Rocky Mountain Prospectors &

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

The News
v. 20, n. 06 June 2016

Going for the Gold

Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com

Contents
1

Virgin Group Founder Richard

Branson Discovers Hidden Treasure

2
3
3
4
5
6
7
7
8

About The News

Another Good Deed Done
Medieval Gold Brooch Find
Find Of The Month Program
Cache Hunting Tips
Spanish Treasure Trove
The Rona Diamond
Desert-Stranded Ship
300-Year-Old Letter Tells Of
Treasure
Calendar of Events
Calendars
Terms Jewelers Use
Trading Post
Gold Sluice Clean-Up
2016 Schedule of Events
Contact List

10
11
14
16
17
18
19

Virgin Group Founder

Richard Branson
Discovers Hidden
Treasure
The Economic Times Bureau
5 Apr, 2016, 09.04AM IST

f you thought that Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure

Island was all fiction, think again. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson discovered hidden treasure on
March 31 that reconfirms that the classic was based
around the British Virgin Islands.
Branson recently dug out a pirate treasure chest buried
deep under the ground on his private gateway, Necker
Island, in the Caribbean.

Branson was asked to inspect the chest when workers,

who were digging on his premises, chanced upon it.
While no details have been released about the treasure,
the contents include gold coins that reportedly date back
to the beginning of the 21st century.
(Continued on page 3)

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at

twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning
stays young."
- Henry Ford
Branson opens treasure chest

About The News

he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky

Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters
Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is 278
Sierra Vista Drive, Fort Collins, CO. 80524.
Opinions expressed in The News are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the
club or its members. Publication of information in
The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use
of any information found in this publication is at the
sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordinators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors
assume any liability for damages resulting from use
of information in this publication.
Submissions

Articles, letters and short items of interest on prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are
welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for
publication are subject to editing. Submittals for publication may be made in writing or, preferably, in ASCII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have
questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information.

Advertising
Classified advertising for topic related items is free
for non-business ads. See the Trading Post section
for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Donations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request.
About RMPTH
RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social
club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detecting or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an
educational and social forum of mutual benefit for
members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and conducts various field outings, as well as offers special
presentations and seminars. Active participants have
voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News,
is readily available on the Internet. Annual dues are
$25 payable in June. Applicants joining in any month
other than June pay partial dues of $2 per month for
months remaining prior to following June plus $1.

Copyright
Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups
may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in
The News without prior permission, provided that
proper author and publication credits are given and
that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters
with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.

CLUB MEMBERS TAKE NOTE

Club Hats, Shirts, Jackets, & Patches are again available.
Ask for info at the club meetings to purchase your club items!
We will be running a 50/50 Drawing at each club meeting. At the end of each
meeting Tom will split the pot 50/50 and a lucky member will go home with more
money than they came with.!
The remaining 50% goes to the club treasury.
Page 2

The News, June 2016

(Continued from page 1)

In a video blog, John S Duncan, governor of the British

Virgin Islands, confirmed the find saying, "As we know
Sir Richard Branson well, I am sure that we can count
on him to use this discovery for the benefit for all our
community." Branson, meanwhile, seemed predictably
more excited about the adventure than the actual treasure.

Read more at:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
articleshow/51691757.cms?
utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm
_campaign=cppst

Another Good Deed

Done

MPTH President Tom Warne recently answered the call to recover another lost wedding ring.

Tom described the event as follows:

It only took about 10 minutes and was the second
target checked. Passed over lots of penny (50's) and
dime signals (70's) that were 3 or more inches deep.
The ring came in at 18 and one inch deep. It was lost
last fall and was not lying on top of the ground. They
wrote the club a donation check for $25.
Way to go Tom!

Medieval Gold Brooch

Find
Medieval gold brooch dug up in Oxfordshire is
declared treasure

Medieval gold brooch dug up in a farmer's field

but "good enough to wear today" was one of a
host of precious finds from Oxfordshire declared
treasure today.

