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Thought I would share a few of my actual, field experiences with the Equinox 800. It truly is a turn on and go detector. The most accurate detector I’ve ever had on proper identification of buried targets over 5” in depth. No need to run high sensitivity to detect in areas where the sink rate is very slow. I’ve found a sensitivity of 16 will detect and correctly ID coins to 7” deep. There is no need to ground balance unless hunting is mineralized ground. Side by side comparisons with other detectors finds the Equinox will more accurately ID coins in the 6-8” range. This was very surprising to me. I’ve become very good at knowing what a coin is before digging. Very good example is a nickel verses a beaver tab by the audio/ID response (not one by itself) With use, there is a lot of target information is the audio response that lends to target identification. If you find an area where there is a lot of EMI and noise cancel doesn’t help, turn it down. See #3. In extreme trash the machine will still give an audio hint of good targets surrounded by other targets. Very versatile, even though the need to make adjustments are not common. Surprise, the more time you have with the Equinox the more I learn. Final note: It will take a lot to find a better machine on the market “today”.

While on a recent gold hunt at a new site with the up and coming 24K I was not having much luck at finding gold. After 4 hours and no heavy yellow metal, I changed gears and decided to see how I liked the digital readout ID system on the machine. Well I can tell you this. Yes the numbers might move around some, but when it locks on to the right with a high number, you better dig. The site must have had a building, as there was iron, glass and even broken brick scattered about. I used the small 6" coil to get between iron trash and try to sniff out the high conductors and it worked. It actually did better than I expected and I should have saved the other bullets and buttons, but they were nothing special or neat about them. Pocket Watch is certainly a keeper. No it is not gold or even silver for that matter, but at least it was a timely find. The pistol bullet is an oldie for sure. The ceramic tube was odd, as I could not figure out why the detector kept hitting on it? Then I realized there was a copper wire going through it. Still not 100% certain what this find is, but I think it had to do with electrical wiring and or insulator of some kind? If you know, chime in. The coolest discovery to me was a really nice ornate bottle top. It's a screw on type made of lead and looks to be a crown. But it has white glass on the inside of the cap. There again, if you have an idea, please share you knowledge. So if I can be at an old mining camp and pick these treasures among iron, I feel a Relic Hunter could do the same thing. What about Urban Detecting for micro jewelry in a tot lot or volley ball court? I think you could pull a few ear rings, belly studs and toe wraps from those sites as most folks who hunt them find the larger coins and rings. Heck, their machines might even miss a dainty ankle bracelet too. Moral of the story. A gold detector is best at finding gold, but realize it also has other capabilities that can allow for more fun/finds. What are some of your favorite non gold nugget finds with a gold detector, I'd love to see them.

Found this copper socket point in the rafters of a old homestead on one of the ranches a few years ago the house was going to be burned down so i went through the place using my pin pointer checking all the likely spots for anything good found a few coins and such but this copper arrowhead was the best find .

It's all about the audio and TID stability. [i.e., you pretty much nailed it, Mark G.]

Hunted an iron infested yard this morning that has been hunted a lot. I was very impressed with the 6" coil. I hunted in pk1, 5 tones, recovery set at 7, all metal with the iron volume turned to 1, sensitivity 21. I started swinging slow but after a bit I found I could just swing it and when I heard a good sound just zero in and if it was repeatable good I'd dig. There is a difference between repeatable and good repeatable....I think that's why guys dig way too many rusty nails. I used to be one of them. Lol Only one time out with the 6" but right now I'm very happy with it.

Being informed and observant can pay off at times. I posted a while back some of my finds from a local school expansion project. The area in the picture is being built up for a parking lot, but it's where the dirt comes from that has allow many of these finds. The dirt being hauled in is actually coming from where the old school grounds are. My buddy found a 1898 V nickel at the same site. It appears to be several more days of hunting as there's a lot of dirt yet to be relocated. I'd really like to know where they hauled the best top soil to, but I'm grateful like it is. But looks like a week of rain here, so hunting will be very limited. As a final note, I went to grade school in the mid 60's and actually played in this same area. Makes me wonder if I might find something I actually lost.

