Admin nuggethunting Posted June 8, 2011 Admin Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey Terry, This post was brought to my attention over on the finds forum. I don't visit that forum much, so I went over and read the entire thread. It started out about dealers "salting" nuggets for their customers. I guess if that was directed at me (not saying you said that), then I must have big pockets. Over the last years, customers have found nuggets from a few grains up to 1/2 ounce in size. A matter of fact, this year along I can count at least 4 nuggets over 1/4 ounce. I guess if I'm salting nuggets that large, if that is what someone is saying, then damn I want to buy my detector for that guy. I guess if I was smart and really salting nuggets, I would salt nuggets in the range of $5 - $15, but rather my customers have found nuggets that have been worth as much as $800. Some customers have left field instructions with just a good time, good knowledge about their detector and zero gold nuggets to boot. I hate to see any customer of mine head back home without at least a small nuggets, so my partners and I do try to help the customer along towards the end of the day if possible. That being said, we don't plant or salt any nuggets for anyone, regardless of metal detector purchased. The main reason I posted this post was to ask you about "dealers not wanting to help you." If I remember correctly, you asked me to be your Minelab guy and I contacted you several times trying to get some ideas together. I tried to help you get your business outfitted with Minelab metal detectors from the beginning, so don't say no one tried to help you. I placed the ball in your court many times waiting for a response on what you wanted to do and what your plans were with the Minelab product. I have personally Thanked you and your business partners in the field for the Minelab referrals. I have sent a handful of gold prospectors interested in learning about gold prospecting and your classess. I just wanted to make sure we get the correct information out there. I believe in helping anyone in this business, even the ones that say they don't want to sell Minelab or related products, but are now working for other dealers. Can't say I personally blame them, everyone is trying to make a buck. That being said, if you become interested in Minelab products I will do what I can to work with you on any front. Take care,Rob AllisonChris, I understand your argument and point of view. I would "rather," people understand that this does occur in ALL industries and walks of life, and to look at all advertising claims - whether "personal" or "commercial" with a careful eye. Now in my case, I would say, "Bring it on!" That's why I feel just fine posing the questions I did in the first place. The treasure hunting industry is writing a lot of checks they can't cash. I lose business all the time because I tell people the truth. You might find gold - you might not! The number one question I get every day is: "What is the average amount of gold your guests find when they come out for a day trip?" My answer is always the same. There is no average, and if you are coming here to strike it rich, that's not what we do. Some of our guest go home with a lot of gold; some a little; and some none - but everybody goes home with what they paid for, a full day of supervised gold prospecting, with a private, professional instructor, using the best placer gold prospecting equipment money can buy, on a KNOWN gold producing claim in the Weaver or Bradshaw Mountains. I have to sort of laugh at the last part about steering them to one dealer or the other. See, for two-years I tried to get ANY of the local Arizona dealers to throw me a bone and work with me on selling equipment to our clients. Not one of them was willing to partner with me - Nobody knew me, nobody wanted to know me. I was just a crazy greenhorn "New Yorker" with a stupid idea. In truth, I've had clients buy stuff from almost all of the Arizona dealers now. I invite EVERYBODY to tour our web site and find a claim that says anything other than WE DO NOT GUARANTEE you will find gold, because we DO NOT SALT claims. Maybe a little more honesty and openness could actually HELP. If you run a clean business, it seems to me you welcome this conversation with open arms. If you are not, you shy away from the subject or try and deflect it by trashing the messenger. That is my opinion.Cheers! - Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Thank you for the response Rob, and once again as I have stated already, I was not referring to you. I never mentioned your name - or anyone elses for that matter. It is a shame your name was drawn into this, and as I stated in my post (which originally began as a general question and poll about faking finds and posting them on various forums), usually folks with something to hide duck for cover and avoid this subject. Obviously, we aren't! - Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I never was in business, but have charged for lessons, I never promised any gold, only that they could detect, where I have found gold. I had Rob and Doc and reno Chris all out to my patches, I think Doc is the only one that didn't get gold, the luck of the detecting, not because the gold was not there, Rob and Dennis did outstanding, and even after they left, we still pulled a pound or so off that place, and there is