Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Newsletter

Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Newsletter The News v. 15, n. 10 October, 2011 Going for the Gold Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com Some Coin Hunting Tips Contents By Eric L. Nielsen

1 Some Coin Hunting Tips ecause many people engaged in the hobby of 2 About The News treasure searching have chosen coin hunting as 2 Book Review B their primary activity, it seems like a good idea to 6 Huge Silver Haul pass on a few tips that could help to increase their suc- cess. As with any activity, the more you learn about it 7 Rare Roman Coin Recovered and the more you practice, the better you become. 7 Local Treasure Tales There are a few basics that must be considered before 8 Recognizing A Stroke more advanced techniques can be applied. 8 Tales Of Gold Hill, Colorado 10 Calendar of Events Most important is the choice of the metal detector neces- 11 Calendars sary to be adequately successful. Although most detec- 12 The History Of Gold tors manufactured today will detect coins at shallow depths, it takes a very good detector to reach the good 14 Rhodochrosite old coins buried very deep. If finding a lot of clad coins 16 Trading Post and zinc pennies is all you care to do, just about any 17 RMPTH—Varied Interests discriminating type detector will suffice. In most locali- 18 2011 Schedule of Events ties the top 4 inches of soil has been pretty well depleted 19 Contact List 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 general rule 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 necessary to do air tests in a location that doesn't have electromagnetic interference in the air. This can sometimes be a challenge.

To make the choice of the right detector you must take into consideration the locations you will primarily search. Mountains may require a different detector than the prairie or farmland. Red iron rich clay soil will probably require a different choice than black humus rich farmland. Alkali soil, salt water beaches, clay rich soils, and abundant black magnetic sand all create their unique problems for the coin detector. "Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little

things." - Unknown (Continued on page 3) Advertising About The News Classified advertising for topic related items is free he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky for non-business ads. See the “Trading Post” section Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Do- T Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is P.O. Box nations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are avail- 271863, Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863. able on request.

Opinions expressed in The News are those of the About RMPTH authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the club or its members. Publication of information in RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detect- of any information found in this publication is at the ing or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordi- educational and social forum of mutual benefit for nators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and con- assume any liability for damages resulting from use ducts various field outings, as well as offers special of information in this publication. presentations and seminars. Active participants have voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News, Submissions is readily available on the Internet. Persons wishing to receive the newsletter in hardcopy, mailed format are Articles, letters and short items of interest on pros- required to provide the amount of $24 per year re- pecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are quired to print and mail. Otherwise, no annual dues welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for are charged as the social club functions strictly by publication are subject to editing. Submittals for pub- donation.  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 editor for information.

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 appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.

Book Review

By Paul Lange

his 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 United T nd States, 2 edition covering 84 lectures and The American Civil War covering 48 lectures. The best part of these courses is there is no homework, tests or grades. Learn from the best university professors and experience the pure joy of learning, any time, anywhere. Choose CD’s or DVD’s. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed and your purchase 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 doesn’t get any more fun than this.