After digging many of these pesky targets I noticed the audio would be slightly elongated compared to a nickel. Now the other deciding factor is if the numbers are more toward the 12 than the 13 I'd lay odds of what it will be. Now using both the audio 1st and the ID numbers second I can say I'm as close to 99% sure of what I'm digging. I will add I'm more confident when it comes to IDing a nickel before digging. It's amazing just how much information the Equinox gives the user if they will listen very carefully. I must admit, it took me weeks before I started slowing down and studying the targets before digging.

I got to spend the day with my mom and after visiting friends and family we decided to hit one of my detecting spots because she was interested in finding some treasure. I have hit the spot several times with various other detectors. I'd given her the Fisher F-22 and put it in coin mode to make it easier. Wouldn't you know out of the first hole she digs a 278 year old coin. I couldn't believe it since I've never found anything there older than the 1920s ? needless to say I still have a grin on my face.

As many of you know I’ve been selling detectors for 20+ years and using them 2X the time. The majority of US manufactures and a few out of country brands have allowed me to test some of their machines. In years past I was quite happy and willing to do so, to help promote the hobby I love. With the age of internet and email things started to change. Then came forums and social media so everyone gets info with the click of a key the day someone makes a post. That is good for many folks wanting to see the latest finds and which detectors are producing them. I’m still all about sharing discovers and saves (when time permits). But there are drawbacks as well to forums/chat groups and I try not to get caught up in the brand or model comparisons. There’s a fine line as a tester to walk and one that I now do… with not as much desire. It has nothing to do with wanting to test a detector, but actually dealing with and trying to keep people happy with my answers. I’ve learned it is not possible and even the manufactures usually agree. The folks who know me, realize my posts and comments about a product are usually in good taste as I respect each manufacture and their teams trying to come up with something better. Competition among brands is what keeps each of them on edge and always trying to 1 up and it is not always about depth. There are way more factors involved in determining performance of a detector and depth capabilities. Have you ever read a statement from a manufacture that claims “guaranteed X amount of depth on a dime with this model, etc”? No they won’t, as there are too many variables across the lands. I’m here telling you the same thing. I won’t make such bold statements as I too have learned each site and or nugget is different and unique. My comments are what I think and feel comfortable saying with the skill and knowledge I have acquired in the field. Your abilities with the same machine could be better and or worse, but I won’t question it, as I can’t duplicate you, the site you are at or the exact target/depth etc. In a few weeks or months there will be plenty of folks jumping on the internet sharing their good/bad experiences and making statements of what this new detector can or can’t do, see or hear. Realize, some of the people saying such things may not be as good of a detectorist as someone else. Their settings could be different and even is the same, their coil control might be off? Either way, if everything they did was the same, their mindset could be different. If you go into doing a test with negative thoughts, then you’ll surely find plenty of things to pick apart of any detector. My posts on the forums and chats will mainly be of sharing detector finds. I might on occasion mention a feature I like of a detector and once in a while even drop a note about not liking something or wishing the next model/version be slightly different. I feel the majority of people want to see finds made with a detector and when they do that they realize it does perform. The more we see finds of a certain model, the more it is accepted as a good unit, but ultimately only time will tell. What I will not be posting is what size of gold at a certain depth the detector can stretch. No I won’t be doing any GB-2 vs GMT vs GM-1000 vs 24K either. After all, I am just 1 person and my time is also limited. After all I have a business to run too…and mama always wants a bigger diamond ring. Thanks for your understanding and I hope my comments/photos are inspiring.

Gerry, I always enjoy reading what you have to post and I believe you inspire newbies and well-seasoned individuals of the hobby that their is coins, jewelry, relics, nuggets and treasure in general to be found no matter what detector brand they are using. Ultimately it comes down to the individual on how well they know their detector and its limitations and then to use that knowledge in a productive area to have success. Great post!!!

