The News: Treasure Hunters Find $250,000 in Centuries - Old Coins

Treasure hunters find
$250,000 in centuries
-old coins

Posted on: 4:04 pm, July 14, 2013, by Matt Knight
(http://wtkr.com/author/wtkrmattknight/), updated on:
04:06pm, J uly 14, 2013 (CNN)

C
onstantly searching for a needle in a haystack
is what Brent Brisben says he does for a living,
and on days like Saturday, the payoff makes
the work worthwhile. Brisben owns the 1715 Treas-
ure Fleet Queens Jewels salvage company. This week-
end, he and his crew of three found quite a few
needles in their oceanic haystack 48 gold coins
that date back 300 years, to be exact.

The coins, called escudos, were part of the treasure
aboard a fleet of 11 Spanish galleons wrecked by a
hurricane off the Florida coast on July 31, 1715. It
was this famous shipwreck that gave this part of Flor-
ida its nickname, The Treasure Coast.

The coins appear to be in good condition, and still
have some legible dates and markings. The oldest
bears the date 1697; the youngest is dated 1714.
The 48 coins have an estimated value of $200,000 to
$250,000, said Brisben. Perhaps the most surprising
thing about the expedition is that the coins were
found just 100 feet from the shoreline, in only six feet
of water.

Though Brisben admits his work is exciting, he says
its not like you see in the movies. You may expect to
see a big galleon on its side with treasure chests over-
flowing, but its not like that at all, he said. With
shipwrecks that old, most of the organic material like
the actual wood of the ship is gone, due to deteriora-
tion. Whats left are mostly metals and pottery, china,
silver buckles, bronze cannons and gold coins.

The coins will be sold to private collectors and the
money raised from the sale will finance further
searching of the wreckage site, Brisben said.
v. 18, n. 8 August 2014 Going for the Gold
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Newsletter
The News
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com
Contents

"When you were born, you cried and the world
rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the
world cries and you rejoice."
-- Cherokee Proverb
1 Treasure hunters find $250,000
in centuries-old coins
2 About The News
3 Nine-Tenths Of A Cent
3 Nomination of Officers for
2014-2015
5 Allenspark, Colorado
6 Saddle Ridge Gold Coin Hoard
Update
9 RMPTH Radio Communication
10 Calendar of Events
11 Calendars
12 1,000 Ounces Of Gold Recovered
From 1857 Shipwreck
13 Annual Paul E. Lange Detector
Coin & Prize Hunt
15 Colorado Treasure Tale
16 Trading Post
18 2014 Schedule of Events
19 Contact List
Page 2 The News, August 2014
T
he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky
Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters
Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is 278
Sierra Vista Drive, Fort Collins, CO. 80524.

Opinions expressed in The News are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the
club or its members. Publication of information in
The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use
of any information found in this publication is at the
sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordi-
nators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors
assume any liability for damages resulting from use
of information in this publication.

Submi ssi ons

Articles, letters and short items of interest on pros-
pecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are
welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for
publication are subject to editing. Submittals for pub-
lication may be made in writing or, preferably, in AS-
CII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have
questions about a submission, please contact the edi-
tor for information.

Copyr i ght

Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups
may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in
The News without prior permission, provided that
proper author and publication credits are given and
that a copy of the publication in which the article ap-
pears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mail-
ing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters
with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their news-
letter together with an exchange request.
About The New s
Adver t i si ng

Classified advertising for topic related items is free
for non-business ads. See the Trading Post section
for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Do-
nations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are avail-
able on request.

About RMPTH

RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social
club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detect-
ing or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an
educational and social forum of mutual benefit for
members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and con-
ducts various field outings, as well as offers special
presentations and seminars. Active participants have
voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News,
is readily available on the Internet. Annual dues are
$25 payable in June. Applicants joining in any month
other than June pay partial dues of $2 per month for
months remaining prior to following June plus $1.

CLUB MEMBERS TAKE NOTE

Club Hats, Shirts, Jackets, & Patches are again available.
See Paul Mayhak at the club meetings to purchase your club items!

We will be running a 50/50 Drawing at each club meeting. At the end of each
meeting Tom will split the pot 50/50 and a lucky member will go home with more
money than they came with.!
The remaining 50% goes to the club treasury.
Nomi nat i on of Of f i c er s f or
2014-2015

Unfortunately, we are late in the selection of
Club Officers for the coming year. Our By-
Laws state that we should have had nomi-
nations in June and elections in July.
Whoops!

So, for this round of selection only, we will
hold nominations at the August Meeting
and Elections at the September Meeting. We
will then fall back into the stipulated cycle
again next June. Come to the July Meeting
with your thoughts for members to fill the
four Officer positions.

Present Officers:

President - Bud Yoder
Interim Vice President - Shane Manenti
Secretary - Heidi Short (Heidi has indicated
that she must be excused from her position
due to her husband's health issues)
Treasurer(s) - Dick and Sharon French

Note that we also need a volunteer for
the position of Club Historian.
Deathbed Instructions to Family

A man is on his deathbed and asked his nurse to be a witness
to his will.

His wife, his daughter and two sons are at his bedside. "So",
he says to them: "Bernie, I want you to take the Beverly Hills
houses..."

