Misc data and adventures of a Tayopa treasure hunter

[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

Maybe I'm just a little simple minded, but I tend to think that silver is the working stiff's gold.

If paper starts falling apart, the average " Joe", may find that a one ounce silver coin, just might get that much needed tractor part, or stack of canned goods for the family pantry.

#/;0{>~

 

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[South Sea mariner]

hello prospectormikel in Chile we refer to silver as poor mans gold. yet thousands of average Chilean invest in silver bars as it is cheaper to acquire for small investors seeking small investments. so in effect the investment of silver bullion is much bigger market than most people realize.

Mal

 

[releventchair]

Ahh silver. Gold' s little brother.
Easier to exchange ounces for low cost items compared to gold, and should a gradual collection become bulky ; converting part of it to gold allows greater portability in a more discrete form.
A gold necklace can be easier to pass through an area than bars of silver perhaps. Or to hide from thieves or others quickly.

 

[South Sea mariner]

Hello IPUK

Its top dog syndrome. once upon a time when the Sun never set it was the British empire went out into four corners of globe and did business. After WW2 it became America since 2000 it now Chinese. Chinese money has bought out perhaps 30- 40% mining operations around the globe. Even in shipping, infrastructure and ports. about half of worlds ports are owned by Chinese companies. What gets up my nose is I am not allowed to buy even a peanut stand in China. but my own country is willing to sell them my spare shirt :-) Yet that is the reality at this stage yellow money rules.....

Yet China like America, Britain will have its day in the sun....And who will be next...My guess it will be India. Investments in gold if anything is cultural status symbol of wealth both in India and China. I have good friends from both those counties. But given a stable economy and banking system India and China over time they will perhaps will diversify their investments over time into other aspects of the financial system. Yet I believe if you have integrity and are willing to do business outside your country there are opportunities out there.

Even for the little Guy. From little things big things can grow.

While gold and silver are great :-)

If I was predict the Next big things that to invest in or become part of in some way.

1. Nano technology companies... microscopic bacteria than self cleans window for example. Other nano technologies in field of medicine..Nano technology used to clean cholesterol off the inside of arteries.

2. Undersea mining of rare earth metals. China has 75% control over rare earth materials. There is a group attempting undersea mining is a success then they will bust open the cartel and open up. Every flat screen, Iphone laptop computer etc and various components are made up of rare earth metals. 50% of world has these things there is a potential growth of the other 50% to countries that do not have these items. Demand has been outstripping supply for the last decade.

3. new emerging materiel technologies. Allowing to various types of developing building materials. For example there is company developing tin roofing coating that will generate electricity for a house. Negating the need for power stations as we know it each house would be a power station in itself. For example the one I mentioned before the rock that is in abundance that can be melted and cast into any shape you want with a much longer span that bricks.

4. Worldwide Lithium technical industrial and medical demand growing 12% per year. In 10 year the demand will double from what it is now. Chinese scientist have already extended the Lithium battery life by 5 times with more efficient fuel cell technology. AS well as other country's research have also invested in manufacturing of cars, planes and ships extra that will more and more develop into a more complex efficient hybrid fuel cell systems. For me and my family shipping business is looking into contracting and meeting the demand in shipping raw Lithium salts to various offshore processing facilities. ( For me in a way its my buried treasure )

5. Development of polymer bank notes. More countries are changing their currencies to polymer bank notes.giving extra shelf life of most double of paper. There is -5-10% increase in demand in the last year alone.

6. Rainwater farming. The demand for fresh water in Asia is increasing30% per years. China's growing middle classes and splashing out billions in sales of foreign spring water.

7. Promotion of super foods. the health food industry in western world is still growing. Promotion and marketing of super foods has enormous scope for future growth.

