Gerry in Idaho

Merry Christmas 20 yrs ago and the two GP-3000 detectors purchased looks to have been a blessing of gifts for the two of you. It seems to have been a wise purchase and the boss was on board. I'm happy things turned out Merry for you.  That's what so many of us desire. 

From reading a few comments, it seems as if a couple guys got the short end of the stick or maybe the other way around 🤔.

I'm no wife (boss) selecting expert, only did it once 35 yrs ago. But I can put this spin on it. My wife understood my MDing passion which was 15 yrs strong, when we tied the knot.

Personally, I think there's a few great detectors out there and also a few great potential wives still left.  Sure you'll need to learn them and fine tune, but treasure reward could be worth it. 

Just remember... when doing the hunt for gold (a good boss), location....location...location...is key. 

A good boss is like a good detector, it just keeps giving and Geof got it right, with a couple other of you. 🥰

Merry Christmas to your family as well Doc.

1 hour ago, phrunt said:

You may as well throw in the towel as a dealer and just become a full-time jewellery hunter on the beaches, a nice lifestyle and you are always paid off with great rewards for your efforts.  

Well once I retire these write off trips will be a little more costly and out of pocket.  I'll still go down, just probably not as often, maybe once a year. 

You really need to look into it Phrunt, as you're already a gold hunter and understand tecknyke and patience. My style of Prospecting gold jewelry incorporates both. 

Merry Christmas.

34 minutes ago, geof_junk said:

What do you mean buying them for my self. I had had had to buy them for the wife (boss)😋

Most certainly you're a wise man.

That's kind of like the Cancun Metal Detecting vacation I just returned from.  Totally did it for the wife, she's the boss. 

Those Spring snowdrifts are a real plan changer. Been there, done that...

The Iron Identification on the VLF’S was a game changer for many sights. 30 gram nugget is a highlight prize for many.  

Yes, a list is most essential, especially as we get more seasoned and long in the tooth.

Thanks for sharing. 

As for paying cash. Heck,  I've had guys send $5000 cash in the mail,certified.  Then have me send their detector to the hunting buddies house. 🤣 He must know his limits with his wife well.

Was it a good investment buying yourself the detecting gear?

9 hours ago, Matt4gold said:

Next year take the Axiom with you Gerry to see if some targets are deeper than a VLF will hit. Better have a real good scoop, lol and dig fast before the sand fills back in. Few years ago I was detecting a beach near Cartagena Colombia.  The local beach vendors were amazed, acted like they had never seen a metal detector before. One guy followed me around for an hour until he got tired of watching me find bottle caps (checas). Soon as he left I found a sterling silver ring in knee deep water, followed by a men’s gold band shortly there after. Seems there’s not many beach hunters around that area. 

Matt, I've used PI's with Success on certain beaches and in some nice water hunts.  One of my Field Staff/I actually tested the Garrett AXT many years ago in Cancun and found some gold. We were slowed down by the amount of iron trash.

In your situation off the beaten path, I think you have great chances of making some nice finds.

Thanks for sharing and would love to hear about your results from the next Southern hunt.

1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Or use another detector. The issue does not exist with machines like the 24K or Gold Bug 2. You can drive a golf ball with a Gold Bug 2 6" coil with no falsing, and to this day a Gold Bug 2 with 6" coil will sniff tiny gold as well or better than today's latest and greatest. And it can be hip or chest mounted - in some ways we have gone backwards.

You sure have a point there.  The GB-2 with 6" coil, I don't think we'll ever see a detector any more sensitive to small gold.  Interestingly, Fisher introduced this model in 1995 and here it is almost 30 years later and no better model from them.  Warning, for some time with the poured epoxy coils, there was quite a few bad ones that were extremely touch sensitive. Now the coils are hollow and a little lighter.  It's not my hot seller now so I'm not as familiar with the newer ones built in Texas.

5 hours ago, QcGOLD said:

The knock sensitivity of this machine is driving me crazy. Yes you will find gold with a GM1000 but .... Prospecting for gold is a hobby, and I want to experience happiness while engaging in my hobby. 🙂

You might have a bad coil as you should be able to tap the coil next to rocks/brush and the ground without much issues.  You probably know this and I'm not trying to insult anyone here. If the particular site is causing a lot of falsing, turn the GAIN down.