"Sybil, take all the apartments over in the Los Angeles Plaza..."

"Hymie, I want you to take over all the offices over in City Cen-
ter..."

"And Sarah, my dear wife, take all the residential buildings
downtown."

The nurse is just blown away by all this, and as Morris slips
away, she says,

"Mrs. Schwartz, your husband must have been a hardworking
man to have accumulated all this property".

Sarah replies, "Property? The idiot had a paper route!"
Nine-Tenths Of A Cent
P
ictured here are gas prices. If you're in the
United States, you probably barely notice the
little numeral 9 underlined and superscripted
next to the main part of the price. That 9 is shorthand
for nine-tenths of a cent, or $0.009. Premium gasoline,
sold above, runs $4.159 -- or, effectively, almost $4.16
(and an amount much closer to that than the high-
lighted $4.15). Prices ending in 9 cents or 99 cents
aren't uncommon in the U.S. or, for that matter, any-
where. But when it comes to gasoline, stations take it
one step further. Instead of making sure prices always
end in 9 cents, they go one place further past the deci-
mal point. That's strange for one very obvious reason --
consumers don't have a way of paying .9 cents to, well,
anyone. There's no fractional cent coins, credit cards
don't have a mechanism to charge you fractions of a
penny, and your bank would probably flip out if you
wrote a check for $4.039. So where did this fraction of
a cent business come from?
Blame the tax man -- and subsequent market oppor-
tunism.

In 1919, according to the U.S. Department of Energy,
gas prices averaged about $0.25. At the time, though,
record keeping and price monitoring were not all that
robust, and prices varied significantly from state to
state and from gas station to gas station; in some
places, a gallon of gas could cost as little as 15 cents.
Consumers were willing purchasers, regardless, as
one's car needs fuel in order to get anywhere. Simi-
larly, the nation needed roads, and it made sense to
tax gasoline sales to fund those avenues -- after all,
drivers were the ones who were going to use them. Ore-
gon introduced the nation's first gas tax that same year
(Continued on page 14)
TREASURE HUNTERS
CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect private property and do no treasure
hunting without the owner's permission.

I WILL fill all excavations.

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, and private property.

I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy
at all times.

I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.

I WILL leave gates as found.

I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I
find.

I WILL NOT litter.

I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left
of ghost towns and deserted structures.

I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or
equipment.
Gold Glossary

PAY - How much gold that a lode or streambed is
yielding to a mining activity is often expressed as to
how much that it is "paying".
Find of the Month
Winners
July, 2014

Most Valuable Coin:
Tom Warne - 1867 Shield
Nickel
Oldest Coin:
Tom Warne - 1834 Capped Bust
Dime
Largest Raw Gold:
No Entry
Most Raw Gold:
No Entry
Best Bottle:
Mike Noll Cocaine Kidney Cure
Best Jewelry:
Dave Landes - Pocket Watch
Most Unique Find (Excavated):
Mike Noll - Antique Lighter
Most Unique Find (Non-
Excavated):
Betsy Emond - Antique Ironing
Board
Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil:
Mike Noll Early Rabbit Skinner
Blade

Alright . Where is all the gold!!!
Property Wanted
For Detector Hunt

RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold
an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be
most ideal if this property is known to have seen some
past historical activity. If you have such property or
know of someone who does, please contact Rick
Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.
Mineral Specimen Identification

As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State
College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric
Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE
MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants
will aid in the education of future Geoscientists!

Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions
can be downloaded
from:
SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN
http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/
MINID.pdf
Refreshment Volunteers

August Ray Hettinger
September Volunteer Needed
October Barb Schuldt
November Sam Banulis
Allenspark, Colorado

A
llenspark in Boulder County, Colorado got its
name from a miner who built the first cabin in
the area. During the Colorado Gold Rush of
1859, Allenspark's namesake, Alonzo Nelson Allen,
left his family in Columbus, Wisconsin, to seek his
fortune in what is now Colorado. He settled on the St.
Vrain River, south of the current city of Longmont,
Colorado. Allen prospected and ran cattle in Al-
lenspark and built a cabin there in 1864. The cabin
burned down in 1894, the year Allen died.

In the late 1890s, most residents of the Allenspark
area were farmers or ranchers, but by the early 1900s
there was a resurgence in gold fever. The Clara Belle
Mining and Reduction Co. attracted investors from as
far away as Omaha, Nebraska, for what turned out to
be a folly. Meanwhile, tourism was booming, and
farmers and miners alike found a better income cater-
ing to tourists during the summer months.

Gold Rush Expeditions, Inc

Allenspark Lodge
Saddle Ridge Gold Coin
Hoard Update

M
aybe there is a pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. In early spring 2013, while taking
their dog on their daily walk, a young couple
noticed a canister jutting out of the ground at the edge
of the trail. Their property in Californias gold coun-
try had a colorful history that stretched back to the
earliest days of the gold rush, and they were accus-
tomed to finding evidence of its past in the form of old
nails, cans and tools buried around their land.

Using a nearby stick, they unearthed the can. Unlike
most of the containers that had turned up over the
years, this one was sealed and very heavy so heavy
that they guessed that it must be full of old lead paint.
As the can was set down, the lid
cracked off, exposing the edge of
a single gold coin. The couple
immediately realized that they
were looking at a proverbial pot
of gold.