Hello to you all, Have been detecting for about 4 years/450 hours. In the spring of 2017 I decided it was time for me to upgrade. Since then I pondered 3/4 detectors of different makes/models. After more than a year of watching and reading detector tests on the web, today I finally made my choice. I've ordered today a Minelab Equinox 800 and registered an account on DetectorProspector.com. Hope we all will be members of the "Minelab Equinox Fan Club" for a long time! Greetings to all from a Dutchman, living in Belgium. Bob'ke

While on a recent gold hunt at a new site with the up and coming 24K I was not having much luck at finding gold. After 4 hours and no heavy yellow metal, I changed gears and decided to see how I liked the digital readout ID system on the machine. Well I can tell you this. Yes the numbers might move around some, but when it locks on to the right with a high number, you better dig. The site must have had a building, as there was iron, glass and even broken brick scattered about. I used the small 6" coil to get between iron trash and try to sniff out the high conductors and it worked. It actually did better than I expected and I should have saved the other bullets and buttons, but they were nothing special or neat about them. Pocket Watch is certainly a keeper. No it is not gold or even silver for that matter, but at least it was a timely find. The pistol bullet is an oldie for sure. The ceramic tube was odd, as I could not figure out why the detector kept hitting on it? Then I realized there was a copper wire going through it. Still not 100% certain what this find is, but I think it had to do with electrical wiring and or insulator of some kind? If you know, chime in. The coolest discovery to me was a really nice ornate bottle top. It's a screw on type made of lead and looks to be a crown. But it has white glass on the inside of the cap. There again, if you have an idea, please share you knowledge. So if I can be at an old mining camp and pick these treasures among iron, I feel a Relic Hunter could do the same thing. What about Urban Detecting for micro jewelry in a tot lot or volley ball court? I think you could pull a few ear rings, belly studs and toe wraps from those sites as most folks who hunt them find the larger coins and rings. Heck, their machines might even miss a dainty ankle bracelet too. Moral of the story. A gold detector is best at finding gold, but realize it also has other capabilities that can allow for more fun/finds.

Well, if you want to get deep into pre-ratified-Constitution US coinage, the following is where you'll find it. Dave Bowers is both an excellent and prolific writer on all US coin subjects but also probably the most knowledgeable (overall) US coin numistmatist in history. I have several of his books. You can just use them as reference; you don't have to read cover-to-cover. https://www.amazon.com/Whitman-Encyclopedia-Colonial-Early-American/dp/0794825419/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532273660&sr=1-1&keywords=Colonial+Coins For an overall view of US coinage, the 'Redbook' has been the go-to reference for the past 70 years: https://www.ebay.com/i/253723373032?rt=nc&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20160908110712%26meid%3D55ce265db895489aaec3f095e2911916%26pid%3D100677%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D30%26mehot%3Dag%26sd%3D372268875624%26itm%3D253723373032 For online info, including *retail* prices, plus the best grading guide, this is my go-to site: https://www.pcgs.com/prices/ Ebay is the most reliable place to find values because they effectively cut out the middle. But don't trust asking prices, rather prices realized (used the 'adanced' search and check the 'sold listings' box). PCGS is a grading service and their prices are not only retail but also assume the coin has been professionally graded. That carries a premium. But short of that there is quite a bit of info on their site, more than you'll find in the Redbook and it's free to access. I like the Redbook for quick reference, and I'm old fashioned in that I find thumbing through physical pages easier than virtual ones.

I cleaned it some more and writing appeared on the bottom for superior camp conduct C.C.C. 1934 presented by the army and navy journal. Civilian conservation Corp started in 1933 and ended in 42.

