Steve Herschbach Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 I held off on posting about this one for a bit while I got around to some unfinished business. Since my move from Alaska I have been slow to get another safe deposit box set up. I have always had one for my gold and other important valuables. The problem with posting about this stuff on the internet is it can attract the wrong kind of attention. This is something I would encourage everyone to think about. Now that all my gold and other goodies are residing at Wells Fargo I feel a little more free to post about this.Chris Ralph and I were prospecting in Northern California not too long ago. I was running the Nokta FORS Gold and concentrating on some areas littered with square nails, cable bits, rusted cans, and other ferrous junk. There were places the Nokta running in dual tone DI2 mode sounded like a machine gun from ferrous low tones. I would go along with the detector going "putt - putt - putt - putt - putt - beep - putt" and on hearing that beep, stop to dig a bullet or some other non-ferrous item.The weather was a bit wet but not unpleasant; kind of brings the forest smells out and makes for softer walking. I was afraid we were going to get rained out but it keep just on the edge of really starting up. There was not much sign of detecting, no doubt due to all the trash. Chris was off hitting some bedrock with his detector while I wandered around in the trees and duff overlying the old tailing materials.There was a bit of a mound around the base of a tree and I swept around it getting ferrous tones, when all of the sudden I get a strong non-ferrous beep. I looked down at the target id displayed on the end of the FORS Gold handle and it was showing 82. I thought "That's odd, a coin." I was still not tuned in one what the numbers meant exactly on the Nokta but on a typical 1-100 scale an 82 would be something like a penny or a dime. I have yet to find a really decent old coin since moving south, so I thought I was maybe going to dig some nice silver.I gave a couple digs and was surprised to see nothing pop up. Hmmm... must be bigger, deeper. So I open the hole up and dig deeper, and this dirty gray lump pops out of the ground.My exact thought "you have got to be kidding me!" It was a filthy lump but I knew instantly it was gold. I could not believe my good fortune. I got out my water bottle and washed it off a bit and saw gold and large chunks of white quartz - I had found something really special. After cleaning it ended up as 1.83 ounces of stunning gold and quartz that would do a museum proud. Just a really spectacular specimen, the best I have ever found. I won't claim that only the Nokta would have found it because any good detector would have. Yet I do think this is a case where a good discriminating VLF detector proved to be of benefit in approaching an area that might cause most pulse induction operators to wander off in another direction.I thought this post would be a fine way to wrap up my nugget detecting finds for 2014 in anticipation of the New Year. I want to offer special thanks to Chris Ralph for being my guide and mentor while I learn my way around the Lower 48. I literally could not have done this without him. Thanks Chris! I also wish each and every one of you a fantastic nugget laden 2015. Happy Hunting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Wow, Steve, that is really spectacular ... A real major collector's piece ... Cheers, Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgh Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 That is a beauty Steve! Congratulations!Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reno Chris Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 It doesn't seem that long ago, but the weather was a lot nicer a few months back!It is one very nice piece of gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkirkll Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 It is beautiful. i love specimen gold!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relichunter2 Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Wow Steve that's a nice specimen !! The Nokta delivered , congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyLundy Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Steve,Sweet! WTGRick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Seeker Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Awesome, congratulations on a fine specimen!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McGator Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 What a fantastic piece. CONGRATS!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Now that is a nice bit. How deep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 No more than a foot. Like I said, any decent detector would have found it.I got all excited and dug a bunch of nearby targets but they were all square nails. They read ferrous but I thought "maybe, just maybe" but the Nokta wasn't lying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yukonlewis Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Nice work Steve - that is one lovely piece of gold.Hey I note that you are located in the souther 48 now so does that mean no more trips to Alaska? If you come back up this way drop in so we can have a cup of coffee or a beer. The very best to you and yours this Christmas season! CheersBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Herschbach Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Hi Bob,People down here are going to hate me for saying this, but it is sure a lot easier to metal detect for gold down here than in Alaska. Everyone wants to go to Alaska to look for gold, and I am thinking "why the heck was I wasting years in Alaska looking for gold when I could have been down here!" Those Moore Creek days are sweet memories though.With that in mind you may have to come to Reno to visit me instead of waiting on me to show up in the north again. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 That could be one of the prettiest nuggets I have ever seen. Congratualtions!Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hussam Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Hi everyone... Sorry to intrude, this message is directed to DOC ... I would like to talk to you, could you send me an empty email to hussam@al-osman.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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