The rectangular brooch, dating from AD 1230 to 1350,

will now be valued by a panel at the British Museum
along with other treasures from around the UK.
Oxfordshire County Council's museum service will then
apply for grants so it can buy back local discoveries and
put them on public display.
The gold brooch was dug up by Chinnor metal detectorist Kevin Ford in a field not far from his home in the village on Wednesday, August 26.
Finds Liaison Officer for Oxfordshire Anni Byard said
today it stood out because it was in "very fine condition".
She added: "This brooch is unusual because of its quality and completeness: you could almost wear it now, and
considering it's
about 800
years old, that
is very nice".
The brooch
was one of
four finds
from Oxfordshire which
were declared
treasure by
Oxfordshire
coroner Darren Salter at an inquest in Oxford.
He also declared a Medieval silver belt end decorated
with a "snarling beast" in strikingly good condition and a
Medieval silver ring, both dug up by West Oxfordshire
metal detectorist Noel Rice.
A hoard of about 100 copper and two silver Roman
coins dug up by Brightwell treasure hunter Warren Cave
in North Moreton, near Didcot, was also declared treasure.
More details about all treasure dug up in Oxfordshire
can be found at finds.org.uk

The News, June 2016

Page 3

Find of the Month

Winners
May, 2016
Most Valuable Coin:
Tom Marschall 1974-d Half
Dollar
Oldest Coin:
Barb Schuldt - 1967 Quarter
Largest Raw Gold: No Entry
Most Raw Gold: No Entry
Best Bottle: Tim Coatman Water/Juice Refrig Bottle
Best Jewelry:
Tom Marschall Lords Prayer
Ring
Most Unique Find (Excavated):
Barb Schuldt Womans Antique Belt Buckle
Token: Joe Johnston - Denver
Silver Dollar Hotel Good for $3
Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil:
Tom Warne - Small Arrowhead

Some good finds this month, but

wheres the gold . Again!

Gold Glossary
Highbanker - A highbanker is a sluice box with mobility.
Instead of being put right in the creek like a sluice, the
highbanker uses a water pump to transport the water into
higher and sometimes richer placer reserves. In addition
to the ability to go just about anywhere, the highbanker
also is able to run more material in less time than the

TREASURE HUNTERS
CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect private property and do no treasure

hunting without the owner's permission.
I WILL fill all excavations.
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, and private property.
I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy
at all times.
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.
I WILL leave gates as found.
I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I
find.
I WILL NOT litter.
I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left
of ghost towns and deserted structures.
I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or
equipment.

Page 4

The News, June 2016

Cache Hunting Tips

November 13, 1997
Posted by Keith W.

'll try to make this short. First talk with all the old
timers you can and forget about treasure hunting,
it will wait till another day. Let them tell you about
all those in the area that died suddenly and their
money was never found. The Money Is Still There ....
I know, as I found some of it.

While you're at it, ask the old timer if they knew

where the old fellow spent most of his time on the
house site or where he sat the most when he wasn't
doing anything. From that point, the old fellow could
see his money. Look for more than one spot for the
money to be buried in the same line of site. They didn't want to loose all their money if someone happen to
stumbled over some of it.

Mineral Specimen Identification

As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State
College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric
Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE
MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants
will aid in the education of future Geoscientists!
Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions
can be downloaded
from:
SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN
http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/
MINID.pdf

Another tip, watch for old fence posts with the wire
staples still in them. The old trick was to take a file
and notch out the top of the fence staples on one post,
so they could lift the wire out of the staples and off the
post. Then lift the post out of the ground and the jar
of money would be in the fence post hole, under the
post. That's where my 311 silver halves came from,
nearly BU condition, all in one jar. There are eight
more caches like this to my credit.

Refreshment Volunteers
June Anne & Ray
July Virgil & Linda Kapperman
August D, B & M
September Stan Koleski
October David Longmore
November Dick & Sharon French
The News, June 2016

Property Wanted
For Detector Hunt
RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold
an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be
most ideal if this property is known to have seen some
past historical activity. If you have such property or
know of someone who does, please contact Rick
Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.

Page 5

Spanish Treasure Trove

Construction workers unearth 1,300 pound
treasure trove of ancient Roman coins
Hamilton Spectator
By Fred Barbash
April, 2016

ome 1,300 pounds of bronze Roman coins dating to the 3rd and 4th centuries have been unearthed by construction workers digging ditches
in Spain.

Sample of the coins

The find, in 19 amphoras storage containers is

unique not only because of the volume of coins but
because the coins appear to have never been in circulation, making them almost pristine by comparison
with other discoveries.
Workers in the city of Tomares, in Andalusia, were
working on installing a water line to a park in the city
of 24,000, according to the Spanish newspaper El
Pas, when they noticed irregular terrain inside a
ditch about a meter below ground level.
Some of the containers were broken, with the coins
spilling out of them, while others were intact. They
show an emperor, Maximian or Constantine on one
side and Roman allegories on the other, researchers
told reporters. Experts are speculating that the coins
were meant to pay taxes or support legions of the Roman armies in Spain at the time.
"We have a team looking into the discovery right now.
We believe it is hugely important and will have more
information very soon," a spokesperson at Andalusia's
Ministry of Culture in Seville told The Local on Thursday.