Page 2 The News, October 2011 (Continued from page 1) the holes, double checked depths and verified that they Some form of circuitry to discriminate the desirable tar- were properly placed before the holes were backfilled. gets from the undesirable is essential, unless you are Positioning some coins oriented vertically or at and angle searching an area with minimal junk metal, or you are in is also a good idea so you will know how your detector an area where it would be productive to dig every target responds to these situations. Coins can be oriented at to make sure you miss nothing of value. When search- any angle in gardens and lawns that were roto-tilled being, it is a good idea to set the discrimination level to fore being reseeded. Deep vertical coins can be very dif- reject rusty nails and small iron pieces. Any more than ficult to detect. that and you will probably miss small gold coins and rings. It is a good idea to hear the signal trash targets Also, be aware that sometimes, at some locations, one give so that you can learn to discern the difference be- direction of search will detect coins better than any other tween them and good targets. Remember, it is not un- directions, so if you can determine a difference, always common to have a coin below or beside a trash target. search the area thoroughly going the direction that Hearing both can allow you to make the judgment call on works best. I don't know what causes this phenomenon, whether to dig or move on. A hunting partner of mine but occasionally it occurs. If time is available, I search found a nice Walking Liberty Half Dollar at a depth of in all directions including diagonals in order not to miss about 4 inches, a couple inches below a large rusty nail, targets. at an old fairground which we were searching years ago. It had been If you choose to not leave good tar- worked hard by coin hunters over the gets buried in the ground, a metal years and there were very few old pipe corresponding to the same size coins left that were not very deep. He of PVC pipe (no larger than 2 inches had recovered a few Barber Quarters OD) can be driven into wet ground at at depths of 9 inches there. He said a shallow angle with the surface to a the signal sounded like junk, but gave vertical depth of 12 to 14 inches or an “almost” good signal when scan- more to the bottom end in a place ning it from the other direction. He that contains no metal. I suppose the decided to check it out and was glad hole could be drilled with a very large he did. Other coin hunters had left bit or small auger. When the pipe is that nice old silver half dollar be- carefully pulled out by twisting it, the cause it didn't give a good signal. It is soil should remain inside the metal absolutely necessary to know what pipe leaving a hole in which the PVC your detector is telling you. pipe can be inserted. By placing your gold coin or whatever else you may It is common knowledge that some of want to experiment with in a small the most successful coin hunters of- plastic bag and attaching it to a ten set up what is called a test plot to string, you can push it with a dowel experiment with their detectors. This to any depth at which you wish to test can be done by clearing all metal ob- your detector. The actual vertical jects from an area 12 to 15 feet by 6 depth from the surface can be calcu- feet at a location that won't be likely lated by using the angle of your tube to accumulate junk metal by search- and distance the object is lowered ing it thoroughly with your detector in inside, using a little trigonometry, or the all metal mode, then carefully burying a variety of more easily by placing a long straight dowel down to the targets in rows at various increasing depths at distances end of the tube with the other end extending the same about a foot and a half apart, with as little disturbance to distance out of the tube, making sure it stays tight along the integrity of the soil as possible. Soil disturbance can the bottom. Measure from the ground surface vertically affect detection depth until it has time to get back to nor- up to the exposed portion of the dowel at distances cor- mal. The ends of the rows can be marked by putting responding to the depths at which you wish to experi- some larger good or junk targets at a measured distance ment and mark the dowel at these points with a felt tip from each end. The idea is to have enough distance be- pen. Because the angle of the tube from the surface up tween targets to swing the coil as you would when nor- is the same as from the surface down, all you need to do mally searching. You want to know exactly where those is mark your string at these intervals and lower your 'too deep to detect' coins are when you want to retrieve practice target into the tube to the depth you wish to them, so precisely placing them in position on a straight check. Make sure your tube is cut off to the level of the line is important. ground surface, and plug the end when not using it to keep it from filling up with grass, leaves, and other trash A friend of mine used a masonry drill bit in a battery or soil. The integrity of the original ground above the operated drill to drill the holes at precise depths in the target will not be disturbed when using this technique ground after it was frozen. He then placed the coins in (Continued on page 4)

The News, October 2011 Page 3 (Continued from page 3) and it is easy to experiment at different depths with the same target. This works okay for experimenting at "Education is learning what you depths greater than 4 inches, but because there is no soil in the space within the tube, it is not as effective in didn't even know you didn't testing at very shallow depths. know." It is wise to also experiment with discrimination levels at - Daniel J. Boorstin various depths, because depth can also affect it. Digital displays or older VDI meter displays may not reliably display true depths or identification of deep targets. Mineralization can also affect depths and displayed information about the target.

Many searchers believe that a larger coil will find the Gold Glossary deeper coins. This may be true, but, remember that the larger coil “sees” more mineralization which may have Drift - In mining, a drift is defined as a an adverse effect. It covers a larger area which also horizontal passageway that is excavated means more targets may be under the coil at the same along a rich vein of ore. Hard rock mines time, making identification, discrimination and pinpointing more difficult for your detector. In areas of minimal usually use drifts to obtain the rich ore, trash, larger coils may help gain depth, but are probably though, some hard rock mines are open better suited for detecting deep large objects. pit.

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

Practice at pinpointing is necessary until you can precisely pinpoint the coin so that large holes or plugs do not have to be dug. A friend who purchased a new detec- I WILL respect private property and do no treasure tor which was very different from his older detector in hunting without the owner's permission. the way it operated was amazed when he read forum information and watched videos on the Internet demon- I WILL fill all excavations. strating how to pinpoint and recover coins with the new detector. He said these supposed “experts” were pin- I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural pointing to an area of about 4 inches by 4 inches and resources, wildlife, and private property. digging a big plug, disintegrating it as necessary to recover the coin. While that might be fine in an open lot I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy or field, my experience has been that anyone with a well at all times. manicured lawn would not be pleased and permission to hunt would be quickly rescinded. I guarantee that word I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only. travels quickly throughout a neighborhood, so doing it right is essential. I WILL leave gates as found.

Practice at pinpointing can be accomplished by placing I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I coins down while you have your eyes closed and covering find. them with a towel. You should learn to precisely center over the coin. If you don't know exactly where the sweet I WILL NOT litter. spot is on your coil where it pinpoints, you would be wise to determine this exact spot and mark it on top of I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left the coil so you can use it when you pinpoint. Many coils of ghost towns and deserted structures. may pinpoint an inch or more from center and double D coils are more difficult to learn to pinpoint with than I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or concentric coils. Your test plot may provide insight into equipment. how your detector is pinpointing. Many times in real (Continued on page 5)

Page 4 The News, October 2011 (Continued from page 4) situations there is a trash target next to or near a coin and, because most detectors pinpoint in an all metal mode, the detector might pinpoint the junk target more readily than the coin.

