Glenn in CO

I'm enjoying reading all the if's, what's, and why's the Equinox may or may not do in actual field testing (thank you Steve H.) and what many have perceive the Equinox will do without having the detector.

I will be following with great interest as people actually put the detector to the test in different types of coin, relic, jewelry, prospecting, ground conditions scenarios. I'm very interested in purchasing the Equinox when they become available, but the purchase will be base on reliable information from users that will convince me this new technology is the real thing. I will have to put my research skills to the test on people who will be providing opinions and reviews on the Equinox. Weeding out the good and the bad. I have a feeling the reviews and opinions will be somewhat negative at first, but I believe that information will come from a lot first time users and inexperienced users looking for the next best thing. I believe the Equinox will take awhile to learn all its capabilities to its fullest extent. The coming months will be interesting to say the least.

Just my two cents!

29 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

This is a VX3 ,,,,not the V3i

I posted this information for people who might be following this thread and have a V3i and didn't realize their was a MXT program available.

Sorry for not being more clear on my part.

The V3i has a MXT program in the library:

Expert Menu > Program > Restore / Load > Library Program 

You'll find: Alluvial Scan, Beep-Dig, Chestnut, Coin, Coin & Jewelry, Common, Deep Silver, Dusk, Fireside, Hi-Pro, High Trash, Meteorite, Mixed Mode Pro, MXT, Pine, Prospecting, Relic, Salt Beach, Sunshine

If you want to LOAD the MXT Program to play with it, use the NEW / Copy feature.

People always ask me "is that the way the gold specimen looked when you found it?"  I reply no as it always requires some type of cleaning of the specimen. I also end up adding the comment " it's like opening a Christmas present, your excited to see what's inside!"

Here's a before and after pictures of the gold specimen I previously posted:

Not knowing the mineralization of said area and to be on the safe side I would take a high frequency VLF detector for small and or sponge type of gold nugget or specimens. Two different types of PI detectors, one to find small gold nuggets in highly mineralize ground and one to fine deeper gold nuggets in highly mineralize ground. I won't list the brand of detectors I would take as there are many a person could chose from that would fit the criteria I listed above. A few different size and types of accessory coils would be consider also.

Welcome to the Forum Skate,

Here's is my opinion on someone considering hunting for nuggets for the first time. First nugget hunting with a detector is probably the hardest and most frustrating thing a person will experience when you compare it to coin, jewelry or relic hunting. Once you found your first nugget with your detector the confidence, ability and skills in using your detector will continue to grow. The way I was successful was learning to operate my detector correctly, using the correct type of detector for the area I'm searching in and knowing the geology and type of gold that will be found in the area that has promising ground. For me to be successful did not happen overnight. It took years, with different models and types of gold detectors and searching in a area that was and still is productive. I was a metal detector dealer for over twenty-five years, so the learning curve on using a gold detector wasn't hard, but learning the geology and type of gold to be found was a long process and continues to this day. I have gone to other states to search for nuggets and with limited knowledge on the geology and where gold can be found, it brings me back to my first day of nugget hunting and to prepare for the same long process if I'm to be successful again. I have seen individuals that are very experienced with a detector on productive ground and but still can't find gold. The more knowledge and information you can obtain from books and fellow nugget hunters that offer advice in the area you are hunting in, the greater success you will have.

Today if I was newbie would I follow my own advice, probably not. I would though find a dealer that provides training in areas that are productive and training on how to use my detector correctly. That knowledge and experience that one would gain in a short amount of time would be invaluable.

Great Finds!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and adventures.

Great finds and nice way to wind down the season at the cabin. Thanks! for sharing you story and photos.

This 5-day sale features 2,900 lots in multiple collecting categories including Mining, Minerals, Native Americana, Bottles, Gaming, Cowboy, Tokens, Numismatics, Railroad & Express, Postal History & Philatelic, Firearms & Military, and General Americana. 

The auction starts October 19th through October 23rd on the Holabirdamericana website: https://holabirdamericana.liveauctiongroup.com/auctionlist.aspx

Item# 1198 list the Black Box Gold Detector

This device is for the "black box" affectionado, the person that specializes in unique "tools" to "detect" gold. Metal tag on the top: "A.E. Meek T & B Co./ Makers/ Denver, Colo." The box has the name of one of the owners on the front of the opening top "Jack Bell." The device inside the box also has a tag (brass): "Sachs, Lawlor M & M/ Co./ Denver, Colo." The box is 6.5" square, 11" tall. the device fits snugly into the box. It has muscovite windows with gold foil connected to some "electrodes". A small box comes with it containing thin papers and some gold foil. A manuscript note calls the device a gold electroscope.

Have fun looking at the items that up for auction!

Congratulations !

Now the other and bigger nuggets you search for will be much easier to find .

The gold gods have smiled on you and may you luck continue.