Recovered Amphora containing coins

Ana Navarro, head of Seville's Archeology Museum,

offered no precise estimate for the value of the haul,
saying only that the coins were worth "certainly several million euros."
"The majority were newly minted and some of them
probably were bathed in silver, not just bronze,"
Navarro told reporters.
"I could not give you an economic value, because the
value they really have is historical and you can't calculate that."
The Romans invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 206
B.C. and stayed for about 700 years, turning Andalusia into one of the empire's richest colonies.
Washington Post
Page 6

Amphora uncovered

The News, June 2016

The Rona Diamond

**NOTE** A
CLUB
DUES ARE
DUE AT
THE JUNE Desert-Stranded Ship
MEETING

tennis-ball-size rock of ages, the 1,109-carat

Lesedi la Rona
diamond, is
shown Wednesday by a
model at Sothebys in
New York. The 3-billionyear-old rough diamond, uncovered in
Botswana last year, is
expected to fetch more
than $70 million when
Sothebys offers it in a
stand-alone auction
June 29 in London.
Coloradoan
May 5, 2016

Don Emmert, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Mojave Desert, California, US

Door Prize Donors For May

Bullet Ink PenDarrell Koleber

Black Gold PanTom Warne
1961 Roosevelt DimeClub Store
1936 Buffalo NickelClub Store
Northwest Traders Belt Buckle
Darrell Koleber
Aviator SunglassesRick
Mattingly
MagnifierTom Warne
KFC CoolerTom Warne

The News, June 2016

Spanish galleon in the 16th century, laden

with pearls worth millions, is said to have
sailed up the Gulf of California into what is
now the Salton Sea. However, it got stuck there, forcing the crew to abandon the ship and its precious
cargo. As the water dried up, the ship gradually sank
beneath the sand and has not been found since despite several efforts by treasure hunters.

MSN

Page 7

300-Year-Old Letter
Tells Of Treasure
300-year-old letter tells of treasure buried
beneath Society Hill. Pennsylvania treasure
hunter claims to know its location, but a search
is unlikely
By John Kopp
PhillyVoice Staff

mysterious letter penned nearly 300 years ago

remains housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania despite an explicit instruction by its unknown writer to destroy it.

No one knows why the letter, dated May 14, 1716, survived. But it is crystal clear why its author wanted the
document burned at the recipient's earliest opportunity.
It tells of treasure buried in Society Hill.
Writing from St. Jago De La Vega,
Jamaica, the writer informs an
unnamed brother of a treasure
trove filled with Spanish currency
now commonly associated with
pirate tales. He provides detailed
directions to recover a chest containing doubloons, pistoles, reales
and pieces of eight. The letter concludes with an order to burn it.

decades ago. He set the letter aside as one of his many

pet projects, eventually posting his initial discoveries to
his Hidden Histories blog eight years ago.
Given Philadelphia's trade involvement with the West
Indies, Rolph suspects a member of the Society of Free
Traders penned the letter. The mercantile group settled
in Society Hill in 1682 and gave the neighborhood its
name. The merchants were wealthy and known to travel,
but the organization itself went bankrupt in 1723.
Yet, Rolph does not dismiss the possibility that pirates
buried the treasure, though he finds that scenario less
likely. The letter was sent during the Golden Age of Piracy, a period when Jamaica was known as a pirate hotbed and marauders sailed along the Eastern Seaboard.
Blackbeard and others are believed to have frequented
Philadelphia. (In fact, Blackbeard likely had family in
Philadelphia, according to the 2008 book, "The Last
Days of Black Beard the Pirate," written by Kevin P. Duffus.)
"Early Philly had a big trade network going into the West
Indies," Rolph said. "A lot of illegal trade was going on
with the French, with the Spanish.
Of course, they weren't supposed
to, but it happened, of course,
anyway."
Rolph did not attempt to locate
the treasure himself, but he playfully encouraged his readers to
follow the clues outlined in the
letter.
'A CHIST 4 AND A HALF FEET
LONG'