I was chatting with one of the guys who sells many mining claims in NV around where I like to detect.  He asked me why I didn't want to sell claims and make money.  It was an honest question and I had to pause before I answered.  I told him that I prefer to sell the detector than provides a better chance of success at finding gold.  I said, "I sell a dream" and some folks "enjoy the hunt".  He replied, "Gerry, I sell the same dream, just a different piece of equipment."  Actually, he is correct.

Heck, many of us purchase something more for the dream and hunt...it's just the way some of us think.

So the moral of the story.  Do your research in the guy selling the claims, research the actual claims and then do your research on the dealer selling the detector.  At least with me, you get to go home with a tool in your hands and keep it.  Even if you forget to file the paperwork (warranty) you still get to keep the detector forever.

7 hours ago, Allen in MT said:

Yes Gerry, it's me. 

Well that's fantastic to hear buddy.  You/I know your skill level and history of detectors goes back many years.

You have a lot of catching up to do and helping/sharing here on Detector Prospector.  The new generation of folks are asking questions and many times, I'm traveling or just plain busy.  Finding good help that actually knows detectors from being in the field with them is very tough.  I look forward to hearing of some of your adventures.

Merry Christmas.

On 12/20/2023 at 10:37 PM, Skull diver said:

On the other hand, in the absence of a mark, a name, a serial, it occurs to me that it was one of those rings worn purely to flaunt something....

Very clearly, I see 13.5 grams being a respectable sum to support future research.

Think that in Europe, thanks to the new legislation, we are all delinquent until proven.

So what I find, if not specifically marked, is money.

And if I have to risk jail time, let it at least be for something.

I have not given up yet.  This resort I have been to before, when I asked to see the Lost/Found Logbook, they said, No book.  I recently reached out to cooperate and they immediately replied that someone from the exact resort would be emailing me.  This was yesterday, so we'll see what happens.

On 12/20/2023 at 12:14 PM, phrunt said:

Travel insurance likely paid for a replacement for the person, if they get it back, they've had their insurance payout and get the ring 🙂

This one is yours Gerry, and well deserved, you put in the hours and are rewarded with the find.  

A very good find indeed, it brings back my thoughts I'm wasting my time looking for natural gold when I could be pounding the local tourist beaches finding rings which I've put very little effort into even though in any given day more tourists are in the town than there are locals by a significant number, usually a 2 to 3 to 1 ratio.

I never even thought of the Insurance write off.  

Yes, my wife and I purchase travel insurance each time we go but I'll have to ask her if any jewelry or metal detectors are covered.  I also take two units and hate leaving one in the room all day/every day.

Simon, If you do have beaches nearby that get tourists, you really do need to take advantage of the situation and area.  I'm sure your beaches do not have the amount of MD'ers swinging them each week.  When I arrived, I chatted with the lifeguard and gave him a pair of glasses.  He said 2 guys together were there about 3 weeks ago and then an old guy was there last week.  I realized someone had been at the resort recently as lack of overall targets.

I average an extra 2 to 4 ounces of gold each year from water detecting.  The sights are much better to look at, the water temps are relaxing and just like gold hunting, you really never know for certain when that next scoop will bring up.

This time of year is fantastic, as long as the heavy rains or heavy snows have not saturated the soils.

Congratulations on the 🦂 nugget.  Yes I've seen 100+ a night when detecting at night out there in the summer when days are extremely to hot (late July- early September ). 

I don't recommend folks to purchase a gold mining claim if all you're going to do is use a metal detector.  I myself don't own any mining claims but find my share of gold. 

Detecting on proven gold nugget bearing ground is crucial and I do hunt quite a bit of ground that is claimed. If you want to do the same, you need to use your best salesmanship skills when talking with the claim owner.

My opinion only, take the money you were planning on purchasing a claim and join some well known Prospecting Clubs. You'll have plenty remaining and use that to help in granting permissions on known gold nugget bearing claims. 

As for finding nuggets at Rye Patch proper. That was my playground since mid 90s and I have swung a coil from one end to the other numerous times. I know it well and where the majority of good gold came from. I honestly feel I can find a nugget there any day I desire,  it's my home away from home. 

Now there are miles of open ground in Northern Nevada as well.  Doing your homework and research before you lay foot on the ground is crucial. 

Good luck to you. 

On 12/14/2023 at 9:09 AM, GB_Amateur said:

Finally back to Gerry's thread topic.  Thanks to this site I've met (in person) several new friends.  But I've also made 'pen pals' with others I've never had the privilege of coming in contact.  Too many to mention, but I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about.  Thanks to all of you, particularly Steve H. for making (and keeping) this site about sharing information and experiences, without the painful off-topic arguments that are rampant on most internet social/communicative locations.