Returning to the site over the
course of a week, they managed
to locate another seven cans
each filled with rare gold coins.
In all, 1,427 U.S. gold coins
with a face value of $27,980
were uncovered in an area that
they nicknamed Saddle Ridge
little did they know that they
had made the greatest find of
buried treasure in U.S. history!

In all the treasure consists of
1,373 $20s, fifty $10s and four
$5 gold pieces.

Recognizing the need for profes-
sional numismatic assistance,
the owners contacted Kagins
Inc. of Tiburon California, the
nations oldest family owned
rare coin dealership and gold coin specialists. They
met with senior numismatist, David McCarthy, who
informed the family of the significance of their discov-
ery. He and Kagin counseled that the group would be
best served by having Kagins professionally conserve
each coin in order to restore its original luster and
preserve the integrity of the coins surfaces. Months
of painstaking work resulted in an incredible trans-
formation of the coins: in some cases, pieces that ap-
peared to be no better than lumps of dirt or rust were
transformed into pristine specimens, thereby adding
millions of dollars to the value of the coins.

Once the coins had been conserved, Kagins arranged
with the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) to
authenticate, grade and encapsulate the coins in her-
metically sealed plastic.

The certification revealed that over a dozen of the
coins are either the finest known or tied for the finest
known specimens of their respective dates.

This super high quality hoard is a literal time cap-
sule, exclaimed PCGS founder David Hall, The Sad-
dle Ridge Hoard discovery is not only one of the most
amazing numismatic stories; it also is an incredible
human interest story!

This will be regarded as one of the best stories in the
history of our hobby, added PCGS President Don
Willis.

Once the discovery of the Saddle Ridge Hoard was
made public, the story went viral throughout the me-
dia stories about the coins made their way around
the world and onto over
1,000,000 websites. Within a
week, Kagins had been con-
tacted by more prospective pur-
chasers than there were coins in
the entire hoard, and several
individuals offered to buy the
group outright; however, from
the very beginning, the family
that found the treasure felt very
strongly that anyone interested
in owning one of the coins
should have an opportunity to
buy one.

The family learned that a San
Francisco non-profit, the San
Francisco Museum and Histori-
cal Society (SFMHS), was at-
tempting to raise money to reno-
vate the second San Francisco
Mint and develop an on-site mu-
seum, but that the funds raised
thus far would not begin to meet
the projects needs.

In a bid to raise both money
and awareness for the project,
the family agreed to allow the SFMHS to auction an
1874-S $20 Double Eagle from the Saddle Ridge
Hoard at the Mint during a fundraiser on Tuesday,
May 27th. The $20 gold piece, struck during the
Mints first year of production, will be the first coin
from the Saddle Ridge Hoard to be sold and is the
only coin from the treasure that will be sold at auc-
tion. The family also agreed to loan 60 coins from the
Saddle Ridge Hoard for display during the fundraiser.
The group will include an 1866-S No Motto $20 gold
piece valued at over $1 Million and will be the largest
number of coins from the hoard that will ever be seen
together publicly.

One of the treasure cans and the sophisticated search
toola stick!
I applaud the discoverers of the Saddle Ridge Hoard
for making a charitable donation their first act, noted
Don Kagin, Ph.D., president of Kagins, Inc., the nu-
mismatic firm that will sell the balance of the hoard,
Their thoughtful generosity will significantly increase
awareness of this wonderful architectural icon and
the need for capital infusion to develop space that is
currently underutilized into a state-of-the-art San
Francisco History, Gold Rush and Money Museum.

The story of a family discovering a cache of 1,427
U.S. gold coins buried on their property has been re-
ported by over 1,000,000 web sites and news agencies
worldwide. The treasure, contained in eight buried
cans, consists of four $5 gold pieces, fifty $10 gold
pieces, and 1,373 $20 double eagles most of which
will be offered for sale by Kagins on Amazon.com im-
mediately following the San Francisco Mint fund-
raiser.

The family loved the idea that
these coins could help in the ef-
fort to restore the building where
most of the Saddle Ridge Hoard
coins were made, says David
McCarthy, Senior Numismatist at
Kagins, Gratitude has been one
of the words that has come up in
nearly all of our conversations.
The family believes that gratitude
is not just a feeling it is a re-
sponsibility to share their good
fortune. This was a perfect op-
portunity to do just that.

The auction of the first Saddle
Ridge Hoard coin represents a
wonderful opportunity both to
raise funds for the continued
renovation of the Old Mint build-
ing and to bring greater aware-
ness of this iconic landmark and
the urgent need for funding its
full restoration, explained
SFMHS president, Jim Lazarus.
He thanked the finders of the hoard for their appre-
ciation of the Old Mints connection to the Saddle
Ridge Hoard and California history and their public-
spirited generosity in donating the auction proceeds.