"Well, evidently, something hapThe letter references a single brick

pened," HSP historian Daniel
A mysterious letter, penned May 14, 1716, by house built atop rising ground
Rolph said. "He passed away or he
called "Society Hill" and located "a
an unknown man in Jamaica, provides dedecided to keep it. Or, I mean,
little to the south" of a "gritt of watailed directions to treasure buried in Philawho knows?
ter" crossable by a drawbridge. The
delphia's Society Hill neighborhood.
house contained an apple orchard
"It wasn't destroyed and it's not a
known as the "Cherry Garden."
fake. It's authentic. It's not made up. So, something happened."
It then provides specific directions to the treasure
(spellings are correct):
That is just one part of the enigma. Another, of course,
regards the fate of the treasure.
"Observe at the front of the house which fronts the west
is a porch. Measure exactly 45 foot from that porch
"It is possible that it is there," Rolph said. "But then
along the fence. ... There you will find a stone post in the
again, it's possible that he retrieved it, but for some
ground. ... 3 foot or perhaps 4 foot most from the (stone
strange reason didn't destroy the document."
post) is a chist 4 and a half foot long, 2 foot broad and
half foot and the same deepth accordingly being about 6
Rolph, an HSP historian for nearly 30 years, stumbled
foot from the bottom of the chist to the surface of the
upon the letter while researching another subject two
(Continued on page 9)

Before You Buy That Metal Detector Handbook Check:

http://www.mdhtalk.org/articles/before-you-buy-hb/before-you-buy-handbook.pdf
Page 8

The News, June 2016

(Continued from page 8)

ground."
Anyone looking to unearth the treasure chest might have
some trouble. The landmarks described in the letter are
long gone. Society Hill, of course, is filled with historic
rowhomes lined by brick sidewalks. There is little undeveloped land or green space.
But Philadelphia historian John Fanning Watson, who
died in 1860, referenced the drawbridge, Cherry Garden
and a "precipitous and high bank" in Society Hill in his
19th century manuscripts detailing the city's history,
Rolph said. The drawbridge and creek running along
Dock Street are included on old maps, but by the 1680s
some three decades before the letter was written
many brick houses were being constructed in the area.
"I get the impression it had to have been buried many
years before," Rolph said. "By 1716, it was built up along
the docks and all down that area."

GPAA Gold and Treasure Show Denver is a

2 day event being held
from 18th June to the
19th June 2016 at the
Adams County Regional Park Complex
in Brighton, Colorado.

Nevertheless, at least one treasure hunter claims to

know where to find the coins if they still remain.
'NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTS'
Dennis Parada, of Clearfield, Pennsylvania, about 190
miles northwest of Philadelphia, began seeking the treasure soon after Rolph posted the letter to his blog. Parada
owns a professional treasure hunting company, Finders
Keepers, that claims to have located various treasures,
including $20 million worth of gold bars in Elks County.
The Society Hill treasure likely lies at one of two locations along Second Street between Spruce and Pine
streets, Parada said.
"I'm 100 percent sure it's right there," he said. "There's
no ifs, ands or buts."
"We have the knowledge how to scan underneath all of
those homes. Again, nobody wants us there, so we're not
going to go." Dennis Parada, professional treasure
hunter from Pennsylvania
Parada determined his suspected site by locating the
(Continued on page 12)

You are a detectorist

if you fill your holes.
But ........
You are a vandal if you
do not!
The News, June 2016

Page 9

Calendar of Events
June Meeting
Wednesday, June 1. We will meet at the Pulliam
Building in downtown Loveland at 6:00PM. Refer to
the adjoining map for directions.
Meeting Agenda
6:00 - 7:00 Social Hour & Finds Program
7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of
the Month Program
7:30 - 7:45 Break
7:45 - 9:00 "Privy Digging By RMPTH member
Rick Mattingly.

Visit RMPTH On The Internet At

http://rmpth.com

RMPTH DUES
RMPTH is an unincorporated Social Club with
no income generated. All
expenses are covered by
$25 annual dues. Members are requested to
consider minor donations
at each monthly meeting
to cover refreshments.

MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE

Pulliam Community Building
545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, Colorado

Directions:
The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland,
Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is from
the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).
Page 10

The News, June 2016

June 2016
Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

10

11

RMPTH Finds Program

& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

RMPTH Board Meeting

6:00P

12

13

14

15

16

17
Gold Panning
Championships

19

20

21

22

23

27

28

29

30

18
Denver GPAA Show
Gold Panning
Championships

24

25

Fri

Sat

Fathers Day
Denver GPAA Show
Gold Panning
Championships

26

July 2016
Sun

Mon

Tue

11

Thu

RMPTH Finds Program

& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

Independence Day

10

Wed

12

13

9
Grassland Detector
Hunt

14

15

16

RMPTH Board Meeting

6:00P

17

18

19

20

21

22

23
Phoenix Mine Tour

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31
The News, June 2016

Page 11

(Continued from page 9)

given landmarks the drawbridge, for example on old

city maps. He struggled to recall his specific methodology, given that seven years have lapsed since he conducted his research. But he said the process did not take
long.
Parada and his mother, Rose, transcribed the letter in
about a week. It took another month or two for him to
narrow his hunt to a specific location.
"Once the letter is (transcribed), any treasure hunter can
sit down with the maps," Parada said. "They'll locate the
lot, no problem."
Yet, Parada never visited Society Hill or the suspected
site.
For one, he doubts the treasure remains. Years of development likely led to it being uncovered accidentally,
though Rolph failed to find any such account when he
briefly searched archived newspapers.
Scanning for the treasure would require Parada to use
high-powered metal detectors, which cost thousands of
dollars. Property owners would need to grant permission
for him to enter their homes, a process he never undertook. But he did enlist the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to support a search, but that never came to fruition.
"We have the knowledge how to scan underneath all of
those homes," Parada said. "Again, nobody wants us
there, so we're not going to go."

FINDERS KEEPERS?
Even if Parada or any prospective treasure hunter
found the treasure, they might not be entitled to keep it.
Pennsylvania law does not state clearly who would get to
keep the coins, according to Temple Law professor Finbarr McCarthy. That's because the state Supreme Court
refrained in 1949 from considering whether "treasure
trove" law had ever been adopted by Pennsylvania.
"There's been plenty of people for centuries that have
been burying wealth, hoping maybe someday to come
back and pick it up." Daniel Rolph, historian, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
If the coins are deemed a "treasure trove," a designation
that encompasses gold and silver coins, a court could
follow common law practices that treat it as lost or abandoned property. In that case, McCarthy said, the original
owner, if found, receives the treasure. Otherwise, the
finder keeps it unless he or she was trespassing. Then
it goes to the property owner.
But a court also could apply an old English statute that
deems treasure trove as state property, McCarthy said.
Or the coins could be classified as "mislaid," which
seemingly would give the property owner the best claim.
"These are stupid distinctions because we have no clue
what anybody was thinking at the time that they did
this," McCarthy said. "Did you voluntarily put something
down and forget about it? Or did you happen to lose it?
"You can see how a court might go either way. They
might say this property was deliberately put in this
place. On the other hand, they might say it's lost and it
goes to the finder."

RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch
and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations
and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor
Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each
issue of The News. Please get information about any particular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the
printing deadline for the next issue.
Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs
are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.
Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and
activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongoing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are
emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings.
Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you
have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for
fieldtrips, outings, and programs.
The best made plans may change at the last minute due
to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please
be understanding of extenuating circumstances and contact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if
there is any question of an event being cancelled or
changed at the last minute.

WHO SENT THE LETTER?

While the possibilities of buried treasure might inspire
some, Rolph is more intrigued by the other mysteries
surrounding the letter. Who are the brothers? When was
the treasure buried? And what happened to the two
prior letters referenced in the existing one?
"If he didn't destroy this, maybe he didn't destroy the
other two either and they're sitting in another repository
somewhere," Rolph said. "Or maybe even here. That
would give more details."
Maybe one of the merchants sensed the impending financial collapse and buried his fortune, Rolph suggested. Or
maybe a trader buried it shortly after William Penn
granted the group a charter in the 1680s. England forbade banks in the Colonies, prompting some to use
and store foreign currency.
"There's been plenty of people for centuries that have
been burying wealth, hoping maybe someday to come
back and pick it up," Rolph said. "If they were involved
in the West Indies trade, the ship could have sunk that
he was on. He could have drowned. There were smallpox
and all kinds of diseases that went through early on.
(Continued on page 13)

Page 12

The News, June 2016

(Continued from page 12)

There's all kinds of ways to speculate what might have

happened."
If he dedicated considerable time, Rolph suspects he
could at least determine the identities of the brothers.
He instinctively suggested James Claypoole, the treasurer of the Free Society of Traders. His brother, Edward,
spent time in Barbados, another West Indies island. But
both brothers died years before the letter was penned.
But another trader could have had a brother living in
Jamaica. Researching each member of the trade organization could lead to a suspected sender. Then, the letter
could be compared and contrasted with any other
known writing samples.
"Out of 21 million manuscripts, we probably have other
writing samples of this guy," Rolph said. "I was just curious if there were two brothers involved in the West Indies trade. There were goods, again, being shipped back
and forth."
HSP has records detailing how most of its manuscripts
came into its possession. But it does not have one for
this letter. No one knows when it arrived or who
dropped it off.
A pair of filing cards simply note where the document
can be found inside the historical society. The clues are
few just like those to the buried treasure.
"If it's still there," Rolph surmised, and "it's ever found, it
will be accidentally."
NoneThom Carroll/PhillyVoice

