ok found a lil nugget, is it gold?

[Goes4ever]

with finding the buffalo nickel yesterday I almost forgot about this little guy, what is it? It rang up under the gold/foil area on my Ace 250
I tried to take pictures of it from all sides, penny is for size comparison. If I did not have a pinpointer I would have NEVER located this, that is for sure!!!
It is hard, and it definately is not foil, and it is gold in color.

Ok what is it, anyway possible it IS gold? I doubt it but I had to ask. I am impressed the Ace 250 found this with it being so SMALL!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[Red_desert]

I just tested the nugget color with Paint Shop Pro image software. I tried photo #1 and #2. The brightest light spots show yellow and sometimes light orange, the shadows contain orange. Copper in an alloy could cause that, but so can gold.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!

[Rob66]

The rock looks like some form of magnetite.

 

[bronco]

Looks like something good to me. Drop it in a tall glass of water and see how fast it sinks. Gold falls unnaturaly fast through water. Almost as if it was an empty glass

 

[relic lover]

looks loke a .22 cal shot into the ground my ace 250 never misses one puts out a real strong signal i always think I am digging a coin. I hope I am wrong!

 

[Red_desert]

The rock looks like some form of magnetite.

Garrett's line coin series of microprocessor controlled detectors can't detect magnetite. Yes, we do have magnetite that looks the same as found in Arizona. I have taken my Fisher Gold Bug-2 out behind, just in my back yard...have found those red/black hot rocks of magnetite, hematite, some 12-14 inches wide. In Noble county which is between me and Ohio, during the pioneer days they got 3 bar iron a ton produced from iron ore found in Noble county.

I've never seen any magnetite look metallic. But iron pyrite does, we do get some here, but can't be detected with a Garrett coin series detector...

 

[Red_desert]

looks loke a .22 cal shot into the ground my ace 250 never misses one puts out a real strong signal i always think I am digging a coin. I hope I am wrong!

I've dug smashed bullets while prospecting out West that do look like nuggets, the give away is the oxidized coating of lead oxide plus there usually is a trace of round mark opposite the smash side. I didn't see any roundish mark in any of these photos.

Something else should be considered, was it found anywhere near a building fire? Extreme heat might cause brass to melt like that or gold jewelry...must cover all possibilities.

 

[EggyOG]

Am I the only rockhounding prospector on here? LOL
You already have everything you need to give it a fairly reliable test. If it scratches the penny, it is not gold. I'm putting my money on pyrite due to the angles. Pyrite is made up of tiny cubes. Pyrite will scratch the penny. Gold usually looks yellow and pyrite usually has a "gold" color. I actually have some of my business cards with a piece of pyrite and a 12 mesh nugget laminated into them to help prospectors tell the difference.
You can also push a stick pin into gold without it flaking or breaking, the pin will just sink in.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Am I the only rockhounding prospector on here? LOL
You already have everything you need to give it a fairly reliable test. If it scratches the penny, it is not gold. I'm putting my money on pyrite due to the angles. Pyrite is made up of tiny cubes. Pyrite will scratch the penny. Gold usually looks yellow and pyrite usually has a "gold" color. I actually have some of my business cards with a piece of pyrite and a 12 mesh nugget laminated into them to help prospectors tell the difference.
You can also push a stick pin into gold without it flaking or breaking, the pin will just sink in.

No your not, though I'm also an amateur geologist.

If the nugget is coated with i.e. magnetite it will scratch your penny, a weak acid might do the trick.
If possible heat it outside! see if it will melt platinum won't melt under "low temperatures".
It could be pyrite but I don't think so either. It does not have this nickel ore like color. It's rather silver or platinum color. This does not resemble any cube like properties like pyrite.

 

[Goes4ever]

ok it will NOT scratch a penny, and I tried the glass of water trick, first I tried the glass empty dropped it, then filled with water and dropped it again, both times it falls FAST.

we know it is NOT pyrite, several people have tried and my garrett will not detect pyrite.

it was not found near a building. It was found in the ground in a park.

