davidj98337 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Hello, Thank you for your interest in my post. I recently inherited this gold specimen pin and this nugget pin from my grandfather. I'm here seeking guidance to figure out who I should take them to so they can be measured, weighed, tested for purity and appraised. These pieces have sat in my grandfather's keepsake box for over 50 years.I'm so honored to have received these pieces. I'm the fourth custodian of these pieces. The nuggets were discovered by my great, great uncle in the Klondike around the turn of the last century. He did pretty well there, and he sent some pieces of gold to my great grandfather in Cleveland, Ohio. I believe my uncle had the nuggets turned into pins prior to sending them to his brother. One pin has my great grandfather's initials on it. I have seen letters from my uncle written in Hungarian- the last one post marked in Dawson 1923. He disappeared soon after- the family suspected foul play at the hand of his business partner. So I know the nuggets were found before 1923. My question really are these: Do I take these pieces to a gemologist or a jeweler? Does anyone on this forum know someone reputable in my area who might help me? If these were your pieces, how would you go about it all? I'm new to gold nugget ownership and I'm clueless to even knowing the information I would want to know. I would very much like to know as much as possible about this pieces so when I pass them on to the next custodian, he or she will know and appreciate them as I do.Thank you for interest and for any help you can provide,Davidj98337P. S. The nuggets are shown next to a US Quarter piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grubstake1 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 I can tell you, if you take them to a jeweler, they are going to lowball you on what they are worth, You are better off selling them to a collector, or getting a value from a collector, Since they are from the Klondike, historical value would be greater, and they are prob. pretty pure nuggets, I think, if I had them, I'd get in touch with Butterfield&Butterfield in San Francisco, and see how much they would charge for a real apriasil Grubstake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidj98337 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thank you for the lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Nice pieces David. Butterfields appraisals are free. I used to do appraisals on contract to them. Anyone in the business who charges for an appraisal is a crook. You could also take them to Christies or Sothebys but Grubstake is right that Butterfields would be your best choice for historical gold pieces.An auction house appraisal will be for the lower end of the auction value. Insurance replacement values will be higher and values for resale will be much much lower.Before you get an appraisal put together all the information you have on the pieces and write down any history you know that doesn't already have a written record. Copies of these go along with the nugget jewelry themselves and create "provenance" that will increase the value of the pieces several times over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidj98337 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thank you Mr. Diggins!I will see if any of those letters mention the pieces. Of course now I will have to find Hungarian interpreter. Thank you again.D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldies1955 Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thank you Mr. Diggins!I will see if any of those letters mention the pieces. Of course now I will have to find Hungarian interpreter. Thank you again.DHere ya go! Tom H. http://imtranslator.net/translation/hungarian/to-english/translation/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidj98337 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thanks Tom!All of you have been great with you information and help, thanks to you all. I wish you all the best of luck in gold searching endeavors. I must admit that since I gained possession of these pieces. I'm getting an itch (it's located right at the top of my neck at the base of my skull) to find some gold myself. I know there was some prospecting near Seattle long ago. Cheers!D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dorado Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Looks lie you might have some genuine Victorian Era jewelry there. Its hard from your pictures to tell, but have you taken a loupe and looked for any kind of markings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted July 31, 2013 Admin Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Hey David, Great looking pieces. Hope you can find out all the info on them if you decide to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidj98337 Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Thanks for interest and your kind responses to the pieces. I really haven't got anywhere with Butterfield's yet. I emailed the Seattle office with pictures but they haven't responded yet. And I'm waiting for my grandma to send the letters to me so I can translate them. I also emailed the librarian in Dawson City and she was helpful by sending internet records databases for me, but I haven't quite figured out how to use the databases yet. I will let people know when I learn something interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidj98337 Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 El Dorado- I have a whole gold testing kit with a loupe and scale on it's way. I figured I should know as much as I can on my own before I go to an appraiser with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidj98337 Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 I was surfing the web looking for information on general historic gold nuggets values. Several websites state that almost all nuggets found before 1990 have been smelted. The problem is all these websites have plagiarized one another, making it suspect in my opinion. Does anyone know of a reliable source with authority that makes this assertion true? I would be very interested to read a reliable historical back story regarding this theory.Thank you, D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dorado Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 El Dorado- I have a whole gold testing kit with a loupe and scale on it's way. I figured I should know as much as I can on my own before I go to an appraiser with them.Using a gold test kit will only tell the purity of the gold and you will end up putting a mark on the piece, most likely many marks if you are new to the test kit. The loupe can help spot any makers mark on the pin material, that is the only sure fire way of determing maker and age. These kind of pins and broaches have been made for a long time by many many people. They have the most value as family heirloom pieces. While you do have some provinance for the pieces, it is not absolute proof they are not early Klondike gold. Butterfield would be my recommendation too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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