The News, June 2016

Colorado State Gold

Panning National
Championships 2016
June 17th-19th 2016
This years Gold Panning
Colorado Championships
will be held June 17th,
18th, and 19th 2016.
The Gold Panning Championships will be hosted by
the city of Breckenridge,
Colorado and the Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce. Presented by Gold
Prospectors of Colorado.

Page 13

Cheap Coin Cleaner

A cheap coin cleaner tip from the Internet

Read this somewhere and it has worked real well for

me. If you want to clean clad coins but don't want to
spend a lot of money doing it, pick up toilet bowl cleaner
(I use Lime Away) and just soak you coins in it for a day
or so. Put pennies in a separate container or they will
turn the others brown.
I can't believe how well this works, good enough to
spend them. This stuff has acid in it so use glass containers and keep your eyes away from it. The pennies
may bubble it out of the container over time so place it in
a sink or something. $1.25 for a bottle and I've cleaned
well over thirty dollars with it, so it is cost effective.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS
AT THE JUNE MEETING
Club Officers for the
coming year will be elected
at the June meeting. The
existing slate of Officers
were the only nominations
at the May meeting so this
election process will be
quick!
Rich Streets!
The streets of Victor, Colo., are literally paved with gold.
During the boom there was so much rich ore in the area
that the low grade stuff was used to level out the streets.
In 1936 the town raised $5,000 by "mining" the yard in
front of the post office.
Quoted from page 11 of the May 1997 issue of Lost
Treasure magazine. The golden streets of Victor, From
State Treasure Tales By Anthony J. Pallante
Page 14

Terms Jewelers Use

very business has its own language. Here are important jewelry terms you need to know.

KARATS are a measure of golds fineness. PURE gold is 24

karats. its the snuff of which the gold bars in Fort Knox are
made. Gold coins, such as American Eagles, are also 24K
gold. Pure, 24K gold is too soft to be used for jewelry.
SOLID gold is an item made of at least 10K gold that is
solid through and through, rather than hollow.
BASE METALS like copper, zinc, silver, and nickel are
mixed with gold to make an alloy are enough to use for jewelry.
18-KARAT gold is used for jewelry most often in Europe.
Its 18 parts gold to 6 parts base metal.
14-KARAT gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts base metal.
Most of the jewelry you find in U.S. stores is 14K gold.
10-KARAT gold is commonly used for mens rings and childrens jewelry. Be-cause its 10 parts gold and 14 parts base
metal, its harder and more damage resistant than 14K.
GOLD FILLED & GOLD OVERLAY
are essentially the same thing, a base metal coated with
gold. The gold mush be at least 10K and it must equal at
least 1/20 of the total weight of the piece of jewelry. If you
see a mark that reads 12KGF, the item is gold filled.
GOLD ELECTROPLATE
consists of a very thin layer of gold, at least 10K, over a
base metal. Methods of applying the gold vary. Electroplate
is less durable than gold filled and gold overlay.
VERMEIL is a thin layer of gold over sterling silver. Museum catalogs offer a lot of vermeil (and gold-filled) jewelry
PINK WHITE, YELLOW & GREEN
Gold can be 10K, 14K, or 18K. The colors have nothing to
do with the fineness of the gold. Theyre related to the types
and proportions of base metals used. Copper and silver
make gold look pink. White gold requires nickel in the allow. Silver cadmium, and copper create green.
Different finishes can give gold jewelry different looks. The
DIAMOND-CUT finish is probably the most heavily promoted. Tiny cuts in the surface - like facets on diamonds give a little gold a lot of sparkle. HAMMERED gold has
evenly spaced indentations. Roses and scrolls, such as you
might find in a traditionally styled bangle bracelet, are often
ETCHED. A HIGH-POLISH finish scratches easily but, over
time, the scratches can give the piece a rich patina. A
MATTE finish has a dull, soft look.
Reprinted from Consumer Reports, December 1992
Thanks to Eureka! TH Club for running it in their May 93
issue.