The San Francisco Mint first opened in 1854, quickly
becoming the largest Branch Mint in the United
States. California gold production soon overwhelmed
the first Mint, and by 1870 construction had begun
on a new mint, now affectionately known as The
Granite Lady. Opening in 1874, the second San Fran-
cisco Mint produced more coinage each year than all
other U.S. Mints combined and was one of the few
buildings that survived the 1906 earthquake that dev-
astated San Francisco, becoming an essential part of
efforts to rebuild the city. In 2003, the U.S. Govern-
ment Service Administration sold the Mint to the City
of San Francisco for $1. The City then awarded the
(Continued from page 6) SFMHS a lease to develop The Granite Lady as a
museum of San Francisco and Gold Rush history.

The California family who discovered over $10 Million
in buried gold coins while walking their dog has de-
cided to use the first piece of their newfound fortune
to help save the National landmark where 1,312 of
the 1,427 gold coins in the now-famous Saddle Ridge
Hoard were struck.

The family learned that a San Francisco non-profit,
the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society
(SFMHS), was attempting to raise money to renovate
the second San Francisco Mint and develop an on-site
museum, but that the funds raised thus far would not
begin to meet the projects needs.
In a bid to raise both money and awareness for the
project, the family agreed to allow the SFMHS to auc-
tion an 1874-S $20 Double Eagle from the Saddle
Ridge Hoard at the Mint during a fundraiser on Tues-
day, May 27
th
. The $20 gold
piece, struck during the
Mints first year of produc-
tion, will be the first coin
from the Saddle Ridge
Hoard to be sold and is the
only coin from the treasure
that will be sold at auc-
tion. The family also agreed
to loan 60 coins from the
Saddle Ridge Hoard for dis-
play during the fund-
raiser. The group will in-
clude an 1866-S No Motto
$20 gold piece valued at
over $1 Million and will be
the largest number of coins
from the hoard that will ever
be seen together publicly.
I applaud the discoverers of
the Saddle Ridge Hoard for
making a charitable dona-
tion their first act, noted
Don Kagin, Ph.D., president
of Kagins, Inc., the numis-
matic firm that will sell the
balance of the hoard, Their thoughtful generosity will
significantly increase awareness of this wonderful ar-
chitectural icon and the need for capital infusion to
develop space that is currently underutilized into a
state-of-the-art San Francisco History, Gold Rush and
Money Museum.

The story of a family discovering a cache of 1,427
U.S. gold coins buried on their property has been re-
ported by over 1,000,000 web sites and news agencies
worldwide. The treasure, contained in eight buried
cans, consists of four $5 gold pieces, fifty $10 gold
pieces, and 1,373 $20 double eagles most of which
will be offered for sale by Kagins on Amazon.com im-
mediately following the San Francisco Mint fund-
raiser.

First Coin Examined and Conserved
The family loved the idea that these coins could help
in the effort to restore the building where most of the
Saddle Ridge Hoard coins were made, says David
McCarthy, Senior Numismatist at Kagins, Gratitude
has been one of the words that has come up in nearly
all of our conversations. The family believes that grati-
tude is not just a feeling it is a responsibility to
share their good fortune. This was a perfect opportu-
nity to do just that.

The auction of the first Saddle Ridge Hoard coin
represents a wonderful opportunity both to raise
funds for the continued renovation of the Old Mint
building and to bring greater awareness of this iconic
landmark and the urgent need for funding its full res-
toration, explained SFMHS president, Jim Laza-
rus. He thanked the finders of the hoard for their
appreciation of the Old Mints connection to the Sad-
dle Ridge Hoard and California history and their pub-
lic-spirited generosity in donating the auction pro-
ceeds.

The San Francisco Mint first opened in 1854, quickly
becoming the largest Branch Mint in the United
(Continued from page 7)
Before You Buy That Metal Detector Handbook Check:

http://www.mdhtalk.org/articles/before-you-buy-hb/before-you-buy-handbook.pdf
States. California gold production soon overwhelmed
the first Mint, and by 1870 construction had begun
on a new mint, now affectionately known as The
Granite Lady. Opening in 1874, the second San Fran-
cisco Mint produced more coinage each year than all
other U.S. Mints combined and was one of the few
buildings that survived the 1906 earthquake that dev-
astated San Francisco, becoming an essential part of
efforts to rebuild the city. In 2003, the U.S. Govern-
ment Service Administration sold the Mint to the City
of San Francisco for $1. The City then awarded the
SFMHS a lease to develop The Granite Lady as a
museum of San Francisco and Gold Rush history.

Following the auction, at 9:00 PM Pacific Time
(Midnight Eastern Time) the balance of the coins from
the Saddle Ridge Treasure will be made available for
sale live on the Kagins.com and Amazon.com web-
sites. For further information contact Kirsten at
kirsten@kagins.com or 415-435-2601 .

J ust one of the conserved coins from the incredible cache.
Quote of the Day from the Los Angeles Times

"Frankly, I don't know what it is about California, but we
seem to have a strange urge to elect really obnoxious women
to high office. I'm not bragging, you understand, but no
other state, including Maine, even comes close. When it
comes to sending left-wing dingbats to Washington, we're
Number One. There's no getting around the fact that the
last time anyone saw the likes of Barbara Boxer, Dianne Fein-
stein, Maxine Waters, and Nancy Pelosi, they were stirring a
cauldron when the curtain went up on 'Macbeth'.