I never dig a plug in a lawn without permission. I pinpoint 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, square shanked, large screwdriver with the blade tip parallel to two of the flat surfaces of the shank. This gives a larger surface area to lift a coin. All sharp edges and corners are filed round and polished so there will be no damage to a coin while it is being extracted from the ground if care is used. I probe until I tap the coin, slit the grass sod with the large screwdriver almost down to the coin, then push the blade down under the coin and, with the flat 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 the screwdriver on the way up. If this happens I reach into the slot with my fingers to get the coin. If for some rea- son the coin is not readily found or the ground has small pebbles which make recovering coins more difficult, soil can be easily removed from the slot to great depth and easily replaced after the coin is recovered. After any soil which was removed is replaced, it is easy to squeeze the incision in the grass together and, after being firmly pushed down, it is very difficult to see. No damage is done and you can't tell where I have extracted coins. I have 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 recovering coins. I have always found more and deeper coins when the ground is wet. In most cases detectors seem to detect deeper in wet soil. It is much easier to extract coins from wet ground without damage. Carry a transparent plastic bag to cover your detector electronics in case you are caught in the rain. Hunting in the rain works fine as long as there is no lightning, but be aware that even though you have protected the electronics with a plastic bag, condensation will occur within the bag.

These are a few tips that may help make the search for Property Wanted coins more successful. Variations of some of these tips For Detector Hunt (Continued on page 6)

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 Refreshment Volunteers past historical activity. If you have such property or know of someone who does, please contact Paul Lange October - Johnny Berndsen or Rick Mattingly to plan a club field outing event. November - Dave Montoya

The News, October 2011 Page 5 (Continued from page 5) have been published in magazine articles and books over Huge Silver Haul the years, so the basic information has been available for quite awhile. I just modify it so it is more effective. You (AFP) – 09/26/11 should learn all you can and modify the techniques you MIAMI — learn to fit your style and situations to increase your suc- cess. The most important thing is to practice until you hen the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat, it took its huge silver cargo to a watery know exactly what your detector is capable of doing for grave. Seventy years later, US divers said they are you under any situation. Extracting valuable old coins W working to recover what may well be the biggest shipwreck efficiently without damaging them or doing damage to haul ever. well kept lawns is an art that can only be learned by recovering hundreds of coins. With practice it can be done Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration on Monday con- very quickly and efficiently. firmed the identity and location of the Gairsoppa and cited official documents indicating the ship was carrying some 219 tons of silver coins and bullion when it sank in 1941 in One final tip is to keep a log book or journal describing the North Atlantic some 300 miles (490 kilometers) off the the location, age, conditions, soil, weather, and list of Irish coast. coins found and where they were found at the site and depths of recovery, and any other information you may That's worth about $200 million today, which would make be able to use later. Over the last 20 years coin detec- it history's largest recovery of precious metals lost at sea, Odyssey said. tors have improved considerably. I hope they continue to improve. You never know when you will have the op- "We've accomplished the first phase of this project -- the portunity some time in the future to search a great site location and identification of the target shipwreck -- and with a much better detector that will detect coins that now we're hard at work planning for the recovery phase," were undetectable in the past. Memory is fickle. Write Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig said in a down all relevant information. statement.

"Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, we I have used these techniques to find some nice old coins, are extremely confident that our planned salvage operation and have taught others to use them. They have also will be well suited for the recovery of this silver cargo." been successful. One guy used what I taught him to recover more than 1000 silver coins and many thousands Recovery is expected to begin next spring. of Wheat Head Pennies and clad coins. In fact, he finally After a tender process the British government awarded Od- concluded that the most efficient use of his time is to yssey an exclusive salvage contract for the cargo, and under find as many clad coins as possible and use them to buy the agreement Odyssey will retain 80 percent of the silver gold coins. You can be successful by learning everything bullion salvaged from the wreck. you can and practicing what you learn. Also, persistence pays, so don't give up. Keep working at it until you suc- The 412-foot (125-meter) Gairsoppa had been sailing from India back to Britain in February 1941, and was in a convoy ceed. Pulling a nice old Barber coin or silver dollar from of ships when a storm hit. Running low on fuel, the Gair- the ground is an incredible thrill. Actually, recovering soppa broke off from the convoy and set a course for Gal- any old coin, whether silver, copper, nickel or bronze is way, Ireland. a thrill. I hope your coin hunting successes will be equally or even more thrilling. It never made it, succumbing to a U-boat's torpedo in the contested 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 hatches as 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 were used to confirm the identify and evaluate the condition of the Gairsoppa.