The News, June 2016

Gold Glossary
Hydraulic Mining- Hydraulic mining used
water that was diverted into ditches and
wooden flumes at high elevations, and
gravity did the rest. Channeled through
heavy iron pipes, the water exploded from
a nozzle far below with a force of 5000
pounds. When that awesome stream of
water was focused and directed, the mountains were literally blasted away.

Gold Facts
Symbol: AU
Atomic Number: 79
Atomic Weight: 196.967
Melting Point: 1063 (1945 F)
Specific Gravity: 19.2
MOHs Scale of Hardness:
2.5 - 3
Karat
24K = 100% Pure Gold
18K = 75% Pure Gold
14K = 58% Pure Gold
10K = 42% Pure Gold
Troy Weights
1 grain = 0.0648 grams
24 grains = 1 penny
weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams
20 DWT = 1 ounce =
480 grains = 31.10 grams

YOUR
ADVERTISEMENT
COULD BE HERE!
Call Rick Mattingly
at 970-669-1205
or rickmatt@q.com
The News, June 2016

Page 15

Trading Post
WANTED: RMPTH Member seeking to purchase used Garrett
AT Gold or AT Pro. Contact Steve at 970-556-0755. Leave
message.
FOR SALE: Jewelers propane/oxygen torch, many cabochons, beads and tools. Contact Ann at
(970) 6667-3705.
FOR SALE: A "MUST HAVE" T-Shirt for every Prospector
and Treasure Hunter. Quality 100% cotton tees. See and
order from:
http://BestBlackandGold.com.
FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector:
10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two
batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack,
waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the
gold. New Price: $1625. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846.
FOR SALE: 5HP pump motor, Gold King 3" Hi-banker with
dredge attachment w/adjustable stand, Gold Grabber Hibanker, 125 feet hose, Rock net and steel cable, misc. fittings and valves & large metal bucket. Prefer to sell all together for $1,350 but negotiable. Call Eric Stickland at
(303) 833-6848 or
estick@live.com.
WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-2211623

About Trading Post

The News runs classified ads in Trading Post
for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads
for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70
words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading
Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968
evenings
or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com
Commercial Advertising
Specifications
(Monthly Donation Rate)
Full Page (8 1/2" X 7")
Half Page (3 1/4" X 7")
One Third Page (3" X 4")
Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2")

$30
$20
$15
$ 5

Ads must be received by the 15th of the

preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for information on this service at
(970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at:
rickmatt@q.com.

WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.

NOTE:
Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and
seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.

All mistakes and

misspellings were
intentionally made so
that you could have the
pleasure of finding them.

Colorado School of Mines

Geology Museum
Golden, Colorado
Contact us: 303-273-3815 or
geomuseum@mines.edu
Identification of specimens is performed
between 10 a.m. and noon, Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Page 16

The News, June 2016

WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE

MINERS CODE OF ETHICS
I WILL respect other prospectors claims and not work
those claims without the owners permission
I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and
in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines
I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cognizant of their potential destructive effect on the environment
I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and
debris that I find - I will not litter
I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to
those around me at all time
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and
respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting
and mining
I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy
natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge
excess silt into the waterways
I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream
I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized
equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water
I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting
and mining

Gold Sluice Clean-Up

Jim Foley in Alaska shares his method of
recovering gold concentrates from his dredge
sluice
Written By Jim Foley (Alaska) February 4, 1998

i folks. Nothing to do here in the cold and

dark so I thought I would write something useful. I am sure a lot of you already know this
info. If you do, bear with me, If you don't, enjoy.

