There is gold just about everywhere in the world, and most of the time it's not all that hard to find. I knew a fellow at one point who would never buy gold, his reason being he could go out and pick up off the ground. Depending on the terrain and where you live it is certainly is true, as long as you know where to look. Some places have a lot of gold deposits and others much less, so by looking where there is more, it increases your odds of success.
For example, I could take my gold pan out and pan in my backyard for gold. If I were incredibly lucky I might find a flake or two of gold after a days work. Hardly worth the effort! However, if I drive an hour and a half to a couple spots I know I would likely find a few small nuggets and some fine gold. The point being that you should look for gold where it's been found before.
When I lived in Puerto Rico I really missed a huge opportunity. It was before I really got into gold prospecting to be honest. At the time the consensus was that the Spanish had cleaned out all of the gold by the 1650's. In the last decade that's been proven wrong, they in fact had missed a lot. There are nuggets to be found around all of the old mines, and there are a lot of them! So to all of our Hive friends in Puerto Rico, go find some of those nuggets!
The nugget I'm sharing today I did not find myself, a friend of mine found it up in northern California around ten years ago. It was just such a cool nugget that I asked him to do a trade and he consented. This picture was taken by him as well, his camera was just so much better than my camera was able to do at the time. But he said to feel free to share it, so share I will!
Picture J. Spears
This nugget is just shy of one gram, and it's still pretty rough and not well eroded. So it likely broke off a gold vein somewhere upstream somewhat recently. I like finding nuggets that still have some of the quartz attached like you see here, it doesn't increase the value, it's just pretty! I really got the bad end of the trade though, I gave him about 1.5 grams of fine gold, but I'm still happy with the trade.
Gold Prospecting
It truly is a great hobby, and a whole lot of fun! Most of the time you end up not finding a whole lot, but same days you find lots of gold. The most essential skill you need as a prospector is to know how to pan for gold. Learning this at home first is a great way to get started. You can often buy bagged pay dirt online that are guaranteed to have a small gold nugget in there. Or you can buy a couple small nuggets online and put them in some dirt in your pan to practice. Here I have a couple videos which are helpful, the first one is really helpful as he teaches you how to do it correctly at home. The second is out in the wild, the best place to find gold!
Also a starter panning kit is a great idea and are inexpensive!
conrad.com
Once you get this skill down, to get started you might want to check social media for a prospector group near where you live. They can really help you get started and usually let you tag along. Plus, they will know where you can look for gold legally, and also where to go!
Other ways that are easier to look for nuggets involve using a metal detector. It's my preferred method because panning is a lot of work. There are many good detectors that aren't too expensive. But to be honest, you do get what you pay for. I've always like Garrett as a brand, reliable and pretty tough. Gold Bugs aren't bad either. I bought a high end Garrett ATX several years ago and it's awesome, because it uses pulse induction which lets helps with mineralized soil and detects deeper than most. Plus it water resistant to ten feet so getting it wet isn't a problem. It also detects very small nuggets down to 0.1 gram. The one huge setback is price, it runs over $2,000. It also lacks a discriminator to rule out objects that aren't gold.
Start inexpensive, and you can always upgrade as you go. I think my first detector came from a pawn shop, and it was ok and it was cheap! Talking with an experienced prospector near you is always smart because they may have some great recommendations on what works well for them. But once you find a a nice gold nugget you will get hooked, gold fever will set in!
Also, a very important thing to remember, it's smart to go out with a buddy to watch your back. If you are in bear country bring bear spray. Never try to get to a dangerous spot to search because you may end up dead, and no treasure is worth dying for because you can't spend it if you're dead.
Those are some basics to get started, but I can't stress too much the importance of finding a local prospecting group. They will make it easier and more fun because they know where the gold is! Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below, and thank you for all of your support! Have a great week everyone!
References:
https://www.prospectingplanet.com/how-to-choose-the-right-gold-pan-guide/
Disclaimer:
I am not a financial planner and this isn't financial advice. Please always do your own research before investing your money. You worked hard enough to earn it!
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