how much raw gold equals "A Treasure" ?

[BillA]

an idle question prompted by another thread on treasure hunting
when using the word "treasure" I am generally thinking of something man-made,
however those of us here prospect or mine as a principal activity -

so it occured to me to ask: How much raw gold is 'needed' to qualify as a "treasure" ?
- found at one site at one time (season?)

a couple of pounds?
20 kilos ?
what ?

 

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[JeffA]

I think the answer to that is in the eye of the beholder. To me, if I find ANY color at the bottom of the pan I've found treasure. That's the reason I'm out in the wild, so any little yellow spot is success for me.

 

[BillA]

Jeff, so your definition of treasure is "any little yellow spot is success for me"; and good for you.

I think most use the word 'treasure' a bit more expansively.
For language to function, words must have agreed meanings;
I was seeking to explore what constituted 'treasure', yours may be the lower limit.

 

[TerryC]

To me: treasure is anything of physical or emotional value sought after and ultimately gained through research, effort, and discovery. ╦╦C

 

[BillA]

Terry, my definition of recovered treasure is little different; how much in raw gold ?

 

[ghostminer]

At least 1000 ounces. We have a government report from back in the 1960's on one area of our mine. There was a guy who I will not name digging on one of the faultlines. The year was 1934. The report goes into detail but breaks down to this : At the 55 ft depth he came upon an area of raised bedrock & removed about 1000 ounces of gold. He showed the gold while in poor company & was murdered. That to me is a treasure. Unfortunately for the miner it was a death sentence. Be careful what you wish for. Be even more careful who you show your gold to.

 

[BillA]

was thinking along those lines, for me a 'treasure' would of necessity be life-changing
made money all my life, not a treasure

 

[TerryC]

Terry, my definition of recovered treasure is little different; how much in raw gold ?

As JeffA alluded to, it would be difficult to say. I would settle for an ounce of gold in the poke. The amount of effort I would put into "the hunt" would also affect the definition. If I were spending thousands to find gold, I would expect finding millions would constitute treasure. I'll just settle for my ounce. ╦╦C

 

[alaskaseeker]

Gold is very hard won, believe me any I find is treasure...

 

[Esotericvalue]

I chose my forum name in answer to this question without having had it asked, but I believe that the most important "value" placed on any thing you find or discover is what you value it at, not what anyone else does

 

[BillA]

Ev, thanks for the input but you did not address the question

for you, how much raw gold would you have to find/mine (at one instance) to call it a 'treasure' ?

Jeff says any color, as does alaskaseeker
Ghostminer says 1000 oz

edit: yes, the question does relate directly to how each of us define 'treasure' as measured in raw gold

 

[Esotericvalue]

And my answer is it depends, it is not a concrete threshold for me, depends on where I am and what my expectations are, if I am in Washington where I live the amount and size of the gold is much less than if I am in Northern California around Grass Valley

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

For some reason I associate "Treasure" as something owned by man.
In other words, if I found 100 ounces of gold in my sluice box, it wouldn't become treasure until I secured it for safe keeping or lost it in some manner.

If I were to find that same 100 ounces in a buried container, it would be found treasure immediately.

Weird how my mind works sometimes.

By the way treasure comes in all different sizes. Small treasures, large treasures..

 

[A2coins]

Depends who you ask

 

[brianc053]

how much raw gold equals "A Treasure" ?

(Error - see next post)

 

[brianc053]

For some reason I associate "Treasure" as something owned by man.
In other words, if I found 100 ounces of gold in my sluice box, it wouldn't become treasure until I secured it for safe keeping or lost it in some manner.

If I were to find that same 100 ounces in a buried container, it would be found treasure immediately.

Weird how my mind works sometimes.

By the way treasure comes in all different sizes. Small treasures, large treasures..

I agree with Digger’s sentiment. I’m a recreational miner, and in my world if I find a picker or nugget it’s great - but I would not have called it a “treasure” (though now after this thread maybe I would...)



I hate to play word games, but I “treasure” my pickers/nuggets found in the wild, but I would not call them “Treasures”.



Like Bill, though, if I found a gold ring or a jar with gold nuggets I would call that Treasure.

And maybe the next time I find a picker I’ll call it a Treasure.



Brian

 

[BillA]

IMAU - I have the same association
but what if you encountered a (hidden) crack and over a bit of time pulled say 150 oz
I would have no difficulty saying I found a treasure, the crack that was a bonanza

only Ghostminer has stated something of a threshold at 1000 oz

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Bill, I don't think there needs to be a threshold established.
If you had a pound of nuggets and gold coins in your safe, you would probably consider it a "treasure".
I know I would. Let's find some!

 

[smokeythecat]

In your context, it would not just be something of value. In weight, that would be relative. The two things from what I'm reading out of the comments, especially yours, would be, to be considered a treasure at least 50 x the cost of your endeavor and your time. In other words, if you spent $1,000 and 100 hours and you valued your time @ $10 per hour, cost would be $2,000. Any amount recovered below or within 2 x cost I would think of as a hobby, something to spend money on. At 5x over cost, a low paying job. At 50, then you have a treasure.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

In your context, it would not just be something of value. In weight, that would be relative. The two things from what I'm reading out of the comments, especially yours, would be, to be considered a treasure at least 50 x the cost of your endeavor and your time. In other words, if you spent $1,000 and 100 hours and you valued your time @ $10 per hour, cost would be $2,000. Any amount recovered below or within 2 x cost I would think of as a hobby, something to spend money on. At 5x over cost, a low paying job. At 50, then you have a treasure.

Smokie, who are you addressing?