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Page 6 The News, October 2011

Rare Roman Coin “We like to go back and show them what we have found. Then they come out with all sorts of stories Recovered and it tips you off to look in other areas. It’s great. Also, with us on the land, it means they have an extra

pair of eyes out. It’s added security.” Duo find rare Roman coin buried in a Furness field As these Roman coins were found separately and are from different eras, they cannot be classified as treas- Published Sunday, 18 September 2011 ure, but both Mr. Miles and Mr. Taylor hope that one day they will come across a hoard.

RARE Roman coin has been discovered in the Mr. Taylor said: “It takes a lot of patience. We are out fields of Furness. every night. You’re always hoping to make that little A line in the history books. Metal detectorist duo Dave Taylor and Ian Miles, from Dalton, unearthed the coin along with another Roman “It’s like winning the lottery. If we were to find a coin. hoard, I would rather keep it locally, maybe in the Dock Museum. It’s history from this area, so it should Dr David Shotter from Lancaster University identified stay here.” the artefacts and estimated the coins were from 67 AD and 119 AD, when Emperors Nero and Hadrian ruled. Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk

In his findings, he reported the Nero-era coin was  quite 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 ages and the fields are like a mud bath, it’s great when you hear that beep. When you see a glimmer of silver, it Local Treasure Tales makes it all worth it. It’s such a buzz. It gives you that kick to carry on.” Weld County, Colorado

The friends found each of their coins in quick succes- Sucked Down And Gone sion while searching the same field. Mrl Taylor’s rare discovery was made first. n the 1880’s there was a man who sold some cat- tle and received gold coins in payment. His name Mr. Miles said: “He came running across the field like in some stories was Vickers and the amount given a 10-year-old with a lollipop. He was like a child, I has various totals, but it was supposedly upwards of shouting ‘I’ve found a Roman coin’.” $20,000 or a bit higher. According to the story he was heading towards Fort Collins to place it in the bank Mr. Taylor said: “It’s amazing to think that you are for safe keeping. But before he reached Fort Collins, a touching something that no one else has been in con- gang of outlaws, some say it was the Curry gang, tried tact with for 2,000 years.” to get his gold. Vickers somehow held off the gang, but had also tossed his gold into a pool of water be- The pair are members of the National Council for low a water fall, figuring he could fish the money out Metal Detecting and believe honesty is the best policy later. Vickers lived thru the attempt to kill him for the when detecting. gold and when he later tried to get the money out of the pool, he could not find it. What Vickers did find Mr. Taylor said: “We would always split any of our was it appeared the falls had formed a sort of under- finds 50/50 with the farmers. Even if we aren’t selling ground river and his money was sucked away into a it, we would find out how much it was worth and give crevice somewhere. them half the money. We can’t thank them enough. Without their permission, we couldn’t do anything. 

The News, October 2011 Page 7 Recognizing a Stroke Tales of Gold Hill,

Read and Save Someone's Life! Colorado

neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke arly Colorado Gold Mining History. victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke .... totally. He said the trick E A "Before the Denver Mint opened on July 20, 1860, gold dust was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then was the principal medium of exchange. It was taken at every getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, store and for every transaction except for mailing letters at which is tough. the Pony Express Office. Prospectors carried the dust in their buckskin bags and everyone had his own gold scale. RECOGNIZING A STROKE: Stores had their scales too, but if none happened to be Remember The 1st Three Letters .... S.T.R. available, one pinch equaled twenty-five cents. Scales were- n't universally adjusted, there was loss in measuring and Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to iden- some grades of gold contained impurities. Counterfeiters tify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disas- added brass filings. Amalgamated gold dust was worth $14 ter. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage an ounce, scale gold $14.75 to $16 an ounce and lump gold $18 to $20 an ounce. when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize When I needed to obtain the coins necessary to mail a letter a stroke by asking three simple questions: I traded some gold dust at the exchange in Denver. In buying gold, they were very careful to extract all the dirt and S - Ask the individual to Smile. black sand before weighing it. First it is placed in a mortar T - Ask the person to Talk and speak a simple and broken, and after having been ground sufficiently, it is sentence coherently - i.e., "It is sunny out today." turned into a tin tray and subjected to the blowing process R - Ask him or her to Raise both arms. (which they always prefer to perform out of sight) which separates the dirt from it, after which the magnet is run through it, taking out the black sand, when it is weighed If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, (and here, if you are not sharp, mistakes are often made), call 999 / 911 immediately and describe the symp- then the ounces, pennyweights and grains are counted and toms to the dispatcher! figured up, and you receive the value in coin."

New Sign of a Stroke .... Stick out Your Tongue. M. M. Clark, "A Trip to Pike's Peak" 1861. Clark was an early miner in the Gold Hill District above Boulder, Colo- Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to rado. '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 is normally 20 acres, generally measuring 660 by 1,320 feet. The long direction of the claim is usually oriented parallel to the stream. Remember, valid claims may exist with no visible markers. If there is an error in the location description, the marker on the ground rules.