So what have I learned from this experience?  From now on I will have a spare credit card in my stashed cash hiding spot, with photocopies of my DL and insurance cards.  I probably will still stubbornly (try to) keep my wallet with me at all times, but now a bright orange one, kept in my *front* pocket.

Chuck,  It was great to read your post and sorry for not replying sooner but I returned from vacation this weekend and getting customers taken care of. 

2 points of interest. Yes this DP site,  metal detecting and gold certainly shows how much we enjoy sharing our experiences and making memories, even a few screwups on occasion.

Also, I now have a small stash of cash in my truck just in case.  Still deciding on the credit card though?

Merry Christmas my friend. 

Merry Christmas Allen.   

Is this the same Al I used to see each year at the Competition hunts back in the early 90s and was also with Steve Burris?

Very interesting read and poem.  Probably true story as well. 

Kind of like the American story of Robin hood. 

Thanks for sharing. 

I don't recall if you mentioned needing Iron Identification, but all the VLF class detectors you did mention, have that feature. 

If you're set on a PI, I feel the best priced model is the Axiom and as mentioned, it has more capabilities and Iron Identification, the GPX-6000 or GPZ-7000 don't. Now that we know the price increase coming up on the 6/7 models, more folks will lean towards the better priced Axiom.  Bonus, the Axiom coils are a better price point as well. 

24K, It's my favorite VLF Gold Only Detector and quite capable.  But you mentioned Equinox.  I personally will grab an Equinox or Manticore over the 24K. They can do things the 24K can't. 

Some great advice from top nugget hunters, so you get plenty to digest. 

Keep us posted on your decision. 

It really is a nice size and design, my favorite for rough terrain. 

You took the time to share your thoughts and experiences and it paid off. 

Well done my friend and glad you are as happy as most of my own customers who have had great success with it as well. 

That's some serious house hunting.  Interestingly you recovered 2 earring backs as a bonus.  Wonder if the vacuum would have been strong enough to get the nugget considering it didn't suck up the earring backs?

I was hired about 5 yrs ago or longer, to find a diamond stud earring on shag carpet in a bedroom.  Started with GM-1000 and small coil.  To many nails in under flooring, to many tacks in carpet padding.  Tried turning down the Gain and that helped but no luck.  After deciding a pinpointer is best, I methodically worked the most promising area with no results and gave up, no charge.  

As I was leaving, the lady who lost it showed up and was excited to see the results...but I didn't find it?  

She was quite depressed. I felt bad...but then had another idea 💡.  Let me test the other matching earring to get an idea of the signal strength and distance the pinpointer would hear it.

Here's where I learned something. My favorite pinpointer, the Garrett 🥕 would not respond?

I asked to run and get a new tool to use.  She was joyous as she thought I was done.  Oh no, it's a challenge now. 

Returning back I tested the new White's TRX and was happy to hear it respond.  After about 20 minutes, I happily handed her the small precious piece. 

She gave me an extra $50 for my extra efforts, so total reward was $300 and I learned detector knowledge. 

Great on you for not giving up so soon.  As you know,  finding a nugget is special and so when you lose it in an area you know well, your mind kicks into overdrive.  Well done 👏 

3 hours ago, Compass said:

A once-in-a-lifetime find and truly inspirational - congrats on that beauty!!! I would imagine that there is a serial number on that ring so maybe Bulgari would help with a return? 

No serial # at all which is very interesting for a high end designer.  Maybe they feel they can sell more of them as the person who lost it could just purchase another?  I really have no clue as scooping designer bling rings is not something I do on a regular basis.

12 hours ago, Skull diver said:

I like parables seasoned with a little story....

In spite of beauty or monetary value, the real treasure is the meaning of that piece to the wearer.

 

Would love a happy ending and return to who lost it but my experience with resorts in Mexico and not wanting to keep a Lost & Found Log is frustrating.  I did go above and emailed cooperate when I returned, but no reply yet.  

Personally I feel the dentures are more appropriate to the rightful owner, but if I do get them back, it could be too late.

Either way, I like your comment "the real treasure is the meaning of that piece to the wearer".  Sure I may not get it back to the original owner, but it beats sitting on the bottom of the ocean for nobody to ever see again.  Eventually it will shine and shine a smile on someone's face/finger/neck as they proudly wear it.