Detector Finds From Tailing Piles & Hand Placer Digs

[Gerry in Idaho]

16 hours ago, dig4gold said:

Hi Gerry. You have truly found some stunning pieces. It is a credit to you. I must have missed the ones stuck in your gob.😂

Would you still rate the MXT 300 for detecting bucket dredge tailings. Or would the Nox 800 be a better bet with the larger coil?

Cheers

D4G

MXT 300 helped me find quite a bit of nice size gold back in the day.  When compared to an EQ-800/EQ-900, I'll take the newer technology detector. Multi IQ, 100% waterproof, lighter weight and better at certain specimens/invisible gold...vs MXT.  But boy, was the MXT back in the day, a true gold grabber for those of us who learned how to use it.  Actually quite an easy detector and much so more than a GMT along with better depth on bigger gold than GMT.  Not true on small picker nuggets, the GMT shines through and also on invisible gold vs MXT.

[Gerry in Idaho]

14 hours ago, Glenn in CO said:

This is so true in the area I and my wife prospect for gold specimens on tailing piles here in Colorado. We have tried many different types of PI detectors in the past on none will detect the gold specimens we find with a VLF detector. We were hoping the Garrett Axiom would be able to detect this type of gold and this last spring met with Rusty Curry with Garrett to see if the Axiom offered some promise. Unfortunately the Axiom wasn't able to detect the gold specimens, even using the different types of coils they had to offer. We are hoping someday a PI detector will be produced by somebody that can detect these type of gold specimens, as there are certain areas where we are plagued with hot rocks and minerialzation and a VLF detector is basically useless.

Here is a .67 Gram wiregold specimen that a PI detector will not detect:

 

Thanks for agreeing with me and showing proof Glenn.  It takes a lot of time in the field with many detectors to learn these things and most folks will not do that.  Yes I agree with you, the Axiom does not see/hear some invisible gold, but at the same time it also will find more of the invisible types than many of the older PI's.

As for a PI being able to do as well as a VLF for such gold?  I really don't see how they can do it as the technologies used are so different.  Maybe if a manufacture were to build a VLF within a PI so you can switch back and forth.  Wonder how much that detector would cost us?  Well f it was Minelab selling it, I recon $10K.  If it's someone else, say like Garrett, I would expect them to be more reasonable. $5000.

Love seeing your finds my friend and sorry I never made it up there this year, maybe 2024?

Yes it's a hard pill to swallow when someone with a sub $1000 detector can find a $1000+ piece of gold and a $5000 or $8500 machine can't even make a peep on it.  I've pissed off a few folks in the 3 days training sessions we offer, by showing such.  They just assume the more money you spend the more gold you find.  We Staff and I provide Knowledge and some of it is stuff many dealers don't even know about or have seen.  What you do with the knowledge (being pissed or happy you learned that about your detector) is up to you.  My training shows and explains what kind of gold your detector is best at and I also want you to know the kinds of gold and hunts it's not so good at.  That way you are not wasting time in the field with a detector that is not good for the task.

Why so many folks don't research out a good reputable dealer who's actually in the field showing success, to help them make a detector purchase, instead just order on Amazon and then wonder why they have not found any gold....is beyond me. 

You're one of the wise ones my friend.

[Glenn in CO]

8 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Thanks for agreeing with me and showing proof Glenn.  It takes a lot of time in the field with many detectors to learn these things and most folks will not do that.  Yes I agree with you, the Axiom does not see/hear some invisible gold, but at the same time it also will find more of the invisible types than many of the older PI's.

As for a PI being able to do as well as a VLF for such gold?  I really don't see how they can do it as the technologies used are so different.  Maybe if a manufacture were to build a VLF within a PI so you can switch back and forth.  Wonder how much that detector would cost us?  Well f it was Minelab selling it, I recon $10K.  If it's someone else, say like Garrett, I would expect them to be more reasonable. $5000.

Love seeing your finds my friend and sorry I never made it up there this year, maybe 2024?

Yes it's a hard pill to swallow when someone with a sub $1000 detector can find a $1000+ piece of gold and a $5000 or $8500 machine can't even make a peep on it.  I've pissed off a few folks in the 3 days training sessions we offer, by showing such.  They just assume the more money you spend the more gold you find.  We Staff and I provide Knowledge and some of it is stuff many dealers don't even know about or have seen.  What you do with the knowledge (being pissed or happy you learned that about your detector) is up to you.  My training shows and explains what kind of gold your detector is best at and I also want you to know the kinds of gold and hunts it's not so good at.  That way you are not wasting time in the field with a detector that is not good for the task.

Why so many folks don't research out a good reputable dealer who's actually in the field showing success, to help them make a detector purchase, instead just order on Amazon and then wonder why they have not found any gold....is beyond me. 

You're one of the wise ones my friend.

 

Gerry you are one of the very few dealers left that have the knowledge and offer training anyone that wants learn gold prospecting. Hopefully you are still young enough to provide this service and education for many years to come. I know when I started detecting for gold nuggets and know there was something at the time of what you had to offer, I would gladly invested the time and money to make the learning curve less frustrating and being more productive out in the field.