still gold there. Unfortunatly for us, its a walk-in deal now and it all up hill, atleast an hour walk one way for me, and the brush is worse than it ever was. Reno Chris got the worse case of poison Oak I've ever seen out of the deal. Like I always say, gold is not every place you look! But it is where you find it. As far as Salting, I don't think ROB would even salt a baked tater. Grubstake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 ...As far as Salting, I don't think ROB would even salt a baked tater. GrubstakeOnce again, I agree. The whole reason for the original post, on about six different forums (mostly salwater detecting), is that a lot of people claim to be finding $4,000.00 gold and diamond rings on a weekly, if not daily basis on beaches around the country. I simply asked how many posts do people feel are fake finds by people either trying to fit in, impress their peers, or enhance their reputation for personal or professional gain. I said I have seen it in gold prospecting as well. I think it is a good conversation to have with more "Treasure Hunters" than ever in the field, and metal detecting companies doing their very best to sell them the latest and greatest. In this digital age, everybody is an expert. One guy wants me to sell his book on beach prospecting, even though he admitted the jewelry pictured in the book isn't actual beach finds, "because the photographer wanted to jazz it up." One last time - Not about Rob, or the Three other dealers the other poster brought into this. Still, a good discussion in my opinion though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Here is the original post that I made:What do you believe is the correct ratio of pictures of actual dug finds posted in online forums -vs- "jewelry store," or faked finds?A) 99-percent of all posts are actual finds 80-percent of all posts are actual findsC) 60- percent of all posts are actual findsD) 50- percent of all posts are actual findsWhat is the main motivation for sharing real finds?What is the main motivation for faking finds?I am asking these questions because of personal experiences in gold prospecting, where people actually posted pictures of nuggets I had sold in the past, as nuggets they "found" in the desert, or even Alaska. This appears to have happened just recently with a gold nugget sold as a California specimen, when it may have come from Australia. Seems to me, the same shennannigans could be happening on this end of the hobby - hence my questions. Looking forward to your opinions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey Terry, I have a picture of me with 32 gold and Diamond rings found back in the winter of 92 on Sunset beach, wich is justnorth of Monterey Ca. these we found in a two day hunt by me, in a very deep beach cut. Grubstake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted June 8, 2011 Author Admin Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey Terry, Thanks for your response. Glad we are both on the same page. As for your orginal post, which is a great subject, I have seen all types of salting, planting and whatever else you want to call it. One of my best stories is this -Many years ago a partner and I were camped out West for about a week. One evening a couple of prospectors drove into our camp and started talking about nuggethunting and their finds. One guy, which seemed "Green" as come be from his comments mentioned he found this nice nugget. He showed me the nugget, which was about a 2 ounce slug. He said he just found it, but the nugget was clean as a button. I thought it was strange aned even more strange when I seen some markings on the side of the nugget. As I looked closer at the nugget, it wasn't just markings, but rather numbers, which said 62 grams in very small, black ink. I asked the guy if I could weigh his new find and he agreed. Low and behold the nugget weighed 62 grams! I licked my finger and rubbed the ink markings off and then asked him if he wrote the weight on the nugget. He didn't have a clue what I was even talking about .... Sounds like he probably purchased the nugget from someone else that wrote the weight on the nugget and he didn't even realize it was on there. Always thought it was a great story over a campfire or outing. Take care,Rob Allison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey Terry, I have a picture of me with 32 gold and Diamond rings found back in the winter of 92 on Sunset beach, wich is justnorth of Monterey Ca. these we found in a two day hunt by me, in a very deep beach cut. GrubstakeHoly Crap! That is my dream Grubstake! There are so many quality machines working the beaches today, that even in the lane, a season like yours is going to happen - maybe, once in a lifetime these days. I have seen as many as 16-machines, including Minelab 5000's on the beach at low tide. Wow, great pic, super finds. You must still get a thrill looking at that photo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Terry, It was a once in a lifetime find, I just happened to be on the right beach at the right time, everyone else was hunting Santa Cruz beach, . I had Sunset all to myself until around 10 am in the morning, and thats not even showing the 200+ coins I found, that same day. I don't beach hunt anymore, I only nugget hunt, I used to do it all, but when I found my first gold nugget, I was hooked on nugget hunting, and have found my