The four of them are like jackasses who happen to possess
the gift of blab. You don't know if you should condemn them
for their stupidity or simply marvel at their ability to form
words."

Columnist Burt Prelutsky,
Los Angeles Times
RMPTH Radio
Communication

By Rick Mattingly

A
s noted numerous times in the
past, RMPTH has adopted the
FRS (Family Radio Service) radio
as the official communication tool for all
outdoor club activities. Numerous
manufacturers offer the FRS radio at
very reasonable cost, often further dis-
counted when purchased as a pair. Note
that most newer models provide a sub-
channel feature, which allows even
more channel selection options in busy
communication areas. If looking to pur-
chase, please consider a model which
provides the sub-channel feature.

At the May Club meeting, I had made a
verbal reminder that we do utilize the
FRS radio on outings. I also noted that
there are now GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) ra-
dio models available which provide greater communica-
tion range, typically up to fifteen miles under ideal condi-
tions. FRS unit range is typically several miles at best.
The GMRS units also feature the FRS radio channels in
addition to providing even more channels which are only
available to GMRS units.

Member Don Steele quite properly commented that the
GMRS radios do require an FCC li-
cense to operate (due to the greater
transmission power and range in-
volved). The FRS units DO NOT re-
quire an FCC license but the GMRS
units DO!

The FCC GMRS radio license is a five-
year license at a cost of $80. The li-
cense is obtained directly from the
FCC (Federal Communication Com-
mission) by telephone or online via the
Internet. Any GMRS unit purchase
should include the required informa-
tion for licensing in the packaging.

Further information regarding FRS
and GMRS radio communication and
licensing requirements is available
online at: http://www.fcc.gov/

Use the Search option on the home
page to search for the term "GMRS
Home". Choosing the top entry from the results will take
you to the General Mobile Radio Service web page which
contains all info regarding both FRS and GMRS radio
use.

Motorola FRS
Cobra GMRS
Calendar of Events
MAP TO THE MEETI NG PLACE
Pul l i am Communi t y Bui l di ng
545 Cl evel and Avenue, Lovel and, Col or ado
Directions:
The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland,
Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is from
the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).
August Meet i ng
Wednesday, August 6. We will meet at the Pulliam
Building in downtown Loveland at 6:00PM. Refer to
the adjoining map for directions.

Meeting Agenda
6:00 - 7:00 Social Hour & Finds Program
7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of
the Month Program. Nomination of Officers.
7:30 - 7:45 Break
7:45 - 9:00 "The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872
By Bud Yoder.
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At
http://rmpth.com
RMPTH DUES
RMPTH is an unincorpo-
rated Social Club with
no income generated. All
expenses are covered by
$25 annual dues. Mem-
bers are requested to
consider minor donations
at each monthly meeting
to cover refreshments.

August 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2
3 4 5 6
RMPTH Finds Program
& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14
RMPTH Board Meet-
ing 6:00p
15 16
Off-Road Detector
Hunt
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Vics Gold Panning
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
September 2014
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Labor Day
2 3
RMPTH Finds Program
& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
4 5 6
Historic Fort Lara-
mie WY Tour
7 8 9 10 11
RMPTH Board Meet-
ing 6:00p
12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Annual Coin & Prize
Hunt 9:30a
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch
and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations
and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor
Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each
issue of The News. Please get information about any par-
ticular event to him by the 15
th
of the month to meet the
printing deadline for the next issue.

Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs
are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.
Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and
activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongo-
ing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are
emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings.
Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you
have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for
fieldtrips, outings, and programs.

The best made plans may change at the last minute due
to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, ve-
hicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please
be understanding of extenuating circumstances and con-
tact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if
there is any question of an event being cancelled or
changed at the last minute.
Lieutenant Caspar Collins, at Fort
Laramie in 1862, wrote, "I never
observed so many men so anxious to
have a fight with Indians."

Caspar was himself killed shortly
thereafter at the Battle of Platte
Bridge, Wyoming Territory.

Casper, Wyoming was named for
Casper Collins but they misspelled
Caspars name in the process.

Fort Collins, Colorado was named
after Caspars father, Colonel
William Collins, commander of Fort
Laramie at the time of Caspars
death.
1,000 Ounces Of Gold
Recovered From 1857
Shipwreck

By Kitco News
Monday May 5, 2014

Close to 1,000 ounces of gold, worth about
$1.3 million dollars, has been recovered from an
1857 shipwreck off the coast of South Carolina.

O
dyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NASDAQ:
OMEX), seen as a pioneer in deep-ocean explo-
ration, recovered the gold April 15, during its
first two-hour exploration dive of the SS Central America
shipwreck site, the company said Monday.

The gold recovered included five gold ingots and two $20
Double Eagle coins; one of the coins was minted in 1857
in San Francisco and the other coin was minted in 1850
in Philadelphia.

The SS Central America was first discovered in 1988, at
a depth of 7,200 feet, and recovery operations were con-
ducted until 1991; according to media reports, the initial
recovery operations were halted as the discovery became
mired in legal disputes as 39 insurance companies filed
claims for the recovered gold.

On March 6 Odyssey was awarded the exclusive contract
for the recovery operation. Along with the gold, the re-
connaissance dive also recovered a bottle, a piece of pot-
tery a sample of the ships wooden structure.