That is totally awesome thanks for sharing. I was stationed in Twentynine Palms in my buddy was stationed in Yuma. I sure wish I had spent my money on a metal detector rather than lots of beer at the time LOL

Gerry Years ago when they first started wiring homes the wire didn’t have insulation on it .The wiring came in the attic and a hole was drilled the same size as the small end of that tube you got. The big rounded end was to keep it from sliding through the hole that was drilled. The wire past through the tube and you had to do the same for the other wire. Both wires went to other insulators but they were made with a small hole in the center for a nail so you could nail them anywhere you wanted. The wire that came down to the plug did have a form of insulation but nothing like what we have today. This is just to let you know those belly studs can get you in big trouble. I found one some years ago and like everything else I found I came home with it. My wife wasn’t too happy with me and I told her if I found another I wouldn’t bring it home. I’m not sure but I think the reason she was mad because it was still attached. A guy can’t win for losing! Chuck PS Sorry no picture eyes swollen so bad can’t see to take it.Forgot about bring another home!

Yes indeed, the ring-pulls have exactly that! an "elongated" tone. Cheers - Now i know i'm not imagining it.

"Gerry, I always enjoy reading what you have to post and I believe you inspire newbies and well-seasoned individuals of the hobby that their is coins, jewelry, relics, nuggets and treasure in general to be found no matter what detector brand they are using. Ultimately it comes down to the individual on how well they know their detector and its limitations and then to use that knowledge in a productive area to have success." That goes for me too Gerry, I think your contributions are very knowledgeable and fair. Genuine expertise is self-revealing, and we appreciate all that you do to help us and to promote the hobby. Jim.

Heck of a find; congratulations to your mom! You should send the pics and story to First Texas. Might make their website or a future periodical. I recognize a US Colonial strike, but my recollection is that there are several with this same reverse, some extremely valuable. Have you identified this one?

Mark, I agree.

Part III Gold As it turns out there is tiny -100 mesh gold just about anywhere you stick the shovel. In any pan you're likely to see 3 or 4 tiny specs of gold and a lot of black sand. The problem is as old as time, find a concentration and figure out a way to recover it. What I discovered on the gravel bar was a thin flood layer about 4 inches thick under about 8 inches of overburden. The layer was distinct because it contained mostly sharp cornered gravel rather than typical rounded river gravel and it contained a lot of mud/silt/clay binding the layer together. Once you get a decent hole started you can chase the layer, pushing the overburden in behind you. A typical pan of this material is likely to contain 30 to 50 colors, mostly -100 all the way down to -400. I had a pocket magnifier and looked at this stuff under 100x magnification. It's incredible, but you really have to get a lot of it to have any real weight. It really looks impressive when you have to black sand to highlight it, but when you pan off the black sand this stuff will float right out of the pan. I had reconfigured my Gold Cube to be more of stacked sluice, capable of handling 1/4 inch material. I added Deep V black matting to the top tray, one of the new esoteric "catch it all miracle" mats to the second tray and Deep V in the 3rd tray. The top tray was catching 90 percent of the gold, so I only cleaned the bottom trays at the end of the day. I would dig 2 buckets (4 half buckets for carrying ease) classified down to 1/4 inch then run it through the Cube. Photo 1 is what typically I would get out of 2 buckets. I would pan it down to the black sand and if there were any pickers I take them out and dump the concentrates into another bucket for later processing. After a couple days it was clear that this type of gold production wasn't going to change my lifestyle much. The most I ever ran was 10 buckets. After a few days I panned off the +50 mesh gold for 2.87 grams. Clearly I wasn't going to get rich on this project. But, it was better than being home in Yuma at 118 degrees. My girlfriend would occasionally get energetic and help shake the bucket classifier, but she was satisfied sitting in the shade reading. I figure I was getting about 1 gram of gold per day, working a couple hrs, then swimming, fishing etc. A more dedicated person with a sluice tuned for beach type gold could obviously do much better. After she left, I started exploring and sampling in more remote areas. A lot of hiking and the best I found was an area with all this riverside sedge grass growing right on the bedrock. It involved a rigorous hike on a very narrow trail overgrown with poison oak. I stuck to panning because I didn't want to haul much equipment in there. An unbalanced pack on that steep trail might have been disastrous. The roots of this sedge were like natural miner's moss. They were so tough I chopped them with a hatchet them shredded them up in a bucket of water. It might take an hr to get 1/4 bucket of this material, but it was so rich in fine gold. In photo #2 is the gold I took out of one pan from a crack under the sedge roots. Unfortunately, there just weren't many of those. The weather had turned really hot, so I would sit on a ledge waist deep in the water and pan out my 1/4 bucket. Again, I would pan down to the black sands then save it in a concentrate bucket. After I got tired of panning I would have to waste time until the sun set enough for the long hike back to my Rokon. Again, if I had been serious with the right equipment, I could probably get 3 or 4 grams a day until I ran out of sedge grass. So, after 3 weeks I decided to go get some big gold at Rye Patch, and we know how that turned out.