Page 8 The News, October 2011 Dog For Sale I called my stockbroker and

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and asked him what I should be he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog For Sale ' He rings the bell and the buying. owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there. He said, "If the current

'You talk?' he asks. administration is in office

'Yep,' the Lab replies. much longer, canned goods

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog and ammunition are your talk, he says 'So, what's your story?' best bet." The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.'

'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running.. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.' 'I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just re- tired.'

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

'Ten dollars,' the guy says.

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

"Because he's a liar. He never did any of that crap."

The News, October 2011 Page 9 Calendar of Events October Meeting RMPTH DUES Wednesday, October 5. We will meet at the Pulliam Building in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer to the adjoining map for directions. RMPTH is an unincorpo- Meeting Agenda 6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour rated Social Club with 7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of no income generated. All the Month Program 7:30 - 7:45 Break expenses are covered by 7:45 - 9:00 "Bottle Hunting” by Rick Mattingly donation. Members are and others. Bring your own found bottles to display! requested to consider donating a minimum of $1.00 at each monthly meeting to cover club expenses.

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!).

Page 10 The News, October 2011 October 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Columbus Day 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31 Halloween November 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Veteran’s Day 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Thanksgiving 27 28 29 30

The News, October 2011 Page 11 rines, masks, cups, diadems, and jewelry, plus hundreds of decorated beads and buttons. These elegant RMPTH Field Outing Statement works of art were created by skilled craftsmen more than 3,500 years ago. 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 The ancient civilizations appear to have obtained their Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each supplies of gold from various deposits in the Middle issue of The News. Please get information about any par- East. th ticular event to him by the 15 of the month to meet the printing deadline for the next issue. Mines in the region of the Upper Nile near the Red

Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs Sea and in the Nubian Desert area supplied much of are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website. the gold used by the Egyptian pharaohs. When these Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and mines could no longer meet their demands, deposits activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongo- elsewhere, possibly in Yemen and southern Africa, ing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are were exploited. 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 Artisans in Mesopotamia and Palestine probably ob- fieldtrips, outings, and programs. tained their supplies from Egypt and Arabia. Recent studies of the Mahd adh Dhahab (meaning "Cradle of The best made plans may change at the last minute due Gold") mine in the present Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please reveal that gold, silver, and copper were recovered be understanding of extenuating circumstances and con- from this region during the reign of King Solomon tact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if (961-922 B.C.). there is any question of an event being cancelled or changed at the last minute. The ancient civilizations appear to have obtained their supplies of gold from various deposits in the Middle East.

The gold in the Aztec and Inca treasuries of Mexico and Peru believed to have come from Colombia, al- The History Of Gold though some undoubtedly was obtained from other sources. The Conquistadores plundered the treasur-

ies of these civilizations during their explorations of A precious metal’s importance to the world the New World, and many gold and silver objects were melted and cast into coins and bars, destroying the By Harold Kirkemo, William L. Newman, and priceless artifacts of the Indian culture. Roger P. Ashley Nations of the world today use gold as a medium of old was among the first metals to be mined exchange in monetary transactions. A large part of the because it commonly occurs in its native gold stocks of the United States is stored in the vault G form, that is, not combined with other ele- of the Fort Knox Bullion Depository. ments, because it is beautiful and imperishable, and because exquisite objects can be made from it. Arti- The Depository, located about 30 miles southwest of sans of ancient civilizations used gold lavishly in Louisville, Kentucky, is under the supervision of the decorating tombs and temples, and gold objects made Director of the Mint. more than 5,000 years ago have been found in Egypt. Gold in the Depository consists of bars about the size Particularly noteworthy are the gold items discovered of ordinary building bricks (7 x 3 5/8 x 1 3/4 inches) by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1922 in the that weigh about 27.5 pounds each (about 400 troy tomb of Tutankhamun. This young pharaoh ruled ounces; 1 troy ounce equals about 1.1 avoirdupois Egypt in the 14th century B.C. An exhibit of some of ounces.) They are stored without wrappings in the these items, called "Treasures of Tutankhamun," at- vault compartments. tracted more than 6 million visitors in six cities during a tour of the United States in 1977-1979. Aside from monetary uses, gold is used in jewelry and allied wares, electrical-electronic applications, den- The graves of nobles at the ancient Citadel of Mycenae tistry, the aircraft-aerospace industry, the arts, and near Nauplion, Greece, discovered by Heinrich Schlie- (Continued on page 13) mann in 1876, yielded a great variety of gold figu-

