Jim McCulloch

Steven, you reside in Washington, and use a Goldmaster 24k. I would recommend 7b, 10a, and 14a. HH Jim

Follow the Drywashers for a Magnificent Quest, especially if you are Three Hours to Gold in Southern California. Nice pics Keith. HH Jim

Several of us on this forum are former Marines or Marine "brats." Today marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the 17 day Battle of Chosin Reservoir. My dad, a sergeant in the First Marine Division at Chosin, later co-founded the Sea Angels scuba diving club with Mel Fisher. Their treasure hunting experience, along with that of the Depression Era "survival" gold prospecting experiences of my grandfather and great grandfather, influenced me greatly. Off topic, and reminiscing.

I started with the A2B back in '83. That first chunk of auriferous quartz from an ore dump in Dayton NV began my own Magnificent Quest.

Keith, maybe we ought to change your nickname to "Smokey Jr."

Friend Keith, ya' done real good, buddy!

Way cool, in more ways than one... 😊

The Rattlesnake Canyon area of Southern California is renowned for its large number of mountain lions, desert lynx, and huge Bobcats. One day Mitchel and I were out looking for the "elusive yellow metal," when we encountered the biggest, meanest, hungriest looking mountain lion I've ever seen. While licking its lips, and looking from Mitchel to me, I threw down my backpack, pulled out my running shoes, and began replacing my boots with the running shoes. Mitchel said "Jim, you can't outrun a hungry mountain lion!" To which I replied "Mitchel, I don't need to outrun the mountain lion, I just ne

There are still a few of each left. I forgot to add a laminated nugget card comes with the sale.

"About 1 am I headed to Arizona." Folks, as I have mentioned before, Mitchel is a phenomenon when it comes to driving long distances during the night. I think he needs to make business cards which say "Have Detector - will Travel - Anywhere, Anytime."

My knowledge of Chinese cash coins is modest, but the "I Ching" piece depicted is a modern amulet/good luck pocket charm, not a true circulating coin. Personally I have found numerous genuine cash at 1850's California Gold Rush sites and 1880's railroad labor camps, the earliest coins dating back to about 1700. Hope this helps; HH Jim

I still have a few Goldmaster 24K and GMX coils for sale. They are all brand new, never mounted, never used. Each comes with a brand new coil cover, personally autographed copy of my book "Advanced Nuggetshooting with the Goldmaster 24K," and my optimal tuning cheat sheet. The 6" round concentric is $135.00, postpaid. The extremely rare 8" by 14" is $249.95 postpaid. This might be your last chance to obtain these coils. No, I do not have any 6x4's. Continental US shipping only. I accept PayPal.

More later? Well... I'm sure it will be well worth it, especially the photos. Regarding Mitchel's ability and endurance as a long-distance driver: he is the kind of guy who can leave Santa Monica at 2:00 am, to arrive in Yucca Valley at 5:00 am, pick me up, and by 6:00 am be at the Rattlesnake Canyon trailhead, all kitted up, about to start the 2 mile hike to the old Spanish Workings. Dig and detect all day, back in Yucca at 8:00 pm, to be back in Santa Monica by 11:00 pm. Really. Hey, the guy runs marathons! My hero.

There are no "simple" answers to Skookum's excellent questions, but Tom and Jason have given some really masterful info. Several more thoughts need to be mentioned or repeated. The current geological formations we detect are often far deeper (lower in elevation) than the original auriferous deposits of times past. Thus, erosion at euvial locations, over time, have repeatedly both revealed and re-covered, shifted, dispersed or concentrated, auriferous deposits, making it difficult to precisely locate the original lode gold deposits of times past. The original lode deposits may no longer exist.

Of course, we're only crediting European finders, the original Aboriginal finders of gold have been discounted. When the Conquistadors "discovered" gold in Mexico it was centuries after the Aztecs and Mayans had perfected the recovery, refining, and casting of gold. Credit where credit is due... Regarding Hargraves, he was one of the first Englishmen to find AU in California, being a Fortyniner, and he later introduced Sonoran (Mexican) placer mining techniques to Oz.