"This dive confirms for me that the site has not been dis-
turbed since 1991, when I was last there," said Bob Ev-
ans chief scientist and historian for Recovery Limited
Partnership, one of the companies who originally found
the wreck site.

According to historical records, the SS Central America
was caught in a hurricane on Sept. 12, 1857 and sank
160 miles off the coast of South Carolina. The ship was
carrying 425 passengers along with a large consignment
of gold from ingots to freshly minted coins.

During the initial four-year recovery operation a large
quantity of gold was discovered from about 5% of the
shipwreck site

By Neils Christensen of Kitco News;
nchristensen@kitco.com

Map to Miosek Property southwest of Berthoud, Colorado
2014 ANNUAL PAUL E. LANGE DETECTOR COIN & PRIZE HUNT
POT LUCK LUNCH AND TAILGATE SWAP MEET
SATURDAY, September 20 2014
Bob & Darlene Miosek Property
3413 Meining Road Southwest of Berthoud, Colorado

Please follow the directions to the Mioseks home provided above and remember that bathroom facilities will be limited. We
want to Thank Bob and Darlene in advance for opening their property to the club once again for this annual event.

Remember, a fun event like this with good friends is hungry business! So, bring your favorite foods for the Potluck after the
hunt. The club will provide eating utensils, plates, cups, napkins, and coffee. This year we will again have a Swap Meet after
lunch, so bring your items for sale or trade!

This fun detector hunt is open to all members in good standing as of September 3rd. Cost for active dues-paid RMPTH
members & immediate family member is $15. Ages 12 & younger are Free!!

10:00 Whistle blows promptly to start event.
12:00 Whistle blows to end event.
Pot Luck commences shortly thereafter!!

The field will be planted with 1950s wheat pennies stamped with numbers which will correspond with a tracking sheet to
determine the prize associated with that number from which will be redeemed for US silver coins, US Type coins and other
non-coin prizes. This will be a hunt based purely on luck rather than skill, with easy to locate and recover targets for all.

Remember to bring your membership card.
Yearly membership dues WILL NOT be accepted at the Coin Hunt.
If you want to participate, dues must be paid in full by the September 3rd Meeting

NON-MEMBERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE

2014 Coordinators: Mike Noll and Shane Manenti
-- and it was a significant one, at 5 cents per gallon.
Other states soon instituted their own gas taxes, but
not all were as pricey as Oregon's. After all, a 10% to
33% tax is on the high end, even by today's standards.

As these taxes became more popular, they caused a
problem for the gas companies. This was especially
true as the economy contracted dramatically during
the Great Depression, as explained by the chief econo-
mist of the American Petroleum Institute, John Felmy.
In 2011, Felmy told Reuters that gas prices fell to ten
cents during the Great Depression and, at the same
time, the Federal government instituted a 1.5 cent per
gallon tax. (The Department of Energy link above has
gas falling to $0.18 per gallon in 1933, but that's an
average across the country and over the course of a full
year.) The fuel companies didn't want to bear the full
burden of the tax, so they decided to pass that cost
onto the consumer in the form of a price hike. But
rounding up to the full penny wasn't something drivers
(Continued from page 3) could handle due to the financial troubles of the era,
and the increasingly-competitive roadside gas stations
didn't dare round that half-cent up to a full one. (And
in case you don't want to trust an industry talking
head, American Public Media's Marketplace show has
similar anecdotes from everyday people.)

The fractional-cent tax has become entrenched over the
years; the Federal gas tax is 18.4 cents and not a single
state tax rounds that to a whole penny. Consumers,
over time, have become used to the fractional cent's
inclusion and likely ignore it. In turn, gas retailers
used it to their advantage. Instead of pricing gas a
$3.99 a gallon, its priced at $3.999 simply because
consumers dont tend to recognize the difference. All
those overlooked parts of a penny add up, too; nation-
wide, those nine-tenths total up to around $200 mil-
lion to $400 million of additional revenue each year.

The Homestead - Boulder County 1890
Symbol: AU
Atomic Number: 79
Atomic Weight: 196.967
Melting Point: 1063 (1945 F)
Specific Gravity: 19.2
MOHs Scale of Hardness:
2.5 - 3

Karat

24K =100% Pure Gold
18K =75% Pure Gold
14K =58% Pure Gold
10K =42% Pure Gold

Troy Weights

1 grain =0.0648 grams
24 grains =1 penny
weight (DWT) =1.552 grams
20 DWT =1 ounce =
480 grains =31.10 grams
Gol d Fac t s
YOUR
ADVERTISEMENT
COULD BE HERE!
Call Rick Mattingly
at 970-613-8968
or rickmatt@q.com
Colorado Treasure Tale

Tr easur e Mount ai n

I
n the late 1700s a French expedition of 300 men and 450 horses
journeyed from an outpost at present-day Leavenworth, Kansas
on their way to the Rocky Mountains. Once they reached the
mountains, they began to prospect, at first without success. Working
their way south, they made camp several miles east of Wolf Creek
Pass, near present-day Summitville.

