It has been called the most unusual and attractive
large nugget in the World, and at 389.4 ounces Troy (32.4 Troy pounds), it is the largest surviving placer nugget discovered
in the Western Hemisphere (The 2nd largest nugget is Alaskan and is 99- ounces smaller).
The "Boot of Cortez" measures a stunning 10 3/4 inches in
height and 7 1/4 inches in width. The nugget sold for $1,853,500.00 at auction in Dallas, in 2008. *The solid gold nugget was found in the Mexican Sonora Desert near the Arizona border in
1989. It was found by a local prospector using a metal detector he bought at Radio Shack! - Read
More of the story - Scroll Down!
AGA gives you a PRIVATE experience in Arizona gold- and meteorite strewn- fields!
There are no “groups,” YOU are in charge. You tell us what you want to do, when you want to go and how long you
want to stay that day! Private, personalized instruction and attention with the best placer gold mining equipment money can
buy! That’s why Arizona Gold Adventures is the #1 provider of gold prospecting / meteorite hunting trips and vacations
in Arizona!
GOLD & SILVER Weight Conversions:
Gold
is weighed in "Troy Measurements." One- Troy Pound (lb) is divided into 12- Troy Ounces. The Troy Ounce is divided
into 20 units called a “Pennyweight” (dwt). Here is the conversion key. * One Troy lb (pound)=12 troy ounces
One troy oz=31.1 grams
One troy oz=480 grains
One troy oz=20 pennyweight (dwt) One
pennyweight = 24 grains * Formula to convert grams to pennyweight __grams
x .6006006 = dwt * Formula to convert grams to Troy Ounces __grams x .03003
= troy ounces
Dubbed the "Eye of the Needle,”
this nine-ounce gold and quartz/granite nugget was found at Rich Hill, AZ by Jim Price, and his prospecting partner
"Harry."
Your Personal
AGA Prospecting Instructor will TEACH YOU where to find gold and how to recover it!
Hill Claims—“pay-dirt” in, or under a hill. * Flat
Claims—“pay-dirt” found on flats. * Bench Claims—“pay-dirt”
found in narrow tableland on hill-side, above a river. * Gulch Claims—“pay-dirt”
found in gullies destitute of water during part of the year. * Bar Claims—gold
in low collections of sand, or gravel, in rivers—exposed at low water. * River-bed Claims—gold in beds of rivers—access gained by turning river from its course. * Ancient River-bed Claims—gold found in beds of rivers now extinct.
Do you
have a question about placer gold mining, gold prospecting, metal detecting, gold nugget shooting, gold claims, meteorite
hunting - whatever? Ask Terry! Get the answers you need FREE!Terry@ArizonaGoldAdventures.com
The metals in gold; Gold purity.
In the United States the purity of gold is designated by
karat. Pure gold is 24k, but, because of its softness, it is not suitable for making jewelry. Other metals such as copper,
silver, nickel, and zinc are added to gold to strengthen it. What is added and how much is added determine the color and karat
of the gold. To make this easier to understand let's take an imaginary ring and examine it.
The color of
the metal is immediately apparent. Gold comes in several colors, but let's pretend that this ring is pink gold. Inside the
ring is stamped 10k. What do these things tell us? First, that the gold was mixed with copper, silver and zinc to make yellow
gold. The pink look was achieved by using a larger quantity of copper.
The 10k mark assures that 41.67% of the
metal is pure gold, and the other 58.33% is copper, silver and zinc. It also indicates that the piece was made in America,
(other countries do not use 10k).
A 14k stamping would mean that the ring contained 58.33% gold and 41.67% other
metals. If the ring was marked 18k, it would contain 75% pure gold and 25% other metals.
In Europe gold is stamped
according to its fineness. Pure gold is 1000 fine; 18k gold is 75% or 750 fine. Consequently, an 18k ring made in Europe would
be stamped 750.
Four-grams of Rich Hill, Arizona gold, recovered with a "drywasher."