Thanks guys! and very cool story Steve on cans underwater in Alaska! I have seen recovery of them from diving and some are remarkable if buried in the muck as you state. Really the final frontier in the type of quests I pursue. Speaking of Alaska, a number of years ago I did my research and put together several solid leads on digging sites with permissions from owners. I flew up and spent a week following up. The main quest was to dig a very rare Apex Beer cone top beer can from Seattle WA that stated it was made for sale only in Alaska in 1937. Very few examples existed at the time mostly because no one was detecting in Alaska for these. Shown Below mint example recently sold for 23,000 dollars as seen here https://breweriana.com/beer-cans-cone-tops/apex-beer-150-19-19621/. Though I didn't find really clean examples of the Apex Beer I did find a number of very displayable ones which were very salable. As well I found a Horluck's Vienna Beer Can from 1937 which at the time was the best example known and is now one of just several known in good condition. The Horlucks can alone paid for my entire trip several times over and now is valued at 5-10k as seen here (my actual can) http://www.ebeercans.com/Horlucks-Vienna-Style-Export/177/ The entire haul from Alaska trip was about 600 cans recovered and will go down as one of my most successful quests! Couple pics below of just a small part of what was recovered on trip shows just how clean the preservation was on cans fresh out of ground, not even washed off yet. They will be cleaned with oxalic acid and much of the surface light rust will come off. Treasure can come in many forms, the cans are trash to many but is a niche in hunting and detecting I have mastered and has been very productive over 40 years of chasing.

The River I spent several weeks in early July, panning and sluicing on the N. Fork of the American River. I've been going to the same 10 mile section of the river for over 20 yrs. That part of the river is designated Wild & Scenic, so no motorized equipment and no claims. It's one of the few places in CA gold country you can access a free flowing river without stepping on someone's gold claim. Access is not easy, although there a a number of trails up and down the river. They're all rugged, often steep and always overgrown with poison oak. I have often encountered "locals" who at various times attempt to eke out an existence by panning and sluicing the river. Generally friendly and sometimes willing to share local knowledge of the gold. When I meet them I make a point to brew up a big pot of spaghetti and feed all comers. Many years ago, I met a guy my age driving a new Jeep Cherokee. He was socially awkward, but I learned he was a software engineer from the Silicon Valley and had taken up gold prospecting on weekends. He was not very successful, so my 6 yr old son and I invited him to come dig in a hole we had started. He sluiced a few buckets and declared that was more gold than he had ever found. Skip ahead 10 years, I found him living in a tent on the banks of the river having spent 2 years pursuing the golden dream. He was eking out an existence and seemed to be perfectly happy. Imagine a 6 mile hike uphill, just to reach a paved road, hope for a ride to town to get supplies then repeat the process back down. Supplies are limited to what you can afford and carry on your back. The local mining supply store pays 80 percent of spot, for good clean gold. This guy still had the math and engineering brain so he could tell me exactly how much he was earning per hr, although he did not factor that it was in fact a 24 hr a day job, living on the river. Every now and then "flatlanders" discover the place and bring down a bunch of gear intending to strike it rich. They are soon disillusioned and I find their gear stashed in the woods. I've seen one sleeping bag stashed in the same spot for over 4 years, untouched. Buckets and digging tools get carried away by spring floods and I find them littered on gravel bars. Access There is an old mining road ,overgrown, heavily rutted, washed out and frequently blocked by blown down timber. It currently takes me about an hr to travel just over 3 miles down that road crawling in 4 wheel drive low locked in 1st gear. At one time you could drive to within 100 yds of the river. There was a fabulous camping spot under a massive oak, with a spring nearby. In their infinite wisdom, the BLM blocked the road about 1.5 miles from the old camping spot. They brought in some heavy equipment and dug tank traps to block all future traffic down the road. For many seasons I hiked the rest of the way down on a variety of trails. A few yrs ago, my son, then strapping teenager and I started hacking an ATV trail around the tank traps. We spent a few hrs a day for over a week cutting a new trail. It's passable by ATV to this day, but you really have to know the danger spots or slide right down the hill. I've winched my own ATV up that zone many times. More to come in Part II.....