I use a 5" triple sluice Keene and this clean-up

method will work with anything 4" and over. After you
have emptied your sluice into a suitable tub, screen
the concentrates with 1/4" screen into a five gallon
bucket. Only screen 2-3 scoops at a time so you can
carefully check what is left in the screen for large nuggets (grin). This process will take less than 5 minutes.
I use a separate 4' metal sluice with armour weave
expanded metal over ribbed carpet which I fasten to
the end of my dredge sluice. You can fasten it with
vise grips but be careful to get it straight or it will funnel water to one side more than the other.
Be careful that there are no leaks between the two
sluices. Start your dredge and let it idle, you should
be able to adjust the incline of the sluice with increased or decreased water flow. If you cannot get it
right, place some rocks under the sluice. I like to have
the vee where the water necks down in the sluice
about 3" downstream of the place where the expanded
metal begins. You can test it with some lead shot. My
setup never allows gold to travel any more than 4-5"
down the riffles. I feed the cons into the dredge sluice
well upstream of the secondary sluice (make sure the
carpet and riffles are removed from the dredge sluice.
You can feed it in with a small scoop while watching
to make sure that the expanded metal in the secondary sluice does not load up. This works very well for
me and gets rid of most of the heavies (mine are magnetite and garnet).
Now you can empty what is left in the secondary
sluice into a bucket. It should be less than 1/4 of a
standard gold pan. The amount that you now have
will be the heaviest of the heavy material. This also
can be very hard to pan down so I have made an even
smaller sluice out of a three inch square conduit
channel. The only thing I put in the bottom of this
sluice is black ribbed rubber matting. I then set it in
the dredge sluice and feed the remaining heavies into
it very slowly, this will leave very little to pan down.
Like most instructions, this seems like a long process
but I can do a dredge cleanup in twenty minutes.
Hope this has helped someone.
From the heart of the Arctic.

Offer Your Assistance To Any

Of Our Program Coordinators
The News, June 2016

Jim Foley

Page 17

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club

2016 Schedule of Events
Month

Meeting Program

Trip/Activity

January

Artifact Hunting
By Bryan Morgan

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

February

Demo of RMPTH Prospecting/Detecting

DVD
A Wyoming Treasure Hunt Story

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

March

Packing a Metal Detecting Kit Bag

By RMPTH Members

Tour of Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne

April

Gold Wheels
By RMPTH Members

Local Detector Hunt

Map, Compass & GPS Clinic

May

Mining Camps Speak

Bill & Beth Sagstetter

Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park

Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas Event GPOC

June

Privy Hunting
By RMPTH Members

Clear Creek Gold Outing

Denver GPAA Show
State Annual Gold Panning Championships

July

Metal Detecting
By RMPTH Members
Boy Scouts Invited

Galeton Metal Detecting Outing

Phoenix Gold Mine Tour

August

Berkely Lake Detecting

By Tom Warne

Vics Gold PanningBlackhawk

Galeton Metal Detecting Outing

September

Loveland Archeology Society and Stone

Age Fair
By Bryan Morgan

Annual Coin & Prize Hunt

Stone Age Fair
School of Mines Museum Tour

October

Map & Internet Research

By Rick Mattingly

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

November

Annual Show & Tell &

Silent Auction

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

December

Annual Find of the Year Awards &

Christmas Party

Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

Good Hunting in 2016!

Page 18

The News, June 2016

Rocky Mountain
Prospectors & Treasure Hunters
Contact List
RMPTH Coordinators

Home

E-Mail

President

Tom Warne

1-970-635-0773

goldigger48@msn.com

Interim Vice President

Tim Coatman

1-970-353-1919

old37chev@aol.com

Treasurer

Dick & Sharon French

1-970-482-2110

dickyf99@centurylink.net

Secretary

Rick Mattingly

1-970-669-1205

rickmatt@q.com

Rick Mattingly

1-970-669-1205

rickmatt@q.com

Rick Mattingly

1-970-669-1205

rickmatt@q.com

Finds Program

Dave Landes
Betsy Emond
Joe Johnston

1-720-985-4186
1-970-218-0290
1-303-696-6950

midnightoil45@aol.com
bemond@fcgov.com
cjoej1@peoplepc.com

Presentations

Rick Mattingly

1-970-669-1205

rickmatt@q.com

Club Historian

Steve McNeill

1-970-556-0755

pawfullo@yahoo.com

Club Meeting Greeter

Barbara Schuldt

1-970-407-1336

Club Librarian

Joe Johnston

1-303-696-6950

cjoej1@peoplepc.com

Club Photo Librarian

Tom Warne

1-970-635-0773

goldigger48@msn.com

Meeting Setup

Jim Friedricks

1-720-270-8895

Door Prize

Tim Coatman

1-970-353-1919

old37chev@aol.com

Zinc Penny Project

Tom Marschall

1-970-396-0133

tmarschall47@gmail.com

50/50 Drawing

Woody Hogdon

1-970-217-8124

ftcolwoody@juno.com

Coin Raffle

Woody Hogdon

1-970-217-8124

ftcolwoody@juno.com

The News Staff

Editor-in-Chief
Internet Web Site
Web Master
Volunteers/Coordinators

General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-669-1205 or rickmatt@q.com

Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com

Lets Go For The Gold !

The News, June 2016

Page 19

The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Club
278 Sierra Vista Drive
Fort Collins, CO. 80524

JUNE, 2016 ISSUE