Now That's A Nuggett!I

[rks1040]

I was MDing my lot across the street today and got a strong quarter signal on the Fisher F2. It showed it to be 6 inches down in the ground,so I kept digging,and checking,then digging a little more. I finaly seen some thing that was shiney in the bottom of the hole at 8 inches down,but I couldn't pull it out? So I dug around the base of the hole,and kept hitting it,farther out from the center. When I finally got it loose,and out of the hole,I couldn't believe my eyes! This has to be the biggest nugget ever found in Illinois! Now for the rest of this story! An old man that lived next door said there was a dentist that lived there,in the early nineteen hundreds. He would melt down his dental gold and hord it away some where in his house. He said he would also melt down silver and pour it out in holes in the ground for molds. The old man said when he was a kid,that the dentist told him the silver wasn't worth much,but the gold was. Now back to this nugget! It looks like silver,or could be: LEAD! It weighs 2 1/2 lbs,and is soft. I really think it's a lead spill though,but it's the biggest "nugget" I've ever found.in my short time doing it!

 

[knarfj]

Fascinating story! Let us know what it turns out to be. FYI the melting temp.of lead is 621-F and 1,761-F for silver.

Good luck, HH

 

[rks1040]

Fascinating story! Let us know what it turns out to be. FYI the melting temp.of lead is 621-F and 1,761-F for silver.

Good luck, HH

Thanks,for the information! I found that he was thought to hord or hide the gold/silver in his house. The house burnt down to the ground in 1978,before I bought the lot. The neighbor thinks it might have been hidden in a wall,and remelted during the fire as the house brunt? I don't have any idea what tempretures the fire reaches when a house is burning? Knowing my luck,it will be lead!:sad: I had a track hoe come in and clean up the house when I bought the lot. With my luck it also scooped up the gold if there really was any,and hauled it off to the landfill!

 

[JamesBondaka]

Nice find! I too have found several of those although not quite as big. I DO hope its silver... but it appears to be lead. Ive had lots of experience with different metals and it kinda becomes a "second" sense. Who knows ...get it tested!


Good luck to you!

 

[burlbark]

I found one like that, it weighed a solid 10 pounds and was a lead/pewter mix. I would always test the unknown metals though, you just never know.

 

[rks1040]

Yeah,guy's I think it's lead also,but ya never know,having heard the "stories" about the dentist and the house? Where would I get it tested? I live in a small town,and the only jewelry in town has a ,well let's just say less than Honest Abe reputation! Can I get a kit to test the metal?

 

[JamesBondaka]

Yeah,guy's I think it's lead also,but ya never know,having heard the "stories" about the dentist and the house? Where would I get it tested? I live in a small town,and the only jewelry in town has a ,well let's just say less than Honest Abe reputation! Can I get a kit to test the metal?

Yes, you could get one online or you could break off a small piece if the metal looks uniform throughout. You could watch him test it and see what happens. Lead is pretty soft and should be fairly easy to tell. Or....send me a small piece for testing.