How many characters is a holographic Minelab identification code would be best if it was a GPZ?

Some one found a nice little nugget with the EQ 800 using the 11" coil, John. See Post 978 on this page. https://www.prospectingaustralia.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?id=23409&p=40

Thanks randy. I had copied it from the translator and it should be in English. I do not know what the error was. I am sorry

I went to my meeting on Friday night and I just had to go on to a gold field after for a night hunt. The first picture is of my 'finds' for the month at the meeting. The next picture is of my 'finds' with the 6" coil. I didn't get any gold but I got lots of 1s, 2s and 3s! It was the best area I could think of on short notice. Now I think I would not go back there but to another location. Next weekend it is off to the Sierras. The coil performed well. I found more bird shot than any time I've hunted. I used Gold 1 mostly in multi and some Gold 2. I've been over much of this same area with my 11 inch and my 7000 and we still left many shot. The sensitivity was set at 23, 24 with tracking mostly off. It identifies a target in the scoop very easily. It would have found many nuggets in this location just a couple of years ago. Now I have no excuses about equipment. It is all location, location, location. This will be a fun coil to prospect new location Mitchel

Getting ready to plan a trip near Yuma Az area digging "trash"... I have a target in mind I would like to find... The quest is to find some Apache Beer cone tops buried in trash pits in desert sands. From knowledge of others digs condition of 1930s cans has shown good promise and recovery of quality specimens of other brands has been promising. I am drawn to Yuma Arizona area because in researching old newspaper ads I found this was one of just several cities they marketed Apache Beer for 6 months in 1936. Below is a newspaper ad from 1936 and a very clean example of the Apache Beer cone top which recently sold for 28,000.00 and you can see here in link http://breweriana.com/beer-cans-cone-tops/apache-export-beer-cone-2881/ Not a typo! those old cans actually sell for insane values. My reason for posting this is to bring attention to just how rare some of this trash is to collectors and also to get some opinions or intel from anyone who might suggest areas I may find open to digging around the Yuma area. As well, has anyone else dug old beer cans and kept them or left them behind in the past?

Good luck. I'm out there too, but there are a lot of similar decent used detectors suddenly out on the classifieds now. Wonder what is causing that...?

Good stuff! The dated one (1739) appears to say 'Hibernia' which would make it from Ireland. Upper right shows George III. I can't see enough detail on the other coppers. If I were you I'd continue researching. People have found rare old coins in the US East.

Thanks so much for the research! From the research I did I'm leaning more towards it being made in England but like I said finding one in decent shape is definitely new to me. It definitely has been a good year because they one other one that I could read a date on I found this year and it definitely gave me the detecting bug again after taking a break to pursue fly fishing and fly tying. Here are the ones I found earlier this year and I'm freshly plowed field. They're the first one I ever found with date on it in the top center.

