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Gold Garbage: Scams New & Old
October 2002 by Dr. Ralph E. Pray
Here’s what actually happened, described in the case file documents: Based on a precious metal assay certificate signed by a registered southwest assayer, the sellers, in consideration of the payment of over $53 million, transfer over 185,000 troy ounces stored in a warehouse to a company based in Norway. This document was signed and notarized in a southwest town, and was publicly distributed in 2001. Guess what?! The warehouse floor concrete may have a higher gold assay than the concentrates sitting above it valued at fifty-three million.Legislative Update
Robert Sanregret—Attorney at Law
Western Mining Council
National Association of Mining Districts
Picks & Pans: Virginia Prospecting
On a recent day in late November, the Virginia deer hunting season was in full swing. For most of the morning, while I was busy shoveling stream gravel into a sluice, the surrounding woods echoed with the sound of gunfire and...
Green Valley Gold District, Payson, Arizona
Most gold-bearing quartz veins found in the district were fracture fillings in faults enclosed by crushed quartz zones along their margins. Since the host rocks were often extensively weathered, portions of the veins stood out as positive, resistant outcrops. The gold-bearing veins ranged from a few inches wide to the vein at the Gowan mine that was as much as 12 feet wide. Who Jumped Whose Claim First?
At this point, stress raised my blood pressure and I was figuring out escape routes through the brush, but thought it best to continue the conversation.
Which Nugget Detector Should I Get?
The most commonly asked question in metal detecting is, “Which metal detector should I get?” People worry a lot about not getting the right machine. They do not want to waste their money and their time with the wrong metal detector.
Cyanide-Free Gold Separation
Some ores—mostly those with a high free gold content—are very amenable to gravity concentration. Well oxidized ores containing coarse gold are usually best for non-cyanide processes. Ores with significant sulfide content may require the...
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