 

[Goes4ever]

ok here is two more really close pics.....you can see from these pics, there are NO sharp edges

 

[EggyOG]

O.K.,
Now you know it has a hardness of less than 3, the hardness of a modern zinc penny.
DO NOT try to melt it for god's sake! I'm shocked that an amateur geologist would give you that advice. The value of the nugget is greater than the value of the ore for either gold or platinum. Melting it would destroy the value and removing any associated mineral would devalue it considerably. Have someone in a local rock club stick it under a microscope and determine the crystal structure. If it were pyrite the structure would have been visible with a 10 power scope, but we have already ruled that out. If that is silver mixed with gold it is electrum, and a very cool find indeed.
Have someone check it out, but don't allow them to gouge into it. Also don't let it leave your sight unless you really trust the person.

 

[Eu_citzen]

O.K.,
Now you know it has a hardness of less than 3, the hardness of a modern zinc penny.
DO NOT try to melt it for god's sake! I'm shocked that an amateur geologist would give you that advice. The value of the nugget is greater than the value of the ore for either gold or platinum. Melting it would destroy the value and removing any associated mineral would devalue it considerably. Have someone in a local rock club stick it under a microscope and determine the crystal structure. If it were pyrite the structure would have been visible with a 10 power scope, but we have already ruled that out. If that is silver mixed with gold it is electrum, and a very cool find indeed.
Have someone check it out, but don't allow them to gouge into it. Also don't let it leave your sight unless you really trust the person.

OK it will NOT scratch a penny,

It is not harder then 3, try scratching it with your finger nail, it has a hardness of around 2.5.(Moh's scale)
I think you'll need to read my post again eggy.
Eggy know why I gave that suggestion? platinum will not melt easily. Now I can tell it's not platinum as it's harder then that.

Also if it is coated it COULD remove some oxides, sulfides etc. I said heat, not melt by the way
Now we have confirmed that ti is indeed not platinum and you'll not need to heat it
Specimen value is great, I think looks like it's been already exposed to "great" heat.

I'll have to do a search for the info we collected, Goes4Ever try to get a streak test.

I know it can be hazardous ores to so do it at your own risk if you want to try to heat it.

 

[imafishingnutt]

Good grief just take it to a coin shop or a pawn shop and have them do a scratch test with acid
thats what I did with mine
it will also tell you what KT gold it is.

I found mine in a park too.
I think what you have there is melted teeth or maby a melted ring from a cremation. people spread ashes in parks all the time.

id bet money on it.

 

[Goes4ever]

Good grief just take it to a coin shop or a pawn shop and have them do a scratch test with acid
thats what I did with mine
it will also tell you what KT gold it is.

I found mine in a park too.
I think what you have there is melted teeth or maby a melted ring from a cremation. people spread ashes in parks all the time.

id bet money on it.

I know I know, I just have not took the time, every free minute I have off work I am trying to go hunting for goodies

 

[mtntrekr2]

I have several of these nuggets they are brass chunks that went thru the
chipper machine for the wood chips used in parks and tot lots. the wood
chipper will beat a small brass nipple or fitting into small nuggets. It will
seperate out nails and screws and iron with a magnet but the brass will
carry thru with the chips. I also have some that are alluminium.

sorry
Joe

 

[relic lover]

it does look beat up... brass? or the chipper operators wedding ring!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

The Ace will pick up every tiny piece of...

 

[boodydarn]

gold has a density of 19.3 grams /ml or cc. Weigh it in a triple beam balance at your pharmacy. water weighs or displaces 1 gram/ml or cc. See how much water it displaces in ml and the mass of the gold for that amount of water multiplied by 19.3 should equal the weight if the gold if it is gold or anything close. density of silver, lead or copper is around 8 to 11 grams/ml water.
If that is confusing email me.
boodydarn

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Have you taken it to a pawnshop yet?

 

[DJ_Quinn]

I bought a $25 gold acid test kit on ebay, they're really easy to use. I hope your nugget is gold, although it ceratinly looks like pyrite.