Any advice for a new gold prospector?

[Alaskangoldpanner]

Ok, so i live in illinois, bad news ik... Almost no gold in illinois, even worse, im only 17 and cant travel... But recently I've caught gold fever and the idea of finding gold thrills me, i purchased a pan online and a few bags of paydirt (i know there are some people who dont like the idea but what choice do i have). I also am wondering if it is a good time to buy gold, like i said, im new to this and really dont know much about it, but im sure some of you do. So, is it a good time to buy gold or should i pass and try to find another hobby? Thanks for all your help in advance!

 

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[SusanMN]

There is a section on Tnet for gold miners. I'd post your question there and I'm sure you will get a better response.

 

[Argentium]

Well , as you know, gold can be found in many forms - flakes, minute granules , nuggets , bars , coins , rings ..., etc. So in addition to
purchasing the occasional bag of pay dirt for panning - I would encourage you to get a decent metal detector (if you haven't already)
and hit the parks , the old swimming holes , the athletic fields - enjoy !

 

[CincinnatiKid]

Hello young man and welcome to the wonderful plague of "gold fever". Now IS the time to buy gold. At under $1300 per oz, it will only increase. You must have the resources to buy n hold though. Always use information as your weapon. This said, is my personal opinion. May long life, good health and fortune be yours. Peace

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Alaskangoldpanner, WELCOME to the hobby of gold fever , we all have it to some degree, we satisfy it in multiple ways, detecting for jewelry, cache hunting, etc. I also have a gold pan and live in Massachusetts, just in case I get a chance to gold pan here! Lol ya I've Been bitten! Check out the "gold prospecting " site here on T-Net and look into you states geological stats on where gold has been found in your state, and don't take "no" for an answer, because there are many answers! HH hunting my friend, remember to post pics so we all can enjoy!

 

[artic gold]

Your correct gold fever is real. I have not found a cure and have been half way around the world and spend many summers in Ak in hopes of finding enough to satisfy the lust for more. But if I lived in Illinois again and wanted to accumulate some gold, don't think I would try placer mining there. There is a lot of gold to be found there if you look in the right places. First you need to learn how to use acid testing to check scrap jewelry you find in Estate sales, thrift stores, swap meets, and any other place were people have gold items they don't know the value of. It's very simple to test with great accuracy after you learn how to spot plated items. We go yard sailing all the time and have very good luck and it is a lot less work than mining. You will also find a lot of other bargains in your search like silver and silver coins. If you need any help to get started just ask. Also as long as we have the incompetent leadership of today gold will do very well against the dollar. In MY humble opinion.