Gold prospecting Romania

[Horst]

Hi there,

I have a very close friend who grew up in Romania and his grandfather has been a prospector in Alaska back then.
My friend knows places in Romania having lots of gold but he is convinced that it is way too dangerous to go back there due to too many Gypsies in the country.
I have never been there. Did anyone of you ever make experiences in Romania?
Gold is good but risking my life is not worth it.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Having never been there, I would have to go with your friends
judgment.

Prospecting/mining gold is hazardous enough, and if there are
local people that pose a serious threat, then it's just not worth it.

Is there a way to make a safe, exploratory trip just to check out
the area?

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Having never been there, I would have to go with your friends
judgment.

Prospecting/mining gold is hazardous enough, and if there are
local people that pose a serious threat, then it's just not worth it.

Is there a way to make a safe, exploratory trip just to check out
the area?

How much things have changed since the gold rush era.

 

[Treasurez]

Hi,
I am Romanian. Things aren't that bad with gypsies over here and certainly not a problem for what you want to do. The majority of them are in other Europe countries anyway. Stealing, begging etc.
I'm down for the adventure if you are certain that the places indeed have any gold.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I know someone that just went to Romania.
He was well received. Granted he wasn’t American.

 

[Treasurez]

The thing is like this:

For a foreigner, not knowing anybody here, it can be a little weird, but in the sense that many gypsies will try to scam you. Even some Romanians. Cab drivers are the worst. That doesn't mean it will happen tho.
Romanians...real Romanians...meaning not gypsies..are very friendly with basically everybody. You will be surprised.

As for the purpose of this post...you definitely won't find any gypsies in the mountains...that's for sure. I've never ever had problems with any, in my entire life. They target kids or the elder and try to steal from them.

They also do target some foreigners for the same purpose. But that's quite rare. And they certainly don't present a real danger due to the fact that they are not as bad and ferocious as people think. They are very impertinent, but if it comes to violence, they're the first to run.

Like I said, the bad ones already left for other countries where they can steal and beg. Even in USA. It's almost like an exodus. They left their families to make more money in Europe. But they do come back.

You might encounter some problems with the legislation here tho. Even getting a metal detector is a hassle. Need to register it at police and do a lot of paperwork, show your record etc...

 

[KevinInColorado]

My family and I spent a couple weeks touring Romania ten years ago. A beautiful country and we had no problems. We saw gypsies begging, selling stuff on the roadside and living their lives in little towns. No big deal.

 

[Horst]

many thanks for your replies. My friends left Romania about 30 years ago and went back just once for a vacation. Next year he will retire. Maybe I can talk him into a short "exploration" trip. He has been telling me that his grandpa made a pan for him when he was a kid out of copper sheet material and showed him how to use it. He "played" in that creek where they lived and "only" found 1/2 a film roll cannister full of gold in a few hours. That's at least 1 ounce! They have been sitting in a little pool in the creek when it got real warm and picked up small pieces of Gold with their fingers! Can you imagine? And he doesn't want to go back having all the knowledge where to go. Do you know about the legal side? Is a license required for prospecting? I sure want to follow the rules.

 

[Treasurez]

It's quite hard to believe you can make 1 ounce a day nowadays, but I am sure there are places that have so much gold. I've seen people that get ecstatic if they get a gram or even less.
And...if your friend doesn't want to come, ask him for directions and go check it out.
I was checking the legislation today...and you can probably prospect for gold in a river with no worries...but you cannot use a metal detector. Only Romanians can legally own and use a metal detector.
But as I'm sure it's quite a remote and isolated location...you can probably use it a bit. Tho I don't recommend you come with yours here via airplane, because they'll probably confiscate it from you.

 

[CGC Miner]

Why are they so strict on metal detectors in Romania?
First thought was land mines but then...

I have a nice piece of crystalline gold from Verespatak Romania

 

[Treasurez]

Don't know really. It probably has something to do with the fact that due to our country rich history, Dacian treasures are still getting discovered and this is basically our history so they don't want people finding 2000 years coins and keeping them. You need to give those to the state or else.

They do indeed enforce strict laws regarding this. You can go to jail if you don't avoid archeological sites, or if you don't declare ancient treasures/coins/finds...from Dacians time and such. Or if you use the dector without declaring it and without getting the permit.

Verespatak is the hungarian name for Rosia Montana, which is a small town where mining has been going on for over 2000 years. It's one of the oldest region that has tradition in mining in Europe, because of its precious metals. It goes back thousands of years. It's now a UNESCO patrimony.

Some companies were fighting to get the licence to mine there for gold and copper, since they say 250 tons of gold still exist there, but many people opposed to the project and it stalled.

BTW...Rosia Montana...its name..Rosia comes from Rosu...which is Red...and all the rivers in the area are red from the iron concentration.

 

[Horst]

wow that's a bunch of information. Many thanks! How can I find out what is really legal to use? I don't need to bring an MD. A sluice box, Henderson Pump, shovels and pans. That's all I'm planning to bring. I just don't want to break any laws. Not in Germany and not in a country I am visiting.

 

[Treasurez]

I think you'll be fine. But it would be best to bring a local with you or anyone from Romania, just in case.

 

[A2coins]

This was a cool post

 

[Horst]

where can we find the laws regarding gold prospecting in Romania? Do you have a link to share? It would be nice to have the legal side checked real thoroughly not to run into any trouble.