But there is most likely more. For me if you look outside of the box you might just find you proverbial lost treasure at your feet:-)

Mal

 

[audigger53]

IPUK..thanks..by the way what is your opinion on the gold vs silver debate? Some think even though silver is underpriced currently,it sure will be more valuable in the long run...any ideas? It seems there is silver as well as gold hoarding underway ...especially gold in China...
TT

The major just for Silver now is for X-Ray Film. If that ever goes away, then yes Silver should jump way up in price. It use to be more for cameras before CCD cameras came out. The film makers kept the price down because they made their money on developing the film and the cost of the picture paper. That is what wiped out the Hunt Brothers. When the price of silver got high enough, Xerox and Fuji sold their stock plies, drove down the price and then bought back their Silver for a good profit, taking out the Hunt Brothers.

 

[tintin_treasure]

But many fake gold bullions are being mass produced in China as well.,.in fact I saw a photo of a factory that does that..these fatories buy real gold bars and they drill out cleverly the inside gold and form into other real mini bars and sell it for what it is ...then they take the empty "shell" of gold and stuff it with base metal and they sell that as real ones...it is not easy to detect as the shell is not that thin like electroplated gold ...hence they sell real mini bargolds that were carved out....and also they sell bigger but fake ,"gold" bars getting profit in two ways
TT

 

[audigger53]

But many fake gold bullions are being mass produced in China as well.,.in fact I saw a photo of a factory that does that..these fatories buy real gold bars and they drill out cleverly the inside gold and form into other real mini bars and sell it for what it is ...then they take the empty "shell" of gold and stuff it with base metal and they sell that as real ones...it is not easy to detect as the shell is not that thin like electroplated gold ...hence they sell real mini bargolds that were carved out....and also they sell bigger but fake ,"gold" bars getting profit in two ways
TT

The only way to tell without drilling them would be to weigh the bars and compare the size to weight ratio. IF they were not greedy, the amount of lrad in the center would be small. Gold is 19.2 and lead is 11.7 Specific Gravity. Of course most of their "customers" would be greedy also and most likely not notice. Like the SS bars from WWII that were like 30% lead.

 

[audigger53]

Irad should have been Lead. FF got me again, Fat Fingers.

 

[Oroblanco]

There sure is, SSM.

Even in ancient times, one of the Greek scholars (can't recall which one from the top of my head), said that India was a "sink" for the world's supply of gold as they loved to hoard it, and once they'd secured it by burying or secreting it in the earth, it was highly unlikely to ever get used or traded ever again...

Even today, in the towns, villages and incredibly some large cities, families will turn their wealth into gold bars, coins or jewellery and hoard it. Recently there has been a currency issue and the government has been cracking down big-style on undeclared income and tax evasion. This has resulted in the price of gold being increased across the globe, such is the appetite for the shiny stuff there...


IPUK

I suspect you are referring to Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer. The loss of gold to India due to trade became a real problem for the Roman empire, leading them to debase their coins and force the public to accept and use the debased (and of little real value) money, just as our governments have done. If history can be trusted on this, the pattern is already well established and does not end well when a civilization begins to use garbage for money.

Please do continue, just thought I might jog your memory with Pliny. May have been a Greek writer that complained of it as well but as far as I know, due to the conquests of Alexander and his successors, the Greeks did not suffer for lack of gold (or silver) during their hegemony.

 

[Real of Tayopa]

The future role of silver will be in the anti biotics

 

[aa battery]

say what?

 

[Real of Tayopa]

HAL. HERE IS THE Drumbeat

 

[Backwoodsbob]

The future role of silver will be in the anti biotics

Very true

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[J.A.A.]

HAL. HERE IS THE Drumbeat

View attachment 1417257 View attachment 1417258

THE Drumbeat.....as in Kanacki's pride and joy?! Where are those tres rapscallions nowadays? Will we EVER hear from them again or are they just getting way to wealthy in their endeavors to hang out with us "little guys"?! Their "yarns", and that of Miss Amy's as well, are truly missed!

 

[Ditlihi]

The only way to tell without drilling them would be to weigh the bars and compare the size to weight ratio. IF they were not greedy, the amount of lrad in the center would be small. Gold is 19.2 and lead is 11.7 Specific Gravity. Of course most of their "customers" would be greedy also and most likely not notice. Like the SS bars from WWII that were like 30% lead.