Page 12 The News, October 2011 (Continued from page 12) is used to recover gold from low-grade ore. medical and chemical fields. The degree of purity of native gold, bullion (bars or The changes in demand for gold and supply from do- ingots of unrefined gold), and refined gold is stated in mestic mines in the past two decades reflect price terms of gold content. changes. After the United States deregulated gold in 1971, the price increased markedly, briefly reaching "Fineness" defines gold content in parts per thousand. more than $800 per troy ounce in 1980. Since 1980, For example, a gold nugget containing 885 parts of the price has remained in the range of $320 to $460 pure gold and 115 parts of other metals, such as sil- per troy ounce. The rapidly rising prices of the 1970's ver and copper, would be considered 885-fine. "Karat" encouraged both experienced explorers and amateur indicates the proportion of solid gold in an alloy prospectors to renew their search for gold. As a result based on a total of 24 parts. Thus, 14-karat (14K) of their efforts, many new mines opened in the gold indicates a composition of 14 parts of gold and 1980's, accounting for much of the expansion of gold 10 parts of other metals. Incidentally, 14K gold is output. commonly used in jewelry manufacture. "Karat" should not be confused with "carat," a unit of weight The sharp declines in consumption in 1974 and 1980 used for precious stones. resulted from reduced demands for jewelry (the ma- jor use of fabricated gold) and investment products, The basic unit of weight used in dealing with gold is which in turn reflected rapid price increases in those the troy ounce. One troy ounce is equivalent to 20 troy years. pennyweights.

Gold is called a "noble" metal (an alchemistic term) In the jewelry industry, the common unit of measure because it does not oxidize under ordinary condi- is the pennyweight (dwt.) which is equivalent to 1.555 tions. Its chemical symbol Au is derived from the grams. Latin word "aurum." In pure form gold has a metallic luster and is sun yellow, but mixtures of other metals, The term "gold-filled" is used to describe articles of such as silver, copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, jewelry made of base metal which are covered on one tellurium, and iron, with gold create various color or more surfaces with a layer of gold alloy. Quality hues ranging from silverwhite to green and orange- marks may be used to show the quantity and fineness red. of the gold alloy. In the United States no article of gold alloy coating of less than 10-karat fineness may have Pure gold is relatively soft--it has about the hardness any quality mark affixed. of a penny. It is the most malleable and ductile of metals. Lower limits are permitted in some countries.

The specific gravity or density of pure gold is 19.3 No article having a gold alloy portion of less than one- compared to 14.0 for mercury and 11.4 for lead. twentieth by weight may be marked "gold-filled," but articles may be marked "rolled gold plate" provided Impure gold, as it commonly occurs in deposits, has a the proportional fraction and fineness designations density of 16 to 18, whereas the associated waste are also shown. Electroplated jewelry items carrying rock (gangue) has a density of about 2.5. The differ- at least 7 millionths of an inch (0.18 micrometers) of ence in density enables gold to be concentrated by gold on significant surfaces may be labeled gravity and permits the separation of gold from clay, "electroplate." Plated thicknesses silt, sand, and gravel by various agitating and collect- less than this may be marked "gold flashed" or "gold ing devices such as the gold pan, rocker, and sluice washed." box. Gold was produced in the southern Appalachian re- Mercury (quicksilver) has a chemical affinity for gold. gion as early as 1792 and perhaps as early as 1775 in When mercury is added to gold-bearing material, the southern California. The discovery of gold at Sutter's two metals form an amalgam. Mercury is later sepa- Mill in California sparked the gold rush of 1849-50, rated from amalgam by retorting. Extraction of gold and hundreds of mining camps sprang to life as new and other precious metals from their ores by treat- deposits were discovered. Gold production increased ment with mercury is called amalgamation. Gold dis- rapidly. Deposits in the Mother Lode and Grass Valley solves in aqua regia, a mixture of hydrochloric and districts in California and the Comstock Lode in Ne- nitric acids, and in sodium or potassium cyanide. The vada were discovered during the 1860's, and the Crip- latter solvent is the basis for the cyanide process that (Continued on page 15)

The News, October 2011 Page 13 Rhodochrosite

he history of precious metal mining is filled with mines that were oversupplied with opti- T mistic backers and undersupplied with valuable ore. The Home Sweet Home Mine in Buckskin Gulch 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 Silver in 1878, chances are that the specimen seen here would still be quietly resting in the cold, wet and dark interior of Mount Bross, where it formed some 30 million years ago. As it is, that mention, along with a few others, sparked the interest of a combined group of determined mineral collectors, miners and financial backers, who funded and executed a serious mining venture designed to find and recover treasures like this one.