Prospecting in the many creeks and streams of the area, they suppos-
edly found a large amount of gold on Treasure Mountain. The amount
of gold today would be valued at as much as $33 million dollars. The
Frenchmen stored the gold in three different places and the com-
manding officer was in charge of the map.

When the French arrived, the Indians did not initially disturb them,
but as time went on, the Indians mounted a brutal attack upon the
expedition and a fevered battle ensued. Quickly, the French buried
the gold and made new maps, but most of the Frenchmen were killed
by the Indians. Only an estimated 17 to 35 men were able to flee the
area, only to be attacked again, once they reached the Front Range.
After this second brutal strike, only five weary men began the journey
back to Kansas. However, winter was upon them, and starvation and
bitter conditions killed three more, leaving only two who finally stum-
bled into the Kansas outpost. Even then, only one of the two survived.
The sole survivor, a man by the name of "Le Blanc, was the expedi-
tions historian. After recuperating at the outpost he made the long
journey back to France, with two copies of the treasure map, one of
which he gave to the French government, the other, he kept for him-
self.

A second expedition was mounted to retrieve the buried treasure,
though it is unclear weather the mission was conveyed by La Blancs
family or by the French government. Fifty men headed back to the
Summitville area, passing through Taos, New Mexico, where they
hired a guide to lead them to the area.

However, months later, the guide returned to Taos alone, claiming
the entire expedition had again been wiped out by the Indians. The
Taos locals were suspicious of the "sole survivor and in the last
Mexican trial held in United States territory, they tried him for mur-
der but he was acquitted. Some theories claim the whole story was
contrived by the Frenchmen, who secretly found the gold and re-
turned to France, paying the guide to return to Taos, New Mexico with
the untrue story of a massacre.

Over the years, several maps have appeared which claim to lead to
the buried treasure. A man by the name of William Yule supposedly
had a copy of the original and searched the entire western side of the
valley, north to Saguache, without success. Later, a prospector
Gold Glossary

PLACER DEPOSIT - Free gold that has
eroded away from its original lode and
has been swept into a stream of run-
ning water, will tend to accumulate in
certain common locations. These accu-
mulations are called placer deposits.
All mistakes and
misspellings were
intentionally made so
that you could have the
pleasure of finding them.
Trading Post

About Tr adi ng Post

The News runs classified ads in Trading Post
for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads
for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70
words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading
Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968
evenings
or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com

Commer c i al Adver t i si ng
Spec i f i c at i ons
(Mont hl y Donat i on Rat e)

Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") $30
Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") $20
One Third Page (3" X 4") $15
Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $ 5

Ads must be received by the 15th of the
preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for in-
formation on this service at
(970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at:
rickmatt@q.com.
Col or ado School of Mi nes
Geol ogy Museum
Gol den, Col or ado

Contact us: 303-273-3815 or
geomuseum@mines.edu

Identification of specimens is performed
between 10 a.m. and noon, Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
FOR SALE: Whites MXT. Lightly used. Price includes fab-
ric carrying case. Asking $400.00. Call 303 747 2305 or
e-mail edmaiedwards@aol.com

WANTED: By NRA Card Holding Law Abiding Private
Citizen. Colt S&W Ruger Taurus .357 Wheel Gun/
Revolver for Home/Personal Defense. If you have a
Collectors Item, Please keep it. Im looking for a gun
to shoot/Not display. LMK what ya got. Thanks.
970.222.2323

FOR SALE: Jewelers propane/oxygen torch, many cabo-
chons, beads and tools. Contact Ann at
(970) 6667-3705.

FOR SALE: A "MUST HAVE" T-Shirt for every Prospector
and Treasure Hunter. Quality 100% cotton tees. See and
order from:
http://BestBlackandGold.com.

FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector:
10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two
batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack,
waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, in-
struction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the
gold. New Price: $1625. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846.

FOR SALE: 5HP pump motor, Gold King 3" Hi-banker with
dredge attachment w/adjustable stand, Gold Grabber Hi-
banker, 125 feet hose, Rock net and steel cable, misc. fit-
tings and valves & large metal bucket. Prefer to sell all to-
gether for $1,350 but negotiable. Call Eric Stickland at
(303) 833-6848 or
estick@live.com.

WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-221-
1623

WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Con-
tact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.

NOTE:
Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and
seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.

named Asa Poor supposedly obtained the map from
Yule and with two partners, was able to locate several
landmarks leading to the treasure, but never found
the hidden gold. One of Poor's partners, named Mon-
troy, retained possession of the map, but it disap-
peared several years later.

More recently, a local area family, who claims to be
direct descendents of Le Blanc, professes to be in
possession of an authentic map written in French.
Supposedly, for three generations they have been qui-
etly searching for the lost cache. After years of search,
the family members claim to have located seven of the
eight landmarks that are mentioned on the map.

Then, in 1993, one of the family members was hunt-
ing elk in the mountains south of Del Norte. When a
cold hard rain began to fall, he took shelter in a 3-foot
opening in the ground, which turned out to be a 5 by
4 foot wide man made tunnel. Exploring the tunnel,
he crawled about 20 feet into the hillside, when sud-
denly his path was blocked by an underground land-
slide. Shining his flashlight around the dark passage-
way, he observed a carving in the rock wall, which
was supposedly the long-lost eighth clue. The follow-
ing day, 20 of the family members returned to the
passageway to excavate the cave-in, tunneling an addi-
tional twelve feet into the mountainside. Getting late
in the day, the family lined the length of the passage-
way with candles but before they got a chance to light
them a rattlesnake lunged out of the gloom at the end
of the tunnel just barely missing one of the family
members.