7 hours ago, Joe Fortunato said:

Glenn,

Thanks for posting the pics from the Denver Gem and Mineral Show. I have a story to tell about one of the pictures that you posted. It is about the wire gold specimen in photo #41. I am not absolutely sure this is the specimen but based on it's uniqueness and the area where it was found, I am fairly sure it is the one. If this is indeed that specimen, it was dug by my first nugget hunting mentor and his two detecting partners nearly 20 years ago. My friend and mentor, Ken, and his partners Larry and Jim had been granted permission to detect  on Farncomb Hill, near Breckenridge. They had a great number of finds over a span of several years. As one might expect, they were very secretive about the location due to the success that they had. I did not know Ken at the time that he and his partners had found the specimen that they named "The Birds Nest". Ken told me the story in 2003, I had joined a local prospecting club, The Gold Prospectors of the Rockies. Ken was on their board of directors and one of the first people that I met ( I am the current vice president of the club ). Ken is living outside the US now, but does come back to visit family every few years. The last time he was in Denver, he offered to show me the place where he and his partners found their gold, so I picked him up at his daughters home and off to Breckenridge we went. The area is under claim and closed to prospecting, but were aware of that before hand.We walked the ground that had surrendered some of it's golden treasure. The area was given a name back in the 1800's,  and based on photo #41, I would say they hit it right on the head. It is called "The Wire Patch". You may be surprised to know that they sold "The Birds Nest" not long after they discovered it !!! 

Again, thanks for posting

I hope that our fellow forum members enjoy the story about this amazing Colorado gold specimen.

Hi Joe,

I and my wife know Ken O., Larry B. and John V. We showed them the location where Ken found that specimen and as you say the rest is history. Unfortunately Ken sold that specimen to quick and he could of got a lot more for it than he did. We saw John V. and his mining partner Glenn G. at the show and caught up on recent and past finds in Colorado. Lots of amazing finds are still being found if you know where to go.

4 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Wow, looks like it was a great show. I wish we had known about it beforehand instead of after the fact - I will try and remember to get it on the forum calendar for next year. Thanks for the great photo tour though - next best thing to being there. Those are some spectacular specimens!

Sorry I didn't get this information to you before the show, I will let you know next year schedule or any shows or seminars in our area.

In addition to all the great gold, silver and other specimens on display, they had three days of speakers which included Jeff Scovil (outstanding Gem and Mineral photographer), Terry Wallace on Colorado Silver, Gene Meieran on the Magic of Silver, Virgil Lueth on New Mexico Gold, Ben Elick on High Grade Cripple Creek ore, Scott Werschky on Fire Creek Mine Gold Specimens in Nevada, Les Presmyk on Arizona Gold and Silver specimens, Penny Williamson on Australian Gold, Bruce Geller on Tellurides and Byran Lees on the Golden Dragon. Byran Lees talked about finding the "Golden Dragon"  and how is company (Collectors Edge) preform the work on preparing the one of kind specimen from the Colorado Quartz Mine in California.  The Golden Dragon is estimated to be valued at 1 million dollars. These were just some of the speakers that we were able to see.

                                                                 " THE GOLDEN DRAGON"

30 minutes ago, Reno Chris said:

Great to see that Mad Mutha was there - he finds some good wire gold specimens. Miners lunch box should be here at a show here in Sparks in December.
I will just note also how difficult it is to get a well focused image of the Olinghouse gold specimens - I have lots of fuzzy pics of those specimens.

Sorry about some the pics being out of focus and the quality. I only had my pocket camera and shooting pictures through the glass isn't easy. Wished I had taken my good camera along.

I'm using Firefox and no problems logging in. If it becomes a problem I will use another browser.

The Denver Gem and Mineral Show at the Denver Mart celebrate its 50th year and the theme was Gold and Silver. There were outstanding gold, silver, telluride and meteorite specimens on display from collectors and dealers. There were over 800 dealers this year at the Denver Mart and surrounding venues. Denver is the second largest show in the United States.

Thanks Steve and Jim Hemmingway for the additional input and information. I have had several people ask me if gold tellurides are able to be found with a metal detector and couldn't find information if that it was possible. The Colorado School of Mines has several gold telluride specimens that I could have available to me to test. I will let you know the results when time permits. Hopefully other forum members could chime in with additional information.

Great Pictures! Great Finds! Thanks for sharing your latest adventure!

Great information Steve!

Hopefully individuals that are serious in being successful in detecting various types of sites will use this information and decide if the detector of their choice is the right one to use. Instead of saying this is the best detector to use, consider all these factors and use the best detector that will find what you are looking for.

I believe you created the ultimate Monte's Nail Board test.

My wife, sister, brother-in-law and I went to the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center and took the tour last September when we were vacationing in the area. Anyone in the area would find interesting to take the tour and go through the visitor center.

Her's a link to the visitor center: http://www.sanfordlabhomestake.com/

Thanks! Steve for the information.  In your opinion would the high frequency VLF gold detector, Falcon Gold probe or PI detector would give the best results in detecting gold tellurides?

It seems there are many types of gold telluride. Calaverite and Sylvanite is common to the Cripple Creek, CO and other areas of the US. Would this type of telluride be detectable?

Here's a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calaverite

                        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvanite

Can a vlf or pi machine detect gold telluride?  Does the gold telluride have to be in large concentration in a specimen for a detector to be able to detect it?  Could a Falcon Gold probe detect a gold telluride specimen?  Thanks! for any information or tips you can provide.

Hi Steve,

Figured it out, if you have a browser somewhat restricted it does not show. Works fine with no restrictions.

Thanks!