In the course of their mining operations, this specimen was recovered from what is certainly the premier find of this mine's history - arguably the premier mineral find of all time as well. The "Good Luck Pocket" was discovered on September 21, 1992 and measured 4 x 3 feet and was only 2 to 6 inches across. In- side were found brilliantly lustrous, simple rhombic crystals of the most amazing deep red color imagin- Chief among offerings at recent Heritage Auction was a magnifi- able. This notable specimen features two cherry-red cent, deep cherry colored Rhodochrosite from the Good Luck rhombs up to 1¾ inches on edge that slightly inter- Pocket, Main Stope, Sweet Home Mine, Mount Bross, Buckskin penetrate each other with a minor third crystal off to Gulch, Alma District, Park Co., Colorado, which realized a jaw- the right side. There is a tiny amount of Chalcopyrite dropping $358,500 auction June, 2011. and Tetrahedrite on the obverse side, but otherwise Good Luck Pocket, Main Stope, Sweet Home Mine (Home no other minerals are present. Sweet Home Mine), Mount Bross, Buckskin Gulch, Alma Dis- trict, Park Co., Colorado, USA The size and perfection of form and luster, coupled with the intense red color produce an effect that is absolutely un-Earthly. There is no damage and the condition is as good as it gets, largely thanks to the care with which this specimen was recovered. That it was a part of the renowned Houston Museum's collec- Clean That Coil Cover 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- You should always utilize a coil cover to protect ered one of the Museum's more significant specimens. that expensive detector coil from damage. How- It was only de-accessioned when a larger specimen from the same pocket was donated to the Museum. ever, should your detector ever become unsta- Measuring 4 inches wide by 2¾ inches high by 1 7/8 ble, giving false signals, etc., suspect the coil inches thick, it sits on an acrylic base. cover. Carefully remove the cover from the coil and clean both the cover and the coil itself. Heritage Auctions, Inc. Even though coil covers provide a tight fit, over http://fineart.ha.com/c/item.zx? time mineralized dust can accumulate inside saleNo=6061&lotNo=49017&type=around-coinnews- the coil cover and result in false signals. Make tem061811 this simple procedure a part of your normal

 annual maintenance.

Page 14 The News, October 2011 (Continued from page 13) Gold Glossary ple Creek deposits in Colorado began to produce gold in 1892. By 1905 the Tonopah and Goldfield deposits in Nevada and the Alas- Drywasher - A common desert mining tool. kan placer deposits had been discovered, and United States gold The drywasher is like a highbanker but production for the first time exceeded 4 million troy ounces a year- lacks the need for water. A drywasher -a level maintained until 1917. operates by the use of wind. The light junk

material is blown off the top of the sluice During World War I and for some years thereafter, the annual pro- in the drywasher and the gold stays on the 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- bottom. The sluice riffles in a drywasher creased rapidly and again exceeded the 4-million-ounce level in are backwards for better recovery. 1937.

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

From the end of World War II through 1983, domestic mine pro- Symbol: AU duction of gold did not exceed 2 million ounces annually. Atomic Number: 79 Atomic Weight: 196.967 Since 1985, annual production has risen by 1 million to 1.5 million ounces every year. By the end of 1989, the cumulative output Melting Point: 1063° (1945° F) from deposits in the United States since 1792 reached 363 million Specific Gravity: 19.2 ounces. MOH’s Scale of Hardness: 2.5 - 3 Consumption of gold in the United States ranged from about 6 million to more than 7 million troy ounces per year from 1969 to Karat 1973, and from about 4 million to 5 million troy ounces per year from 1974 to 1979, whereas during the 1970's annual gold production from domestic mines ranged from about 1 million to 1.75 24K = 100% Pure Gold million troy ounces. Since 1980 consumption of gold has been 18K = 75% Pure Gold nearly constant at between 3 and 3.5 million troy ounces per year. 14K = 58% Pure Gold Mine production has increased at a quickening pace since 1980, 10K = 42% Pure Gold reaching about 9 million troy ounces per year in 1990, and exceed- ing consumption since 1986. Prior to 1986, the balance of supply Troy Weights was obtained from secondary (scrap) sources and imports.

Total world production of gold is estimated to be about 3.4 billion 1 grain = 0.0648 grams troy ounces, of which more than two-thirds was mined in the past 24 grains = 1 penny 50 years. About 45 percent of the world's total gold production has weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams been from the Witwatersrand district in South Africa. 20 DWT = 1 ounce = 480 grains = 31.10 grams The largest gold mine in the United States is the Homestake mine at Lead, South Dakota. This mine, which is 8,000 feet deep, has accounted for almost 10 percent of total United States gold production since it opened in 1876. It has combined production and reserves of about 40 million troy ounces. YOUR

ADVERTISEMENT Thanks to the Prospector’s Paradise website: www.prospectorsparadise.com COULD BE HERE!