There are xray machines that can see inside...

X-Rays do not " see inside " metals.

X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry is a surface composition analysis. It cannot penetrate beyond the immediate subsurface (~20 microns). It can be used to detect gold plating but is not strong enough to detect advanced hollowed out gold bars. Nor is Density a reliable test on cored/filled bars. Low cost tungsten is nearly the same density as gold. Copper, lead and other base metal alloys can duplicate the density of silver. Traditional non-destructive test methods by density and X-ray spectrometry are incapable of detecting fake bullion and bars with thick gold or silver plating.

Ultrasound is your best bet.

Ultrasonic tests measure a whole range of properties, one in particular being “Celerity”. Celerity is the velocity at which sound waves travel through the metal. The Celerity of every element is characteristic to that element and can vary greatly:

Silver: 3,650 meters
Gold: 3,240 meters
Tungsten: 5,174 meters (approx. 38% different from gold)
Platinum: 3,260 meters

Using an ultrasound test kit, you can easily calculate the distance that sound waves travel through gold bullion and silver bars. Simply by presetting the known sound velocity of the precious metal being tested, the instrument returns a distance which is then compared with the known thickness of the bullion or bar. True thickness is known by product specification, calipers or even a common ruler.

For example, a typical 10 oz gold bar that is 8mm in thickness would give a reading of approximately 8mm in an ultrasonics measurement. If it was a gold-plated tungsten bar, the ultrasonics measurement would read only 5.0 mm. This is because sound waves travel at a much faster velocity (see above) through tungsten therefore resulting in a much lower reading. Ultrasonics can also be used to detect hollow areas inside the bar.

If you're going to invest in gold and silver, invest in an ultrasonic test kit. There are some fairly inexpensive models on the market, and well worth the added expense.

 

[Interested Party in UK]

Hello IPUK

Its top dog syndrome. once upon a time when the Sun never set it was the British empire went out into four corners of globe and did business. After WW2 it became America since 2000 it now Chinese. Chinese mon,ey has bought out perhaps 30- 40% mining operations around the globe. Even in shipping, infrastructure and ports. about half of worlds ports are owned by Chinese companies. What gets up my nose is I am not allowed to buy even a peanut stand in China. but my own country is willing to sell them my spare shirt :-) Yet that is the reality at this stage yellow money rules.....

Yet China like America, Britain will have its day in the sun....And who will be next...My guess it will be India. Investments in gold if anything is cultural status symbol of wealth both in India and China. I have good friends from both those counties. But given a stable economy and banking system India and China over time they will perhaps will diversify their investments over time into other aspects of the financial system. Yet I believe if you have integrity and are willing to do business outside your country there are opportunities out there.

Even for the little Guy. From little things big things can grow.

While gold and silver are great :-)

If I was predict the Next big things that to invest in or become part of in some way.

1. Nano technology companies... microscopic bacteria than self cleans window for example. Other nano technologies in field of medicine..Nano technology used to clean cholesterol off the inside of arteries.

2. Undersea mining of rare earth metals. China has 75% control over rare earth materials. There is a group attempting undersea mining is a success then they will bust open the cartel and open up. Every flat screen, Iphone laptop computer etc and various components are made up of rare earth metals. 50% of world has these things there is a potential growth of the other 50% to countries that do not have these items. Demand has been outstripping supply for the last decade.

3. new emerging materiel technologies. Allowing to various types of developing building materials. For example there is company developing tin roofing coating that will generate electricity for a house. Negating the need for power stations as we know it each house would be a power station in itself. For example the one I mentioned before the rock that is in abundance that can be melted and cast into any shape you want with a much longer span that bricks.

4. Worldwide Lithium technical industrial and medical demand growing 12% per year. In 10 year the demand will double from what it is now. Chinese scientist have already extended the Lithium battery life by 5 times with more efficient fuel cell technology. AS well as other country's research have also invested in manufacturing of cars, planes and ships extra that will more and more develop into a more complex efficient hybrid fuel cell systems. For me and my family shipping business is looking into contracting and meeting the demand in shipping raw Lithium salts to various offshore processing facilities. ( For me in a way its my buried treasure )

5. Development of polymer bank notes. More countries are changing their currencies to polymer bank notes.giving extra shelf life of most double of paper. There is -5-10% increase in demand in the last year alone.

