Buying Paydirt or Concentrates: Why you Shouldnt..

[Terry Soloman]

Buying Paydirt or Concentrates: Why you Shouldn't..

I get calls every week from folks looking to buy "Concentrates," of bagged "Paydirt" from us. Many companies and individuals sell concentrates, or dirt that has been dug from a placer gold claim then run through a drywasher or trommel to "Concentrate" the paydirt down to its heaviest properties. This is then bagged by the pound and sold for anywhere from $10-$250.00 depending on the "quality" of the paydirt.

I don't sell paydirt because it is a scam. I don't care what company from Alaska to Arizona, it is not worth your money. You will be better off simply buying gold flakes and cutting the dirt baggers right out of the equation. Think about it for just a second.. If the paydirt was THAT rich, why not just mine it yourself?

Bags and shipping, advertising and filling orders is expensive and time consuming, AND they are going to GIVE you gold to? No gold prospector in history is going to sell you gold for less than it cost them to get out of the ground. Gold amounts are carefully weighed into each bag. Sometimes nuggets are placed in bags going to "good" repeat customers, in order to make the buy even more bags..

If you want to practice gold panning, get some dirt, some fish tank gravel, a little sand and some Shotgun Birdshot. Mix it all up real good, and practice panning out the birdshot.
You have now been officially informed, go in peace.

 

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[kuger]

Have fun, God Bless, go in peace..

Terry....may I ask what the profit margin is on a student of yours may be?

 

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[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I am going to go on my first panning trip this weekend, 3 hours each way up to Warren NH. I have heard that there is flour gold up there, but not much of that. I ordered some concentrate from Kuger, it should be here soon I also ordered some dirt from a guy off ebay (not concentrate) for $35.
I expect good things from Kuger and on the ebay dirt will be surprised if I find anything, but it is like going to an overworked park with the dectector.
But I ordered both to have fun. With my metal detector it has been a long dry spell with no gold or silver, a couple years ago I kept track of how much time I spent and how much I made. Without counting the cost of batteries (expensive) and gas (even more expensive) and counting the bullion value of the silver and gold I found - I made 35 CENTS AN HOUR, I would do better on welfare, but I had fun.
To me it is the same thing with buying dirt, I am doing it to have fun.

A friend hunts for deer with a $2,000 gun, and spends a week every year trying to get his deer, it has been 3 years since he got one, another friend has a $25,000 boat to go fishing and yes he does catch fish.
But if you ask them how much per pound did the fish or deer cost you, it would be cheaper to buy the meat. BUT they enjoy it and that is the bottom line.

I got one of the free bags of dirt from Felix, it was an ounce or something, I panned out 5 small flakes, I was thrilled and even better my wife was thrilled and she wants to go with me Friday so for our 32 anniversary we are going panning in NH.

She allows me my guns (Cowboy shooting and target), and my metal detecting and now wants to have us try prospecting together.

 

[kuger]

Everybody was wanting the bottom of the bucket all year,but I mix it up real good so there really isnt a "bottom",of the bucket....but you are getting the bottom if there is one!!!

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Kuger
This weekend I was thinking of bringing some dirt back from the stream, since it is my first time panning and you bring concentrate back to work later, would you recommend I run the dirt through the pan to get rid of the light stuff and put what is left in the bucket to bring back, sort of making my own concentrates?

I am looking forward to getting your concentrates, my wife and I are going to learn to pan with this! Also I am setting up a large bucket so I don't lose anything and can run it over and over.

Jeff
Walpole MA

 

[kuger]

Kuger
This weekend I was thinking of bringing some dirt back from the stream, since it is my first time panning and you bring concentrate back to work later, would you recommend I run the dirt through the pan to get rid of the light stuff and put what is left in the bucket to bring back, sort of making my own concentrates?

I am looking forward to getting your concentrates, my wife and I are going to learn to pan with this! Also I am setting up a large bucket so I don't lose anything and can run it over and over.

Jeff
Walpole MA

Jeff,I dredge,and have basically a small window of time to sample/prospect,and then move into production,so after sampling is done,and it is decided its worthy of production,its ballz to the Wallz,get as much as you can through the box's.I stock pile this to work later...which a small amount of which I sell.
In your case you could crevice....hygrade of sorts....meaning clean out any crevices or other likely gold catching spots...classify it down into a bucket and take that home but to me....I cant wait,I would want to see what I was getting!You could also get yourself a sluice box,crevice and classify the same way,and run that through the sluice,then clean up into a bucket to be further worked down at home.The secret is to process as much dirt as you humanly can,and get all of it down to the "heavies",-concentrates

 

[Fullpan]

Good explanation of mining, Kuger, as opposed to "just playing around". It still drives me crazy to see equipment standing idle while somebody is showing
off a couple colors to someone.

 

[Barndawg]

Everybody was wanting the bottom of the bucket all year,but I mix it up real good so there really isnt a "bottom",of the bucket....but you are getting the bottom if there is one!!!

Awwww Dang, I thought I was getting the bottom of the bucket. just kiddin' Kuger. Can't wait to see it in the mailbox bro. Money will go out today for that last pound in the bottom of the bucket. Hee hee hee

 

[Barndawg]

Good explanation of mining, Kuger, as opposed to "just playing around". It still drives me crazy to see equipment standing idle while somebody is showing
off a couple colors to someone.