Frantically, he scrambled back to the entrance when a
swarm of bats poured out from the hillside, squeak-
ing and diving aggressively at the surprised party. Un-
daunted, they knelt down to light the first candle at
the entrance to the tunnel when the candle at the far
end of the tunnel inexplicably flared on by itself!
While the stunned group gaped at each other in hor-
ror, a huge owl dive-bombed the shocked party within
inches of their heads. Terrified by these unusual
events, the family fled the passageway and returned
home.

Is the French gold "guarded by an unknown entity?
Something eerie happened that day. Though scared
off that day, the family has since obtained the Colo-
rado state treasure rights to legally enter the cave and
claim whatever treasure may remain there.

Additional information also suggests that the Ute Indi-
ans may have acquired some of the French gold dur-
ing the battle that occurred, hiding it near the mouth
of the Rio Grande Canyon.
(Continued from page 15)

WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE
MINERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect other prospectors claims and not work
those claims without the owners permission

I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses

I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and
in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines

I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cog-
nizant of their potential destructive effect on the envi-
ronment

I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and
debris that I find - I will not litter

I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to
those around me at all time

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and
respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting
and mining

I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy
natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge
excess silt into the waterways

I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream

I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized
equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water

I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting
and mining
Offer Your Assistance To Any
Of Our Program Coordinators
Month Meeting Program Trip/Activity
J anuary
Battery Facts
By Batteries Plus
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
February
Found Explosives Safety
By Rick Mattingly
March
Gold Wheel Recovery
By Darrel Koleber
Colorado School of Mines Museum Tour
Internet Research Clinic - Rick Mattingly
April
Crack, Crevasse Prospecting
By Bryon Morgan
Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park -
Advertised and Open to the Public
Phoenix Mine Tour Idaho Springs
May
Geophysics and Excavation of Alonzo
Allen Cabin Site Near Allenspark
By Heidi Short
Clear Creek Gold Outing
Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas Event GPOC
J une
Metal Detecting
By Rick Mattingly & Paul Mayhak
Clear Creek Gold Outing
Diamond Hunt Outing
State Annual Gold Panning Championships
J uly
Wyoming Prospecting
By Wayne SutherlandWSGS
Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing - Robert Crain
Clear Creek Gold Outing - Darrel Koleber
August
The Great Diamond Hoax
By Rick Mattingly
Off-Road Detector Outing
Vics Gold Panning Outing
September
Bottle Hunting
By Rick Mattingly
Annual Coin & Prize Hunt
Fort Laramie Wyoming Tour
Denver Colorado Gem & Mineral Show
October
Emergency Planning
By Light House Ready
Grassland Detector Outing
November
Annual Show & Tell &
Silent Auction
December
Annual Find of the Year Awards &
Christmas Party
Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show
Good Hunting in 2014!
Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club
2014 Schedule of Events
Lets Go For The Gold !
Rocky Mountain
Prospectors & Treasure Hunters
Contact List
RMPTH Coordinators Home E-Mail
President Bud Yoder bydu812@yahoo.com
Interim Vice President Shane Manenti 1-970-590-9183 manentiwe2@msn.com
Treasurer Dick & Sharon French 1-970-482-2110 dickyf99@centurylink.net
Secretary Heidi Short 1-970-532-1167 heishort@gmail.com

The News Staff
Editor-in-Chief Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 rickmatt@q.com

Internet Web Site
Web Master Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 rickmatt@q.com

Volunteers/Coordinators
Finds Program
Paul Mayhak
Betsy Emond
J oe J ohnston
1-970-482-7846
1-970-218-0290
1-303-696-6950
pjmcolo@q.com
bemond@fcgov.com
cjoej1@peoplepc.com
Presentations Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968 rickmatt@q.com
Club Historian Barbara Schuldt 1-970-407-1336
Club Meeting Greeter Barbara Schuldt 1-970-407-1336
Club Librarian J oe J ohnston 1-303-696-6950 cjoej1@peoplepc.com
Club Photo Librarian Heidi Short 1-970-532-1167 heishort@gmail.com
Panning Demos
Bryan Morgan
Darrell Koleber
1-970-416-0608
1-970-669-2599
brymorg@frii.com
gutshot1016@yahoo.com
Meeting Setup Shane Manenti 1-970-590-9183 manentiwe2@msn.com
Door Prize
Paul Mayhak
J ohnny Berndsen
1-970-482-7846
1-970-667-1006
pjmcolo@q.com

50/50 Drawing Woody Hogdon 1-970-667-5010 ftcolwoody@juno.com
Coin Raffle Shane Manenti 1-970-590-9183 manentiwe2@msn.com
General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-613-8968
Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com
AUGUST, 2014 ISSUE
The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Club
278 Sierra Vista Drive
Fort Collins, CO. 80524

The News: Treasure Hunters Find $250,000 in Centuries - Old Coins

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