share, I think Rob found about two oz's or so when he was out here hunting with me, it aint easy to get through this brush here, you earn every nugget! Grubstake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Terry, It was a once in a lifetime find, I just happened to be on the right beach at the right time, everyone else was hunting Santa Cruz beach, . I had Sunset all to myself until around 10 am in the morning, and thats not even showing the 200+ coins I found, that same day. I don't beach hunt anymore, I only nugget hunt, I used to do it all, but when I found my first gold nugget, I was hooked on nugget hunting, and have found my share, I think Rob found about two oz's or so when he was out here hunting with me, it aint easy to get through this brush here, you earn every nugget! GrubstakeI'm going to get that first gold ring soon, I can feel it! I agree with you about nugget hunting though. Sometimes I'm just plain homesick for the desert and the ability to be all by myself. Right now, I'm building my fortune a penny, nickel, dime and quarter at a time! Oh, and I have a growing pile of broken dreams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Buying a prize and claiming it as their own is and always has been common...fishing, hunting or anything else...like cheating at any sport the victory and the glory are fake and tarnished...but some folks still do it,As for a dealer salting an area with nuggets like Rob's customers have found...what a load of crap! I remember up at Moore Creek with Steve when he planted some nuggets in a very small area to educate some of the guys that had not found anything...most of the nuggets did not get detected...4 or 5 guys in an area about 40 x 60, as I recall...Steve did this to help them and they knew there were nuggets but still did not find them...I have read these types of comments about Doug Stone's tours and now Mark Hydes down in Oz...it just ain't so!!!fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted June 10, 2011 Author Admin Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Hey Fred, It is a load of crap for sure. My best guess is it comes down to jealously or their own insecurities. I just continue to do what I do .... Take care buddy,Rob Allison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reno Chris Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Reno Chris got the worse case of poison Oak I've ever seen out of the deal. Even so, I had a heck of a good time out prospecting with you on that trip and I keep thinking I need to head back to Mariposa Co. one of these days. - I'll just be a little more careful about the poison Oak - and I've been in the hills for decades and never had a case like that before or since. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Beeper Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 TerryYour pile of broken dreams looks like a big city art gallery piece. May be more valuable than you think!New Beeper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 TerryYour pile of broken dreams looks like a big city art gallery piece. May be more valuable than you think!New BeeperLOL! That pile was for an article I just wrote for Carla Banning at Lost Treasure magazine. Took about 20-hours to amass. I knew I shouldn't have chucked it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 That would be nice Chris, problem is, I've lost all that private property to hunt on, Due to the owner having strokes and dieing, All the kids have the land now, sold some off, and won't let anyone on to hunt, becuse of no liabilty insurance. Every other place I've got is atleast a hour or two hour walk just to get in to it. mostly up hill. no quads allowed, Sucks, but that how it is. My health like it is, I need a drive in place to hunt. Still looking for that. Grubstake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azoverland Posted June 18, 2011 Report Share Posted June 18, 2011 Here is the original post that I made:What do you believe is the correct ratio of pictures of actual dug finds posted in online forums -vs- "jewelry store," or faked finds?A) 99-percent of all posts are actual finds 80-percent of all posts are actual findsC) 60- percent of all posts are actual findsD) 50- percent of all posts are actual findsWhat is the main motivation for sharing real finds?What is the main motivation for faking finds?Well Terry I's got to say A - all of them is real finds made with just a detector and a pick.......Just have a look see at this photo taken of me and my purdie new wife on our Honeymoon to Alaska, we found this 2oz nugget...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted June 18, 2011 Report Share Posted June 18, 2011 Nice Shot AzOverland! You sir, are a VERY lucky Man!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimGilmore Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 Nice Shot AzOverland! You sir, are a VERY lucky Man!!! Best time to hit the beach is during a stom orn an out going tide..or Has been for me problem is many areas the beaches get close at that time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutch john Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 Gosh what an interesting thread.. Full of great photos and "pros and cons." Food for thought and also the posts are polite and respectful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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