Prospecting & Detecting
Our 29-Troy-Ounce Golden Blessing
December 2013 by Kevin Hamel
After twenty-plus years of metal detecting in the gold country, I thought I had seen just about everything, including coins, gold nuggets, and some very nice relics.
With summer winding down, my wife and I decided to go try our luck detecting at some old, family-owned 
private property east of Sacramento. I took along my conventional VLF detector, my Pro-Spector Gold Locator, and Accumeter Pro resistivity meter in the SUV as we headed for Highway 49 via US 50 to the property.
I also found an 1848 dime near an old cabin on the property, which led me to further investigate this area.
In the past, I located some nice two- and three-gram nuggets and even a 3/4-ounce nugget in a nearby creek with my detectors, so I knew our property had potential.
We unloaded our equipment upon arrival and I decided to start working with the Accumeter on the east side of the property and work my way west. After about an hour of setting up and sending carrier waves, I got a hit in the area of my number 2 rod. At this point I got a little excited and knew I needed to box in the target. Using the Pro-Spector Locator, I was able to confirm a hit in the same general target area so I got a bit more excited. I called my wife over and explained to her that I had a potential target in a particular area. We had been praying for several years for God to bless our efforts when we went out detecting and treasure hunting!
In an area of about 10 or 12 feet, I boxed in the target. I was anxious to pinpoint the target, so I decided to give my conventional detector a shot.After about two or three minutes, the detector screamed with a good, non-ferrous signal. I dug down about a foot and a half with my pick and shovel when I found the target. I picked up a noticeably heavy, fist-sized chunk of what I thought was a heavy piece of iron. After wiping some dirt and clay off, I still didn’t know what on earth this object was. A few minutes later, I told my wife I would leave the chunk over by the tree and look at it closer later on. She decided she would carry it in her pocket so we wouldn’t have to go back and retrieve it. Later on, we were both getting hungry and tired so we decided to wind things up.
Before walking the equipment back to the SUV, I decided to look at the chunk a little closer. I carefully scraped off the top and noticed the yellow, metallic color—I think my blood pressure went through the roof! I told my wife that I thought we should head for home so I could check it out further there.
Once we got home, I carefully washed off the dirt and red clay and, to my surprise, I could see gold metal all through this object. After examining it more closely I noticed that it was in the shape of a crucible.
The clump is definitely gold! It appears that some old-timer had poured his gold into a crucible and somehow it was left behind! It’s total weight is over twenty-nine troy ounces!
From previous experience, I know that gold recovered in the general area is well over 90% purity, though we haven’t had this piece tested yet.
We were both completely overjoyed and thankful to God for this unique blessing!
I hope this story motivates others as much as it does my wife and me. Good luck out there!
Large Gold Deposit Types
It is not necessary to have a PhD in geology, but you need to know the basics, so that’s what I am going to try to dig into here—the understandable basics of these gigantic gold deposits.
Deep Nuggets From The Strange Little Patch
I began detecting at the bottom of the gully and started making my way upstream. About mid-way there was a nice, flat stretch for about ten feet.
Gold Prospecting: For Better or Worse--It Was A Dark and Overcast Night
With one outstretched hand grasping the bottle and the other waving at air, I moved forward feeling for the tent. No tent. No tree.
Early Summer Mining in Wyoming
Old tailing piles extend for miles. There was still plenty of water flowing here, so WPA members set up highbankers at several settling ponds.
Metallic Trash—Scourge of the Prospector
I had been busy representing the Prospecting and Mining Journal this spring, but prospecting season finally arrived and I’ve been out digging for nuggets—I’ve even found a few. I know a number of prospectors who are armed with new metal detectors and headed to the hills to look for that precious yellow stuff.
A Return to Silver City, Idaho
...we were able to pull out close to another 3+ ounces of small, angular Silver City gold. This also included several more small nuggets, pieces of wire gold and some quartz-gold pieces—not bad for 4 days with a small sluice.
A Break in the Weather
Back at the entry point of the mine, we took turns slowly crawling down the slope leading into the mine portal with our metal detectors, hard hats and flashlights. The mine was hand dug and is about 75 yards long.
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