Britain. They were the highest gold denomination in the western world at the time and weren’t the sort of thing used for everyday transactions. They are from the same era of Pieces of Eight so make you think about pirates and treasure. “These were probably buried in the years immediately following the 1802 date of the latest coin, so during the Napoleonic Wars when there was great civil unrest across Europe and the price of gold went through the roof making it increasingly scarce to come by.” The coins were recently acquired by The Collection Museum in Lin-coln, and will be on display from this week. They were bought for £6,800, which in accordance with the Treasure Act 1996 was shared equally between Mrs Green and her brother, and the landowner. Mrs Green used part of the proceeds to buy a new metal detector. The Telegraph


All mistakes and misspellings were

intentionally made so that 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) 613-8968

evenings or e-mail at: [email protected]

Commercial Advertising Specifications

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

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

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

[email protected].

"The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are now outnumbered by those who vote for a living."

--Anonymous

FOR SALE: 23-foot Forest River Sierra bumper pull travel trailer with slide out. Has all the comforts of home. Great condition and not used enough - Need to sell ASAP! Price $7995. If you have any questions please 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 Series Super 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. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846. WANTED: 12 Gauge Home Security Shotgun. Moss-berg, Winchester or Remington. 40 cal & 45 cal Auto Pistol. Ruger, S&W, SIG, Glock. Guns must be in ex-cellent working condition. Call (970) 222-2323 or leave message with make, model & asking price. I will return your call. WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-221-1623 WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993. YELLOWSTONE FAREWELL Wyoming adventure novel. 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.


Atocha Ring Found Published June 24, 2011

D ivers searching for treasure off the coast of Florida have found an antique gold and em-erald ring worth $500,000 from a 17th cen-

tury Spanish ship. The ring is believed to be from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha that sank off the Florida Keys during a 1622 hurricane. The piece has a rectangular cut emerald estimated at 10 karats. Divers from Mel Fisher's Treasures were seeking the sterncastle of the Atocha when they found the ring Thursday 35 miles Key West. A spokesperson said the ring's estimated value is based on the stone's 2.7- by 2.5-centimeter size and the value of others recovered from the Atocha. Also found were two silver spoons and other arti-facts. A 40-inch gold rosary was found in March and a gold bar in April. Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE MINER’S CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect other prospector’s claims and not work those claims without the owner’s 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 Any Of Our Program Coordinators

Incredible gold and emerald ring from the Atocha wreck.

“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see."

- Winston Churchill


Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity

January East Coast Silver Treasure Find

Berkely Lake Detecting No Trip/Activity Scheduled

February Gold Wheel Recovery Systems Presentation By Darrell Koleber No Trip/Activity Scheduled

March Historic Gold Scale Presentation GPS, Compass & Map Clinic

April Found Explosives Safety Presentation

Prospecting, Detecting & More Clinic at Lions Park - Advertised and Open to the Public

Berkely Lake Detector Outing

May Gold and Platinum in Wyoming By Wayne Sutherland, WGS

‘Let’s Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas’ Event Clear Creek Gold Outing

Keota Ghost Town Outing

June Detecting Presentation

By Tom Warne & Rick Mattingly Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

July Spanish Treasure Trails Presentation Teller City Ghost Town Tour North Park Sand Dunes Tour

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

August Gold Refining Presentation

By David Emslie

Ames Monument Tour and Vedauwoo Detector Outing Lucite Hills Gem Outing

Vic’s Gold Panning Outing

September Cripple Creek Historic Video

By Johnny Berndsen

Annual Coin & Prize Hunt Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show—Denver

Off-Road Detector Outing

October

Railhead Camp Presentation

By Rick Mattingly

Off-Road Detector Outing

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 2012!

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club 2012 Schedule of Events


Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters

Contact List RMPTH 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 Month Joe Johnston Betsy Emond Paul Mayhak

1-303-696-6950 1-970-218-0290 1-970-482-7846

[email protected] ———————–

[email protected]

Presentations Johnny Berndsen 1-970-667-1006 johnnyberndsen.com

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

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

Panning Demos Bryan Morgan Darrell Koleber

1-970-416-0608 1-970-669-2599

[email protected] [email protected]

Setup & Refreshments

Volunteer Needed! ———————– ———————–

Door Prize Tom Warne Jacob Wootton Johnny Berndsen

1-970-635-0773 1-970-980-6016 1-970-667-1006

[email protected] [email protected]

———————–

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

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

Let’s Go For The Gold !

The News Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Club

P.O. Box 271863

Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863

OCTOBER, 2012 ISSUE

Documents

RMPTH1012