Terry's "Four Friends," and
Mel's "Three Amigos,"
found near Rich Hill, Arizona.
Gold Basin Meteorites found by AGA Instructors!
Will
You find the next 'WHOPPER' gold nugget with Arizona Gold Adventures? You might! Large gold nuggets like the Two-pound
"Tongue Nugget," and the 11-pound "Powerline Nugget" are still being found at Rich Hill!
Digging "paydirt," sifting it (classifying), then
"panning it out," is the time-honored way of recovering gold from the goldfields.
The “Normandy
Nugget,” was found in a dry stream bed in 1995, near Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia. Weighing in at 25.5 kilograms
(56.1 lbs), it is the second largest nugget in the world today having escaped being melted down, and is the 26th largest gold
nugget ever discovered. Information published by the University of Southern California, where the 40 million year-old nugget
was examined in 1999, showed it to be 80 to 90% high purity gold. ****
*
*
AGA Prefers your personal check (please allow Five-business days
for your check to clear our bank, made payable to: Arizona Gold Adventures Inc.) We
also accept United States Postal Service money ordersonly
please.
All Daycation Day Trips and Expeditions must be paid in full prior to fulfillment. Please ask! We love to answer your questions --- We
urge you to reserve your dates as far in advance as you can.Call Terry at: 914-589-3985 or Email: Info@ArizonaGoldAdventures.com
*You'll learn Gold Prospecting; Nugget Shooting; Gold Panning; Run
a Highbanker; Drywasher; Gold Dredge; Minelab 4000 Metal Detector; Sluice Box; Automated Gold Panning Wheel and
More!
The "Boot of Cortez" is probably the most famous gold nugget in the world. Weighing
389.4 ounces Troy (32.4 Troy pounds), it is the largest surviving placer gold nugget from the Western Hemisphere. The second
largest nugget is Alaskan, and is 99-ounces smaller.
*
The story begins in 1989, in the area around Caborca, Mexico, near the Gran Desierto de
Altar in Sonora. The southern Arizona border lies just 50 miles to the north. Ranching is the chief occupation there, but
there are a number of gold and silver mines in the area, along with placer gold deposits in many of the canyons. It was in
one of these canyons that a local gold prospector began his quest to find gold nuggets. He used a new Radio Shack metal detector,
and started to walk; slowly and carefully across the desert, all the while following a grid pattern that would ensure that
no areas would be unchecked.
*
He spent
weeks, hundreds of hours slowly detecting with an occasional 'beep' from his ear-phones. Hundreds of pieces of scrap iron,
old lead bullets and “hot” rocks greeted his efforts. Then, almost seven-weeks to the day he started, ‘the
beep' - the one that sounded a little different. Digging down about eight-inches, he caught that first gleam from it. He could
not believe his eyes! He kept digging and the gleaming gold surface of the huge nugget kept growing. By the time it was completely
unearthed, this incredible nugget weighed over fifteen kilograms! * The
"Boot of Cortez" has passed through a number of hands since its discovery, and has been marveled at by hundreds
of thousands of museum-goers. It was one of the star exhibits at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show in 2004, the theme of which
was simply: "Gold". It was also displayed at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in 2005, and the AmericanMuseum of Natural History in 2006. After almost a year in New York City, the exhibition
closed in August 2007.
Terry holding
a three-pound gold nugget - in Stanton, Arizona.
Hunt for rare and valuable
meteorites with specialized pulse induction and VLF metal detectors in beautiful Arizona!
You’ll be personally instructed by
an experienced Arizona Meteorite Adventures meteorite hunter, who will give you valuable
tips and help you identify your meteorite finds in the strewnfields of Northwest Arizona, just
1-hour from Laughlin, NV or Kingman, AZ.
Full day adventures with the use of – and training
on - cutting edge, specialized meteorite metal detectors start at just $359.00 per person
(we give significant discounts for additional guests)! Call Terry at 914-589-3985 or Email: info@arizonagoldadventures.com