I get frustrated when someone comes up and wants to talk while I'm running material......Sheesh, wait till I take a break and shut down...

 

[nuggetshooter323]

I used to sluice with a hungarian riffle type sluice that you have to classify the material. This year I bought two self classifying sluices, the Bazzoka Gold Trap and the Orginal Top Runner Sluice. I got both because I didn't know which design I'd like better, and I found that I like both. The Bazooka prospector model, gets it all down to a large panfull, where the Top Runner allows all heavies to drop out. So you have to empty out the cons every 15 gallons of material. I set both up side by side and shovel as much in the shortest amount of time as I can.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Just got through with 15 pounds of "paydirt not concentrate" from J and J, $35 and found about $20 worth of pickers and some flour gold. Yes I bought it and had a great time practicing. Based on the amount of pickers it was salted, however the very fine flour gold may or may not have been natural.

But it is good practice and something to show for my time, and my son and wife had a blast

. The other day I went to hit golf balls at the range, I spent $40 and spent a couple hours hitting balls. Yes I could have taken that $40 and played a round of golf and gotten the same practice, but it is not the same. You can practice swing changes at the range, if you try that on the course you are going to lose golf balls and worse.
Yes I could practice with BB's and my own sand but is there the same level of "stress" not wanting to lose any gold? If I miss a BB what does it cost me? Also I got about 5 grains of gold, about $20, so the sand only cost me $15 and I have something to show for it. Not many people want to look at my blisters from hitting golf balls.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Everybody was wanting the bottom of the bucket all year,but I mix it up real good so there really isnt a "bottom",of the bucket....but you are getting the bottom if there is one!!!

finally got around to starting to pan the cons. I spent an hour panning, got about half the first pound done, maybe slightly more than half, just pinching it off the top of the baggy, then my son suggested to scoop with a spoon so I am doing a spoonful at a time. I have found about half a gram so far of really nice pickers. saving the dirt to go through it again and again as well as putting the black sand in a jar to work on as I can see flour gold in it.

This is really thrilling because it is not salted cons like from the places that sell "paydirt" it from a real claim! I will finish the first pound tonight and then in the next few days try the second.

Thanks again, when will you have more for sale? It makes me feel like I am participating in the claim!

Jeff

 

[kuger]

finally got around to starting to pan the cons. I spent an hour panning, got about half the first pound done, maybe slightly more than half, just pinching it off the top of the baggy, then my son suggested to scoop with a spoon so I am doing a spoonful at a time. I have found about half a gram so far of really nice pickers. saving the dirt to go through it again and again as well as putting the black sand in a jar to work on as I can see flour gold in it.

This is really thrilling because it is not salted cons like from the places that sell "paydirt" it from a real claim! I will finish the first pound tonight and then in the next few days try the second.

Thanks again, when will you have more for sale? It makes me feel like I am participating in the claim!

Jeff

Great to hear!!!I do recommend the spoon at a time,makes for a more thorough job.I tell folks all the time this stuff is heavy with black sand and can give some "new",panners difficulty if they try too much at a time.Glad to hear they is a picker or two as well,that is something that can run inconsistent....whether or not you get one or three.From what reports I have got back,it seems every body has been happy...which makes me HAPPY.
I do plan to have more next spring/summer....I didnt get the last streak cleaned up before the creek dried up,and the fire danger went through the roof.I hope we either get dredging back here or the fuel prices drop!!

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Once I finish the first pound I will get a weight on the gold and also take pictures as well. Now I can't wait to get back into the streams here! On a down note in a way my wife wants to go rockhounding in the White Mountain National Forest at Deer Run in Maine for Amerthyst, actually it should be fun and I can use the mile hike to the site. I need to build a sifter for this Saturday. Our season is winding down, only a couple months to go before the streams start to freeze.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Finished the first pound! I checked the gold on my reloading scale. There is 17.7 grains (1.147 grams) of gold! Thank you very much Kuger! I can't wait to do the second pound this weekend.
Being new to this I don't know if the bigger ones are pickers or flakes.

 

[kuger]

Very nice!!!I am noticing a different color to this gold which came from a secondary streak...closer to bedrock

 

[Fullpan]

Ben, the majority of pieces in the photo are pickers, believe it! Looks like a WIN-WIN for both of you.

 

[blynch35]

i bought a pound of paydirt when i first bought my keene sluice and pans i got it for 10 bucks and turned out to be alot of fun, ive been hooked ever since. now i have my own spot's were ive never been scunked i wouldnt buy anymore but that first one sure was fun for my whole family and i still have the gold and memories for ever.

 

[blynch35]

but then again after ben's pictures i might buy from kuger...

 

[Oakview2]

The most inspiring thing about gold, is not the value, but under magnification, the true beauty of each piece. They are truly like snowflakes that never melt. Nice gold for Ben, good job by Kuger. Spreading the fever one piece at a time

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

The most inspiring thing about gold, is not the value, but under magnification, the true beauty of each piece. They are truly like snowflakes that never melt. Nice gold for Ben, good job by Kuger. Spreading the fever one piece at a time

I have to agree with you! That is why I why I wouldn't sell any of the gold I have. I also collect junk silver coins (circulated silver coins for bullion price) I have several coffee cans full of them, they are a hedge but I enjoy playing Scrooge McDuck with them and just looking at them!
I am still trying to find my first gold from the wild, I already have a container to display it in. I am sure I will find one someday.