6. Rainwater farming. The demand for fresh water in Asia is increasing30% per years. China's growing middle classes and splashing out billions in sales of foreign spring water.

7. Promotion of super foods. the health food industry in western world is still growing. Promotion and marketing of super foods has enormous scope for future growth.

But there is most likely more. For me if you look outside of the box you might just find you proverbial lost treasure at your feet:-)

Mal

Hello SSM,

Some really good and interesting points there.

With gold, it is predicted that the next 'big' gold rushes will not take place on land but under the sea. Many groups and companies are already doing some major mining...

But as you state, "treasure" comes in many forms; if the conquistadors had looked at their newly acquired domains rather than through a precious metal looking-glass, if they'd controlled the supply and distribution of say, potatoes and tobacco, they would have earned far greater sums than they did by simply grubbing for gold and silver, and thus depreciating the price of this metals in Europe. Alas, not as exciting as a traditional 'hunt' but a major money spinner nonetheless.

There is indeed plenty of opportunities for one to carve themselves a niche, you simply need an opportunity which doesn't require large amounts of capital, can be done with the odd mistake/error being made (without jeopardising the whole operation) and one can closely monitor the project and take swift action where necessary. Me myself, I have made investments here in the U.K., which allow me to spend more time in pursuing my passion ('treasure-researching if you hadn't already guessed!), and there is nothing more satisfying than knowing my silly fascinations will not impact on my family's wellbeing or security in anyway.

IPUK

 

[Interested Party in UK]

But many fake gold bullions are being mass produced in China as well.,.in fact I saw a photo of a factory that does that..these fatories buy real gold bars and they drill out cleverly the inside gold and form into other real mini bars and sell it for what it is ...then they take the empty "shell" of gold and stuff it with base metal and they sell that as real ones...it is not easy to detect as the shell is not that thin like electroplated gold ...hence they sell real mini bargolds that were carved out....and also they sell bigger but fake ,"gold" bars getting profit in two ways
TT

Hey TT,

Interesting that is, but I imagine that only the gullible or greedy would honestly believe that in today's world gold would be sold a lot cheaper than the spot price.


IPUK

 

[Interested Party in UK]

I suspect you are referring to Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer. The loss of gold to India due to trade became a real problem for the Roman empire, leading them to debase their coins and force the public to accept and use the debased (and of little real value) money, just as our governments have done. If history can be trusted on this, the pattern is already well established and does not end well when a civilization begins to use garbage for money.

Please do continue, just thought I might jog your memory with Pliny. May have been a Greek writer that complained of it as well but as far as I know, due to the conquests of Alexander and his successors, the Greeks did not suffer for lack of gold (or silver) during their hegemony.

I did a fair amount of research before making some trips to India and I read a lot about Alexander the Great and his route east. I have no doubt that the Romans discussed the wealth of India as well - they all coveted - each other's successes and materials - but it was either Aristotle when tutoring Alexander or Plato later on, that discussed gold in the land "beyond the Indus" who mentioned gold consumption there, sometime before the Romans.

Good point about the tribulations encountered regarding the debased money...


IPUK

 

[Shortfinger]

HAL. HERE IS THE Drumbeat

View attachment 1417257 View attachment 1417258

THANK YOU DON JOSE! I have been looking for this for a while, with no success.

Mal, does this look like the "Bountiful Harvest" of the Father Faraday yarn? If so, then it makes it almost a certainty that you did, in fact encounter the infamous Trio.

JB

 

[South Sea mariner]

HAL. HERE IS THE Drumbeat

View attachment 1417257 View attachment 1417258

Thanks Don Jose

Not quite as the hull was all black. And the sails looked new and a different figurehead.

but the sail configuration was of hermaphrodite brig same type on the vessel shown above.

Mal.