Gold Rush Camp Heart Attack Moment

[strick]

I've been meaning to get up to the foot hills for months now.. It's only an hour and a half away but it might as well be 3000 miles when you let distractions get in the way. My main reason for wanting to get in that ground was two fold. I needed to try out my GPX 6000 in some historic gold bearing ground since I had it modified due to the factory recall. Second and less important was to see how the Manticore reacted to some hot dirt away from where I normally detect. . I've been to this place many times. It's a hard hunt every time. Two gold coins and multiple seated we've pulled out of here over the years. One can only dream about what what it was like 40 yers ago. 

I started out with the GPX 6000 detecting where I have found some gold in the past. I hunted for about an hour and a half with the stock 11" coil and the GPX purred like a kitten the whole time. A big difference from my last outing at this spot. I did not find any gold but dug lots of lead pellets that sounded good. Happy with the repair so far. 

Went back to the truck and grabbed the Manticore for a walk about. i've hunted the heck out of this spot with the nox 800 and what I discovered was that the Manticore for the most part works the same as the 800 but...with the advanced screen. Pulled a few big 50 cal musket balls and a few other non ferrous junk on an extensive walk about without any drama.  

Went back to the truck for  beer and grabbed the Deus 2 to finish off the day digging in some iron infested areas near where the old camp sites are.

Any solid non ferrous targets here are so sparse that any time you get a solid beep its like a revelation of sorts. So when I got a solid 63 on the deus 2  I expected another  musket ball but to my surprise a solid round gold colored disk makes it to the light of day. My first thought was I got a 1$ gold coin...but after my eyes focused I could see some engravings on it so then i was just as happy to see that I had dug  Love token made from a gold coin! And that is what I thought until this morning when I finally had a chance to clean it enough (one hour tumble with CLR) to look at it with a loop to see that it had a heavy gold plate on it. 

So this is what 150 year old bling looks like...it even has serrated edges  like a coin would have. In the end it was a beautiful day and I got to hook up with my old friend (the property owner) and chat for a couple hours in a wonderful place. Also a pic of the Deus 2 for you wireless lovers 🙂 

strick 

[JCR]

That's really neat.  Pretty location too.

[Doc Bach]

Great story Strick! I felt like I was there and wished that I was....Love those gold rush sites but i haven't hunted or dug in them since I was a teenager with my father and uncle who were born and raised In Smartsville.

[matt]

Reminds me of a permission I used to have in Folsom area. Man I found a lot of gold out there!

[Valens Legacy]

Thanks for the excellent  write up and the pictures.

That was a very nice find and I bet it was a heart stopper when you found it and held it for the first time.

Good luck on your next hunt and stay safe out there.

[phrunt]

Nice spot for a day out, shame it wasn't a real goldie but still a good find regardless.

Very kind of you to keep the wireless lovers happy. 🙂

[F350Platinum]

Lovin' that wireless. 😏

9" coil is the best for sniffing out stuff especially when it gets woodsy or the ground is uneven. It also keeps things light if you have to walk a long way.

Really beautiful place you're hunting there. 👍 

[rvpopeye]

That's a fine lookin' piece , even if it wasn't a coin.👍

So many rural places look like that one.    Not all have as good a chance for gold though. 

There must be a gold coin there somewhere. The ground demands it !

That's what ground balance really means , they just don't put it in the instructions ......

 

[CPT_GhostLight]

Great story and photos, strick, and the that old "bling" is gorgeous, congrats on pulling that one out! As you know, folks in the mining camps were dirt poor and that gold plated piece could have costed a fellow 6 months pay. It's in great condition and a rare find, well done!