Burro Creek Purple Agate

billdean06

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Jan 29, 2020
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This thing weights 100 to 150 pounds. Is it worth keeping? I dug it out of a clay bed about 4 feet down.

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wilcam47

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I dont know values but may be worth something. Get it appraised before you cut it up or discard it
 

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Steve1236

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Heck yeah its worth keeping, spray that thing off and let me get a look at that big fella, please!!! I'm hoping it's a giant gemmy purple and not a lot of host rock, keep us updated, that thing could be freaking awesome:icon_thumleft:
 

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fuss

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Cant see much from the photo's but I would think if you feel its of decent quality and worth your time and effort to get it ready for sale then yes. Or maybe break it there in the field in to more manageable pieces..
 

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billdean06

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Heck yeah its worth keeping, spray that thing off and let me get a look at that big fella, please!!! I'm hoping it's a giant gemmy purple and not a lot of host rock, keep us updated, that thing could be freaking awesome:icon_thumleft:

It was so heavy we had to leave it there. It may be 150 to 200 pounds. We got 3 or 4, five gallon buckets full of the purple agate. Some of it has red in it. Agates ranging anywhere from 40 pounds down to small pieces about a quarter in size. I will get some pictures of the bigger one once I take them to the car wash.
 

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Steve1236

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Nice looking rough material you got there, I'd still go get that big one, something that size if it's good quality you could get a nice chunk of change for it, or even make big slabs and polish them but that's just me, I have a hard time leaving any cool rock, my spot I have to backpack a mile inland because of no roads and I usually walk out with 50 to 70lbs of material, 20lbs in fire agate on average alone, I soak them in hot water and good soap for 24hours then stick them in hot bleach water to kill all the dead desert lichen stuck in the crevices and quartz crystals, then I power wash them and then in SIO for 24 to 48 hours, then I hand brush them each under running water, then I list them, the main reason I missed the small gold is because when cleaning so many so fast your not paying as much attention to each stone as you should be, I've got two large tubs and a 2.5gallon bucket cleaning as we speak. By the way you are super close to my spot if you're near burro creek, good luck out there and sending my best of luck to you.
Steve.
 

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billdean06

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Steve…..any idea where I might get rid of a few 5 gallon buckets of them. There are purple, red and purple, lavenders. Have a 5 gallon bucket full of softball size ones. I was having so much fun digging them I didn't realize how much I had. I will be going into Quartzsite in a week or two. Someone there may want them also. I guess there is Ebay.
At 68, packing out a 200 pound bolder is not something I look forward to doing. I will try and get some more help.
 

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billdean06

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Heres some more pictures of some of the smaller ones. I need to get some more of the bentonite off some of them. Thats a job in its self! I have heard you can use a sand blaster for that. Don't know :dontknow:

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Steve1236

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I barely started selling about two years ago, I dont do social media and I'm a solo rockhound, all my friends think I'm silly the way I love to go out and dig up rocks but I don't really care what anyone thinks, Ebay is how I sell everything, if it were mine I'd list it in (lots) 5,10,20lb lots, it will sell for sure if you list it cheap on a 7 day auction, maybe start it at a few bucks a pound to 5 bucks a pound if you want to get rid of it quickly, 10$ a pound might sell a little slower, that's how I do it mostly when I'm selling bulk, if I list it buy it know it will take forever to sell, I've actually had a fire agate on I really liked for a buy it know price and it didn't sell for like 3months, I relisted it much cheaper on auction and when the auction was up I got more than I was originally asking lol, I think its because people in general like to feel in control someway, it's in our nature but you can also end up selling something awesome for nothing, it's a gamble but I absolutely love prospecting and digging for fire so it's more for fun for me not so much the money. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, someone on here might be interested.
 

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billdean06

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I barely started selling about two years ago, I dont do social media and I'm a solo rockhound, all my friends think I'm silly the way I love to go out and dig up rocks but I don't really care what anyone thinks, Ebay is how I sell everything, if it were mine I'd list it in (lots) 5,10,20lb lots, it will sell for sure if you list it cheap on a 7 day auction, maybe start it at a few bucks a pound to 5 bucks a pound if you want to get rid of it quickly, 10$ a pound might sell a little slower, that's how I do it mostly when I'm selling bulk, if I list it buy it know it will take forever to sell, I've actually had a fire agate on I really liked for a buy it know price and it didn't sell for like 3months, I relisted it much cheaper on auction and when the auction was up I got more than I was originally asking lol, I think its because people in general like to feel in control someway, it's in our nature but you can also end up selling something awesome for nothing, it's a gamble but I absolutely love prospecting and digging for fire so it's more for fun for me not so much the money. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, someone on here might be interested.

You sound like the younger me. I don't do social media either. At 70 years old you don't have to worry about me tailing ya. Not in that country! I have a hard time just driving there! Beautiful for sure. It's rugged country. Any more I have to take a guy with me just to dig the holes and carry everything out, but he gets half so he don't mind. Thanks for the information. I have a lot of smaller ones I will run through the tumbler then try and sell them. Just to knock off some of that bentonite. Thank you for the info. I am staying in Morristown now, but will probably move up there and camp somewhere. The only thing I don't like is there is no cell service. I am not sure if Wikieup has it or not?
 

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Steve1236

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It depends on who you have service with I'm thinking, I loose service in the tributaries but I get it back when I walk up a hillside, but I do go places out near there where I loose all service, I probably shouldn't because of how dangerous it is out there by myself. Are you staying off castle hot springs road? A lot of people gold prospect out that way, I sometimes do myself, I just blow out bedrock cracks in small washes and tributaries near the little San domingo wash.
 

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billdean06

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yes on castle hot springs. Nice little place. At least through the week. Got my detectors with me. I have to do something different than hunt for gold at times. Just need a break and rockhounding does that.
 

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Steve1236

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If you want to have any luck with your detector I'd take North mine Rd. You go left right before the farmhouse on the hillside right after the pavement turns to dirt on castle hot springs road, you'll want to get back into the Bradshaw's, the further the better, the roads aren't very good, you'll need a 4×4 or a off road vehicle of some kind, a lot of the tributaries have good gold, nothing that's gonna let ya quite your day job or anything but you might luck out and find some pickers, I've found a couple nice pickers just just lazily blowing out bedrock cracks in the past. Oh be careful, there's a big storm coming and you do not want to be in a wash when it comes, our flash floods are deadly. Near Congress is good for gold to, weaver creek area, I haven't been but I've been told it's a good area. I totally understand needing a break from gold, I'm not the luckiest guy when it comes to the yellow but luck has always been on my side when it comes to rockhounding or maybe everybody is better at something when their heart is in it. Good luck out there, take care.
Steve.
 

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A2coins

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Great find I would grab it if you can without hurting yourself could be a nice payday
 

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