Looked through my RedBook and didn't see this exact one. It appears to show George II and the date looks like 1740 or 1749, consistent with his reign. The North American made pieces depicted in the RedBook are typically George III and dated in the 1770's and 1780's. Now I'm wondering if yours was actually minted in England. I bet some of our British readers can educate us.

There is one on the coil - 4 letters. There is one on the back of the screen pod - 3 numbers and a letter. Whether this is the same across all machines?? There is a sticker under the foot plate but I am not sure if this has any numbers on it or it is just a sticker to show Minelab that the machine hasn't been opened up/tampered with. And then there is the serial number sticker but that isn't holographic. Hope that helps.

Kinda fun to hunt with huh??

did not get to hunt a long time, got run out by thunder storms, big time. I did find 2 itty bitty pieces of lead.....one of them read a 3 and was next to a hot rock that read a 13.....swing one was it would read 13....3 then swing other wat it would read 3 ….13 so I dug...got the hot rock out, it read 13....swung back over hole and it read 3..dug a little more and found the lead....nice for the coil to separate the targets. picture taken with my micro camera , that is a BB for size...

OK, I found my camera. Regrettably, I don't take many pictures, but there's enough to get the overall picture. I don't know how many I can load at one time, stick with me though. #1 is the Rokon carrying my frame pack with gear to take down to the river. #2 is our spike camp on the gravel bar #3 is one of my holes on the gravel bar #4 4X4 trying to get down my ATV trail I'll do the rest when I finish the write up on the gold

Thanks , for the most part I have had the best luck hunting coins , I only live about 60 miles from a gold hunting area so I thought I would give it a try, so far I have never detected a nugget , but there is always a chance. Getting ready to head out and will report on my findings.

Part II Every year I devise some new scheme to get the gold out of that river. One year I even set up a gravity dredge with 60' of 4'' hose. It worked fine, but it really takes 2 people to manage it. If you get a blockage it's an absolute bear to drag that hose out, shake out the blockage, then get it all back in the water and re-charge the suction. This year I decided to just concentrate on the flood gold and work less hard. During the past winter I watched various You-Tube videos of the guys on the beaches trying to capture fly speck gold. I figured I could find a decent inside bend of the river and dig the easy stuff off the banks. My plan got a little further complicated when my girlfriend decided she would like to join me for 10 days on the river. Mind you, this is rough, dry camping. Since the BLM roadblock, the only camping space is an old helicopter landing area, over a mile from the river with no local water source, and certainly no toilet facilities. I traveled ahead by 4 days to set things up and she would fly into Sacramento. I set up a decent camp, stand up room tent with an inflatable queen bed. I had pre-positioned bear spray easily accessible under the awning and in the tent, just in case. I set up a potty area with one of those toilet seats you put on a 5 gallon bucket. I bought the potty bags that help keep the mess in order for later disposal. I found a decent gravel bar with about a half mile walk from where I could park the Rokon, cleared the trail of poison oak and set up a portable shade and a chair on the gravel bar. The only real hazard was a steep section of trail with about a 50' drop, with the trail littered with dry oak leaves. They can be like stepping on roller skates in that kind of terrain, but I did the best I could. She arrived and on the drive down the nasty washed out road she started to wonder what she had gotten herself into, but she was game and soldiered on. I pointed out the poison oak all around the camp and cautioned repeatedly, "don't leave the trail". So it was for the next 10 days. We rode double on the Rokon and only crashed 4 times, all at low speed and generally into the blackberry bushes. No major injuries, minor scrapes, bruises and stickers. The hike proved to be a challenge, particularly the nasty 50' steep section. She developed a pattern of places to stop and catch her breath and take a drink of water. She likes to think she works out at the gym, but this was a bit different. I kept telling her, "it's the cardio", you'll get used to it. She didn't weigh 130 lbs soaking wet when we started, but managed to lose 7 lbs in the 10 days on the river. In the river I had a net bag of beer, soda and water. I carried fresh snacks down everyday so it really was paradise, kind of. I would drive the Rokon down to the spring every evening and fill up a 5 gallon tote bag of water for bathing. I'd heat up enough and fill a bucket with warm water. We used a gatorade bottle with the top cut off as a scoop to pour water for our shower. The bear only visited once. I carelessly left the trash out and there he was. I scared him off and didn't have to use the bear spray. At the end of 10 days, my girlfriend had to fly home reluctantly. In Part III, I'll talk about the gold....