Call Rick Mattingly  at 970-613-8968 or [email protected]

The News, October 2011 Page 15 Trading Post

NOTICE: As part of our community outreach, Metro- politan State College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & At- About Trading Post mospheric Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. The News Participants will aid in the education of future Geo- runs classified ads in Trading Post for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads scientists! Details and specimen submittal forms with for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70 instructions can be downloaded from: words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/ Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968 MINID.pdf" evenings Uwe Richard Kackstaetter, Ph.D. (Dr.K) or e-mail at: [email protected] Assistant Professor of Geology Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Metropolitan State College of Denver Commercial Advertising Office: SI2014 | (303) 556-3070 Specifications [email protected] (Monthly Donation Rate) FOR SALE: Keene High Banker, includes stand, hose and 5 HP Briggs and Stratton pump. Great condition, Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") $30 Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") $20 $900.00 or Best Offer. Contact Cindy Bone at (970) One Third Page (3" X 4") $15 669-8247. Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $ 5

FOR SALE: Prospecting equipment: 4" Dredge and Ads must be received by the 15th of the more plus Whites VSAT Gold Detector. Contact preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for in- Homer at (970) 224-4244 formation on this service at (970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at: FOR SALE: Two CoilTec coils for MineLab GP or SD [email protected]. Series: 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 or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.

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

NOTE: intentionally made so Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH. that you could have the pleasure of finding them.

Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot.

Page 16 The News, October 2011 WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE MINER’S CODE OF ETHICS RMPTH –

Varied Interests I WILL respect other prospector’s claims and not work those claims without the owner’s permission By Rick Mattingly RMPTH Newsletter Editor and WebMaster I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses ocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and Hunters Club — a big name that may not in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines really fully explain who we are and what we R do. On first glance it may appear from our moniker I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cog- that our primary interest is gold prospecting. The nizant of their potential destructive effect on the envi- treasure hunting portion of our title is a bit obscure. ronment

I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and While it is true that a large portion of our members debris that I find - I will not litter are dedicated gold prospectors, about fifty percent are dedicated detectorists— people who are interested in I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to detecting for coins, tokens, jewelry, relics and even those around me at all time gold nuggets. And, in all of our pursuits, most of us are also interested in related history. Hey, not only is I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural history fascinating, it also tells us where to look. resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting Now, in addition to gold prospecting and detecting and mining many of our members are also into bottle hunting, gem hunting, dump digging and, yes, cache and treas- I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy ure hunting. In fact, many of us are interested in all natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge aspects of what the club has to offer. excess silt into the waterways So, no matter what your collecting interests are, rest I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream assured that there is a place for you within our ranks.

I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized Rocky Mountains Prospectors and Treasure Hunters equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water Club — a big name that covers a lot of interests. Come join us to share in the thrill of the hunt and to I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting meet others with similar interests. and mining 

Did you know that money is not made from paper?

Money notes are not made from paper, it is made mostly from a special blend of cotton and linen. In 1932, 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 and standard 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 related objects is called a numismatist. A collector of Offer Your Assistance To Any paper money is called a notaphilist. Of Our Program Coordinators - info supplied by didyouknow.com

The News, October 2011 Page 17 Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club 2011 Schedule of Events

Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity

January Club Business and Open Forum No Trip/Activity Scheduled

Love Token Coin Presentation February No Trip/Activity Scheduled By Rick Mattingly

Update on Mining Laws, Permits and Land Access for the 2011 Prospecting March Season, What the Future Looks Like. GPS, Compass & Map Clinic By Ben Higley, President, Gold Prospectors of Colorado

Gold and Platinum in Wyoming April Clear Creek Gold Panning By Wayne Sutherland, WGS

‘Let’s Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas’ Event Detecting Presentation May Prospecting, Detecting & More Clinic at Lions Park - By Tom Warne Advertised and Open to the Public

Gold Nugget Shooting Presentation Nugget Shooting Clinic at Lions Park June By Rick Mattingly Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

Gold Refining Presentation Manhattan Ghost Town Detector Outing July By David Emslie Gold Nugget Shooting Outing

Crack & Crevasse Prospecting Ames Monument, Vedauwoo & Wyoming State Museum August By Bryan Morgan Tour

Annual Coin & Prize Hunt Meteorite Presentation September Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show—Denver By Dr. Robert Brownlee Lucite Hills Wyoming Gem Outing

Bottle Hunting Presentation October Off-Road Detector & Cache Hunt By Rick Mattingly

Annual “Show & Tell” & November Local Detector Outing Silent Auction

Annual Find of the Year Awards & December Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show Christmas Party

Good Hunting in 2011!

Page 18 The News, October 2011 Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Contact List

RMPTH 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 Joe Johnston 1-303-696-6950 [email protected] Find of the Month Betsy Emond 1-970-218-0290 ———————– Paul Mayhak 1-970-482-7846 [email protected]

Paul Lange 1-970-663-5776 [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]

Bryan Morgan 1-970-416-0608 [email protected] Panning Demos Darrell Koleber 1-970-669-2599 [email protected]

Setup & Volunteer Needed! ———————– ———————– Refreshments

Tom Warne 1-970-635-0773 [email protected] Door Prize Jacob Wootton 1-970-980-6016 [email protected] Johnny Berndsen 1-970-667-1006 ———————–

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

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

Let’s Go For The Gold !

The News, October 2011 Page 19 The News Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Club P.O. Box 271863 Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863

OCTOBER, 2011 ISSUE