Numil
Elite Member
For the past month or so I've been getting out fairly regular to the local beaches. Every time I've been out I've come home with usually a little bit of silver (silver coin - silver earring or ring...) or every now and then a bit of gold. Not wanting to jinx it I haven't said much until today. Today floored me, I went to a beach I don't hunt much as I've never found much there and it can be pretty trashy. Only had 90 minutes to hunt so headed for the slope and damp sand. Surf was too big to hunt in and there were Portuguese Man-o-War washing up as well.
I was finding the usual, the occasional clad coin and unusual found a $1 coin, the modern kind. Then I get solid tone, insert the scoop and out with the scoop of sand hanging from the end of the scoop is a chain. Its coated in sand but I can see its yellow. I get a little excited but reserve my emotions as I went thru this same scenario just a couple weeks ago and that chain was a fake. I pop it in the pouch and waited till I got home. I start examining my finds telling myself all the while "I hope its real".
I examine the chain from one end to the other, no markings or any ID on what its made of. I get out the acid testing kit. I streak the chain on the slate and it sure feels like gold. It makes a nice yellow streak on the slate and its soft as well. Not like trying to streak stainless steel or tungsten which are hard and almost impossible to get a good streak. Now comes the acid test, 14K dissolves it like it was butter on a hot stove. Not 14K for sure so I test it with the 10K. It holds the 10K for 1 maybe 2 seconds then dissolves the yellow. So not 10K but close... maybe 9K? Don't have an acid test for 9K so will have to borrow a friends gold tester but I think its real.
Even at 9K its 31.1 grams making the scrap gold worth (at today's prices) over $500. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Lets hope the streak continues.
I was finding the usual, the occasional clad coin and unusual found a $1 coin, the modern kind. Then I get solid tone, insert the scoop and out with the scoop of sand hanging from the end of the scoop is a chain. Its coated in sand but I can see its yellow. I get a little excited but reserve my emotions as I went thru this same scenario just a couple weeks ago and that chain was a fake. I pop it in the pouch and waited till I got home. I start examining my finds telling myself all the while "I hope its real".
I examine the chain from one end to the other, no markings or any ID on what its made of. I get out the acid testing kit. I streak the chain on the slate and it sure feels like gold. It makes a nice yellow streak on the slate and its soft as well. Not like trying to streak stainless steel or tungsten which are hard and almost impossible to get a good streak. Now comes the acid test, 14K dissolves it like it was butter on a hot stove. Not 14K for sure so I test it with the 10K. It holds the 10K for 1 maybe 2 seconds then dissolves the yellow. So not 10K but close... maybe 9K? Don't have an acid test for 9K so will have to borrow a friends gold tester but I think its real.
Even at 9K its 31.1 grams making the scrap gold worth (at today's prices) over $500. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Lets hope the streak continues.