Hey Fred, My last 2 Mexico trips have not produced much gold. It's getting hard to come by, everywhere. Prior to the Rye Patch, I spent a couple weeks sluicing and panning on the N. Fork of the American River. I was getting about a gram a day of flood gold, but you know me, I'll leave gold to find gold. I'll start writing up that story on the Sluicing and Panning forum. I'm trying to find my camera with some of the gold pics.

Looks like I will have my 6 inch coil today so I am planning to go to Gold Basin AZ and hunt in the morning...we will see how it goes.

Thanks for the report. I have one on its way to me. Mitchel

thanks, tried as you suggested and it works

Around here those are referred to as nuggets lol. Quite the antediluvian flood needed to move those chunks :) Anything +30 mesh around here is a nugget. rex

Guys, I really do appreciate all the info and time researching. Your knowledge and willing to share helps educate all of us. Keep it up and Thank Again.

I hope it is ok to post this here but I was checking out TNET and came across this newly found Nugget, http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/580966-wife-scores-big-one.html John.

Gary, My wife can now read it. It is 'upside down' in the picture just so you know. The more rounded end is the top and it says a district in Hong Kong, SHEUNG WAN read right to left. The brand is under in the rectangle below the two characters at the top. Mitchel

Ok, my wife read the cans somewhat correctly and I have now found an article which says that for those lids they probably did contain opium. There will also be many other tins containing other substances but perhaps the value of the opium means there are more of them than other containers. Lu's knowledge of the opium trade has now been enhanced. The article is here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dug-Up-1800s-Chinese-Opium-Box-Stamped-Tin-Lid-Brass-Gold-Rush-Lamp-Container-Q-/312123906240#viTabs_0 The names she read on the lid indicate that 'Some of the higher quality and more popular brands were; Lai Yuen 麗源 and Fook Lung 福隆, just to name a couple.'

Gerry, My wife who is from Southern China has some idea about your tins. The writing on the top is like a 'brand name' for the contents. She is uncertain about the contents but it is likely not opium. She wonders the depth of the tins and in fact if it is just a lid. (Do you have other pictures?) To her it seems more likely that it was tobacco, tea or a lid to some dish or larger container. Tins are labeled this way even today. We have several tea tins with the location on the top. The first tin is not readable at the top part of the letters but the bottom portion of the letters say YUEN. The second tin (one in the middle) says HONG KONG at the top of the lettered area (read right to left). The section below reads HOP LOONG. The third tin on the top part of the letters says a district in Hong Kong and it says SHEUNG WAN read right to left again. The remaining letters in the rectangle below the 'roof' says FOOK LOONG which could be the brand name and/or store sold. To recap you have one tin with a seller's name YUEN, one that says HOP LOONG and the final one says FOOK LOONG and the letters above those names tell the location in Hong Kong where it was made. It could have been imported or brought by the worker. Mitchel and Lu

In some places that date is moved up to 50 years old, especially in individual state laws but also federal (see below). And anything of any age can be made an issue of if it is deemed to be in some sort of important historical context. There is lots of wiggle room to mess with you - digger beware. Good Federal Land Overview Here

I haven't seen any real old mine dumps in the areas I go...I would try some old mines along hwy 95, way back! Just a couple of cautions: stay off Tribal land... There are military lands for much of the distance from Yuma to Quartzsite...if you are military you might get permission and I have heard of others getting permission... The BLM thinks that old trash is sacred... fred