Placer Gold

[Digger9375]

I recently started buying placer gold & small nuggets. I am a coin collector at heart and decided to expand my collection. I recently bought some placer gold from Gold Nugget Sales; my question is when buying placer gold like this, is it considered clean? From what I can tell, there are isn't any sand or other particles in the vial (roughly 18 mesh).

Also, is there a rule of thumb as far as purity? I believe what I have purchased so far is from Alaska.

 

[et1955]

Placer gold has other minerals in it, silver, copper and other minerals. It all depends on the location that the gold was found, the gold I find on one river is 22 carrot but on another river it is 18 carrot. Generally when selling your gold you will get 70% to 80% due to the impurities.

 

[tamrock]

Placer gold has other minerals in it, silver, copper and other minerals. It all depends on the location that the gold was found, the gold I find on one river is 22 carrot but on another river it is 18 carrot. Generally when selling your gold you will get 70% to 80% due to the impurities.

The scrap PM buyer I deal with says he just assess placer gold at the same rate he pays for 18k jewelry gold.

 

[tamrock]

Overview
Besides gold, placer mining extracts other heavy, durable minerals like
diamonds, platinum group metals (PGMs), tin (cassiterite), titanium minerals (rutile, ilmenite), zircon, and gemstones (sapphire, ruby, garnet), along with industrial minerals like monazite (rare earths/thorium) and heavy iron sands (magnetite), often found in riverbeds and beaches.

I actually recovered a somewhat eroded octahedron shape brownish color diamond about the size of a BB in the Arkansas River back in the 1980s. It was in a very pale sticky green clay seem that was maybe 6" below a layer of alluvial gravel along the bank of the river. The clay was very thick and took awhile to squish down with my hands. I was thinking it might of had gold that was hung up in it, but it had hardly any heavy sands. Saw that little crystal circling in the pan which cought my eye. I took it to a jewellery store in Salida and he put his heat tester pen to it and he said the heat transfer was the same as any diamonds he had. I've moved and relocated over the years and don't know what happened to it. But I did take note of that location of that seem of pale green clay, thinking I'll go back to it someday.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Just be sure who you are buying from. Know your weights and measures. Most placer gold in Alaska Gold on plate (from 4" river dredging) is 22K, as is gold from Arizona (last 4-pics). Yes, the gold should be clean. Only pay for gold, not black sands.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Of your only getting paid for 18k your getting ripped off.

 

[tamrock]

Of your only getting paid for 18k your getting ripped off.

If one agrees to a price you can never say its a rip-off.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

True!

 

[Lanny in AB]

"my question is when buying placer gold like this, is it considered clean? From what I can tell, there are isn't any sand or other particles in the vial (roughly 18 mesh)."

As for "clean", I think you're asking if there could be other pieces of material accompanying the gold that aren't gold? Not asking if the gold itself somehow has a coating of other material?

If you have a jewelers loupe/hand-lens of 10x power, after spreading the material from your vial out on a piece of paper (white/black/blue/green), it should be fairly easy to look at the bits of gold to see what's gold and what's not (if you know what gold looks like, if not, watch some videos/study some photographs to learn what real gold looks like [in full-light, in shade, etc]).

Good luck with your new acquisitions, and all the best,

Lanny

 

[russau]

Back in the 1970's I was in Birch Creek Alaska at Mic Manns claim! Mic told me his gold was a certain Carrot and some people "quietly" questioned that amount . When I got home I had all my gold checked and Mic was right on that amount he said it was ! EVERY peace (no salted ground ! I sent that report paper to Mic so he could show his visitors proof of what he said it was ! I was there for 2 1/2 weeks and it was worth the trip ! All my gold is gone from that trip BUT the memories are still fresh in my old brain !

 

[opalboy]

The Colorado placer I was buying is around 82%, someone told me that they had checked with an xrf gun.

 

[MTTreasureHunter]

I recently started buying placer gold & small nuggets. I am a coin collector at heart and decided to expand my collection. I recently bought some placer gold from Gold Nugget Sales; my question is when buying placer gold like this, is it considered clean? From what I can tell, there are isn't any sand or other particles in the vial (roughly 18 mesh).

Also, is there a rule of thumb as far as purity? I believe what I have purchased so far is from Alaska.

Hello most the gold from alaska is between 10 and 16 carat far as i have knowledge of so far from pure and remember clean is not pure from pure in Montana in places i wont devulge here it can range between 18 to 21-23 carat out of the ground still not certed 9999 but best bet if selling what you get is what you have in mind save it up send it away and have it certified 9999 fine then you can get spot price for it

 

[russau]

You will NEVER FIND .9999 gold in the ground ! Gold values will most probly change from river to river and from valley to valley ! And I've been told that men that are VERY familiar with their state can tell you about what area of the state you found that gold in !

 

[opalboy]

I saw the other day on “gold rush” Parker was selling gold to a buyer, the buyer had a list of the percentage of fine gold for each drainage!

 

[Davers]

Just be sure who you are buying from. Know your weights and measures. Most placer gold in Alaska Gold on plate (from 4" river dredging) is 22K, as is gold from Arizona (last 4-pics). Yes, the gold should be clean. Only pay for gold, not black sands.

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Do you happen to know the purity of most N GA Gold ?

 

[Terry Soloman]

Do you happen to know the purity of most N GA Gold ?

Yes! 22-23K Some in Mid Georgia was near 95% pure.