This is the second time in the past 30+ years in hunting the same area for gold specimens that I and my wife did not go. My wife had a hip replacement two years ago and turning 70 she has decided the almost vertical tailing piles are not the place for her to be. We have been detecting ghost towns this past summer and enjoying finding coins and relics that they have to offer. We will have to see how 2024 shakes out for gold prospecting.

Here's another wiregold specimen that I recently cleaned with some host rock left intact:

[Gerry in Idaho]

22 hours ago, strick said:

"- In mold tailing piles, the mineralized dirt has been removed and performance of VLF vs PI is not as big a difference."

Love that first picture...Ive never heard this term and I'd like to learn that a "mold Tailing pile" is ? 

great write up gerry

strick 

Strick, Thanks for keeping me on my toes and I did do a correction "many Tailing piles".

As for tailings/hand workings, I know you have some there in CA.  After you and your lady took our class, did you ever go back to any of those with the VLF's?  Yes I realize you could go hours and on occasionally days without a speck of gold, but at the same time, I've seen world class specimens come from a few of such style workings in the "Golden State".

On a side note, I could have said "moss tailing piles".  I've actually recovered gold in such piles and I even own a couple moss covered gold pieces (sun bakers).  I have found a few in NV and Oregon.

Below is a pic of one piece still showing moss type material on the top side.  If you view the throw out piles of rocks in the background, you'll see they all have the moss type growth on the tops.  This particular treasure with ounces of gold in it, will not detect on an older SD/GP machines.  It was literally laying on top of the pile and the improved Sensitivity of the Garrett Axiom help me make the find.  Interestingly, a quality VLF sees this particular find at about the same distance.

[Gerry in Idaho]

18 hours ago, YubaJ said:

Gerry,

            What frequency(s) were you using with the Nox 800 for the tailings piles?

Multi

[Gerry in Idaho]

On 10/19/2023 at 12:04 AM, Glenn in CO said:

 

Gerry you are one of the very few dealers left that have the knowledge and offer training anyone that wants learn gold prospecting. Hopefully you are still young enough to provide this service and education for many years to come. I know when I started detecting for gold nuggets and know there was something at the time of what you had to offer, I would gladly invested the time and money to make the learning curve less frustrating and being more productive out in the field.

This is the second time in the past 30+ years in hunting the same area for gold specimens that I and my wife did not go. My wife had a hip replacement two years ago and turning 70 she has decided the almost vertical tailing piles are not the place for her to be. We have been detecting ghost towns this past summer and enjoying finding coins and relics that they have to offer. We will have to see how 2024 shakes out for gold prospecting.

Here's another wiregold specimen that I recently cleaned with some host rock left intact:

 

Well Glenn I'm starting to get up in age/aches/pains myself and the back/feet are mostly worn out.  I'll keep training as long as my Field Staff will put up with me and we are having fun.  Onces the fun runs out, it becomes really tough to want to continue.  Sorry you didn't make the hill to collect a few more beauties, but glad you were able to swing a few old sites for Coins/Relics.  Thats another passion of mine, trying to find the tools/trash/trades left behind from the old-timers.

Enjoy your winter and lets hope for a nice early warmer Spring/Summer.  Keep in touch my friend.  Those wire pieces are just amazing.

[Allen in MT]

I have had the big Minelab's, the Garrets, Whites and Fisher detectors and I keep coming back to the reliable Fisher Gold Bug 2 and I would guess it has found 90% of my gold total. The one pictured was with the GB2 in tailing piles in Idaho and is my biggest. It is 5.56oz

[dig4gold]

On 10/19/2023 at 9:41 AM, Gerry in Idaho said:

MXT 300 helped me find quite a bit of nice size gold back in the day.  When compared to an EQ-800/EQ-900, I'll take the newer technology detector. Multi IQ, 100% waterproof, lighter weight and better at certain specimens/invisible gold...vs MXT.  But boy, was the MXT back in the day, a true gold grabber for those of us who learned how to use it.  Actually quite an easy detector and much so more than a GMT along with better depth on bigger gold than GMT.  Not true on small picker nuggets, the GMT shines through and also on invisible gold vs MXT.

Hi Gerry. Thank you for that. Funny enough, I have a GMT & a Goldmaster 4B. Collector items now I guess. I had forgotten I had those making my Whites collection of three detectors along with the MXT 300. Probably not common detectors in New Zealand. Even back in their day. Gold Search Australia were agents for Whites. I never got the TDI as I was then on the Minelab train with their PI's & have not looked back.

D4G

[dig4gold]

1 hour ago, Allen in MT said:

I have had the big Minelab's, the Garrets, Whites and Fisher detectors and I keep coming back to the reliable Fisher Gold Bug 2 and I would guess it has found 90% of my gold total. The one pictured was with the GB2 in tailing piles in Idaho and is my biggest. It is 5.56oz

Nice. I have a soft spot for the GB2 as well & it still gets the occasional work out. I love its little bullet proof sniper coil.

D4G

[Drellim]

Gerry wow it tells the story pretty clean  I always have my gold master  / old one  that I use to find the patch then work from there  with the PI   It’s amazing what one can hear and another nothing but man your stories and pics make me think I need a lesson or two  to get out of my righteous  mindset    Thanks for opening up my vision  hell we are always learning right   Thanks