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oneguyinohio · Dec 16, 2007, 08:27 PM

Wondering if anyone has ever hunted for treasure, old coins, etc. Also panning for gold as a hobby? Any thoughts on getting started if you do this for a hobby?

Any experiences you have with it, I'd love to read about them!

J_9 · Dec 16, 2007, 08:32 PM

Never panned for gold, but have gone to a diamond park in Arkansas... great fun! Especially after a good rain!!

oneguyinohio · Dec 16, 2007, 08:55 PM

Sounds like you found some? That would be fun. I'm planning a trip to learn to pan gpld soon with my son... not to get rich but for fun

J_9 · Dec 16, 2007, 09:02 PM

It's a blast, but the diamonds we found are worth less than $100, but the camping and the digging and walking are fun for the kiddos.

oneguyinohio · Dec 16, 2007, 09:05 PM

I'm looking forward to my upcoming adventure for the same reasons.

J_9 · Dec 16, 2007, 09:10 PM

Good luck, but most of all... HAVE FUN!! Where are you going? I used to wander around Ohio looking for arrowheads as a child. Found quite a few actually.

oneguyinohio · Dec 16, 2007, 09:25 PM

I'm in North East Ohio, but get to the Northwest corner of the state frequently... Where did you find the arrowheads?

J_9 · Dec 16, 2007, 09:31 PM

Oh, geez, I was 10, so that was 33 years ago... It was down near Springfield... Columbus... Dayton area as far as I can remember.

I grew up in Springfield... I remember a park that had sandstone "caves" and caverns...

If I remember correctly I have around 10 beautiful arrowheads.

Tahlia86 · Dec 16, 2007, 09:33 PM

I went panning for gold when I was younger. I never found more than a few tiny pieces of gold. I still have a jar with some of the gold I found in it :D

oneguyinohio · Dec 16, 2007, 09:41 PM

How long did it take you to find that amount?

Tahlia86 · Dec 16, 2007, 09:53 PM

A few hours haha. Some days I wouldn't find anything at all.

Clough · Dec 17, 2007, 12:57 AM

I like to go down and walk along the shoreline and banks of the Mississippi River and look for things among the rocks and dredging that have been placed along the shore. Occasionally, I might find something interesting and maybe even monetarily valuable. You mention doing something like this "for fun." So, does it matter if what you find has monetary value?

oneguyinohio · Dec 17, 2007, 01:08 AM

No, having value would be even better! I just didn't want to make it an expectation of the thread... I did something similat to the creek walk... I found an old metal white porceline coated type wash bowl about 16 inches across... the bottom and a lot of the sides were all long rusted away but the brim was in tact and it can be identified as to what it was. I picked it up and brought it home and it is now hanging on my wall.

I'd love to hear of your finds of any kind! And anything you might tell about them or what you did with them!

Clough · Dec 17, 2007, 01:19 AM

You really want to know what this musician and gardener likes to find, eh? The answer might come as somewhat of a surprise to you! :)

oneguyinohio · Dec 17, 2007, 08:44 AM

Sure, hit me with it? I have been trying to guess...

Anything can be a found treasure I suppose... I know people who get the same type of thrill over aluminum pop cans they find as they are walking... they get money, exercise, and help the environment in the process.

And I'm still waiting to here about that rock you found in your garden?

Clough · Dec 17, 2007, 09:13 AM

Paving bricks. You got it. Paving bricks! I collected over 700 of them in one summer a number of years ago. I went down to the river banks and also a covered up abandoned street in order to collect them. I found that the max number of paving bricks that I could put on the back of my bicycle was 14 attached with bungee cords in order to still be able to ride it with the bricks attached to it.

Street pavers can bring in anywhere from about $1.50 each to maybe $4.00 each around where I live.

However, my intent was not so much on the monetary value of the bricks, as the fact that I had discovered, found, and then went through the work to extract them from where they were! And, could then use them for the purposes that I had intended.

I have used them to build up my garden areas as well as to use for edging around other garden areas. For that summer, finding and obtaining pavers was a passion of mine.

The short of it is, that I got lots of exercise in riding my bike in order to obtain the bricks. Then, hauling them around my yard was further exercise for me.

oneguyinohio · Dec 17, 2007, 10:17 AM

That is great! My grandfather worked at a factory where they made clay tiles in a process similar in some ways to the brick making, and I grew up in an area full of clay soil, so I find some interest in even old bricks! I've watched with interest, shows where people had large collections of bricks from different companies around New York. I bet the people who made those bricks never had any idea of where they would be used in the years ahead!

I'm noticing a distict pattern of the exercise being a major reward for these types of pursuits! And it doesn't come with the stigma or same feelings of working up a sweat just to be healthy that came from all those physical education exercise courses...

I had a thought about those found treasures related to gardening... I would also include those found or discovered wild strawberry patches that I picked from to make a strawberry covered cake for my siter's 11th birthday years ago... Only found them one year because of the time we happened to be there... I think they got sprayed by a farmers weed killer maybe after that?? Anyway, we filled a couple of small buckets with that treasure and it was all free for the picking... It has been remembered in our family for about 30 years or so, very fondly.

jrebel7 · Dec 17, 2007, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by J_9

Never panned for gold, but have gone to a diamond park in Arkansas......great fun!! Especially after a good rain!!!

Hi there - when you have time I would be very interested to know what is involved in finding diamonds in the Diamond park in Arkansas, how to recognize them in the rough and is there a charge per hour or per piece in the park? Any details you would care to share, I would love to read! Thanks. :)

AzPete · Jan 6, 2008, 11:53 PM

Ohio Guy... gold prospecting or looking for any kind of treasure is one heck of a great hobby and a nasty bug to shake if you ever get bit.I have pans sluiced and dregged for gold in many wester states. Your best bet is to see if you can locate a club or organization to join. The information you can pick up from others usually enhances your chances off hitting it lucky. Retirement has given me lots more time to pursue all my favorite bad habits.. like chasing after gold and gem stones. It your ever in San Diego Calif. I highly recommend The Stuart Tourmaline Mine.. north and east of San Diego. Most of my summers lately have been spent in the Pala Mining District there in hot pursuit of pink or bubble gum colored tourmaline.

Thxs.

AzPete