Shawn,

Sounds like you been looking around, boots on the ground, very good
Dont lay any money down until you do the due diligents
Check with county recorder (their word is law on gold claims), be sure it's a valid claim, paperwork is complete and up to date, Fee's payed
Then go to BLM, they will take your money with a smile, if anything is amiss with the county, your BLM recipient is worthless, they wont say a word but maybe thank you
Some sellers will over claim another valid claim then turn around and sell to an unknowing person that may not have any recourse
This is not in any way relating to Brian's offer, although see above
Good luck and dont get ripped off

Bill

Thank you Brian and Bill. Good advice and info. I will check out the Western Lights claim on Advanced Geologic website.

Thanks again.

-Shawn

I can not emphasize how much what William Hal said is true about due diligence. Every single claim I've ver checked into buying off E-Bay and Craigslist is complete garbage.

I have staked about five claims myself, and have purchased one claim. the only reason I purchased one claim is the person I was mining with sold it to me, with equipment and it was a good deal. The claim I puurchased has not even produced an ounce, but the equipment was worth the price of the claim.

Be aware of statements like "Withing one mile of <fill in the blank> Mine which produced <Fill in a large amount> of gold. If someone is selling a claim, it needs to be something they worked, and has pictures of the gold produced, for me to be interested.

Here's a few example of bad claims I looked at. One was near a gold bearing creek. Truned out that it wasn't on the creek, but actually located next to a GPAA claim, I actually had access to. I talked to the guy on the phone and he seemed nervous I had a little of knowledge. I certainly did not claim that. Others were claims people made on BLM land that were located on 2,000 feet of valley fill. Not a good place to look for gold on bedrock.

My point is take your time and stick with club claims. Odds are, if a claim is for sale at a price you can afford, it'll be no good.

Brian and Christopher, Thanks for sharing your experience and advice.

Searching for my own claim would be preferred but has not been productive. I know the general areas after spending many, many weekends in California Gold Country but not intimately to know where to look in 20 acre increments that have accessible open gold bearing ground. Finding unstaked claims in gold producing areas is challenging so have been looking for claims that have lapsed/unpaid. I have used the PROSPECTORS app to identify claims that have gone unpaid and would then be available and recently introduced to MineCache (bit have not tried it yet). Any suggestions on finding open ground? Maybe its just a matter of time, driving and sampling.

Thanks again.

-Shawn

stay away from ADVANCED GEOLOGIC .l purchased a claim through them.Big problem with claim after 1 year.called them they wanted more money to straiten it out.STAY AWAY

Hi Maynard, Thanks for sharing your experience. I did check out AG but their claims for sale are too far North for me and too expensive. I have visited a couple of other claims for sale but none met my standards. I am visiting another one to sample and explore this weekend. I am optimistic as the claim is reasonably priced and the seller answered all my questions and then some.

FYI, Western Lights sold and is no longer available.

Hi Brian, Western Lights looked like a good claim and sure the buyer will enjoy their purchase. I did check out Advanced Geologic and their claims for sale but they were too far away and most were out of my price range. I recently bought a claim bought a claim closer to me and for a more affordable price. Appreciate your help and information.

I would suggest to anyone looking to buy a claim sample extensively, verify it is a valid claim on BLM website and request claim information from Sacramento BLM office (they replied to my email during COVID shelter in place). It takes time but worth the wait.

If you are still reading this kudos, feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Happy Prospecting.

-Shawn
coldwaterprospecting@gmail.com

Good luck Shawn, I hope you find buckets of gold! Let me know if I can ever be of assistance to you. Brian Williams

I don't under stand why buy a claim when you can't dredge or high bank and then the 300 ft rule.

Hi Dennis, Buying a claim gives me access to known deposits of gold I don’t have to share with the public. The claim I bought also has nice camping area, swim holes and fishing. Lots of ways to mine for gold without dredging or high banking.

Shawn

Well said Shawn 👍🤝! Some areas are also more miner friendly than others...I have learned over the years to go low profile and always leave your area cleaner than you found it.

Hi Brian, Thanks for the compliment. Totally agree about cleaning up the site and getting a feel for neighbors and potential activities. One time I called the BLM for clarification of rules and at the end of the call he said we don’t drive around looking for violations but respond to complaints. Hint, hint.,, keep a low profile. At least that’s how I interpreted that comment.

Hi shawn. good luck and congratulations. Just read the forum and it give me a lot of encouragement to go out there and look for a claim myself. Just curious about what was your budget? Just wondering because it will give me an idea of how much I should spend or not spend. Thanks.

Hi David, Max budget was 5k but it would need chunky gold throughout the claim. Passed on a 40 acre claim on Bear River that had spotty flood gold and hard to access. It was abalance of gold in samples and accessibility. Most claims are overpriced imo and some are not valid. Visited at least 6 claims before finding one that met all criteria. Email me at coldwaterprospecting@gmail.com for more details I don’t watt to post on forum ;).

Good idea.👍🏻

David, Did you ever look into buying a claim or visit any for sale? They are out there if you are willing to put in the time and effort.

-Shawn

Shawn,

sent you an email, we are looking for a claim for almost identical criteria for our family of rockhounds.

Would love any advise or contacts you have that are trustworthy to aid our search. Much appreciate your willingness to s hare.

May your sluice be filled with treasure!

Dawn F.

Hey Richard,

I continue to recommend Advanced Geologic out of Chester, California. Our family has purchased three claims from them and could not be happier; this will be my fourth year on our claims. We also utilize their annual filing service for a nominal fee and are very satisfied, gives us peace of mind that everything is right and on time. Charlie is a licensed geologist who knows his stuff!, and has become a trusted friend. Check out his claim listings on his website and make him an offer, or check out his prospectors club if you don’t want to purchase your own claim.

I also recommend the New 49er’s Club out of Happy Camp, California...they have some great claims as well.

God Bless!

Brian

Hi Dawn, I received and replied to your email but will provide a summary of the response here. If anyone wants more information feel free to email at coldwaterprosepecting@gmail.com
During my search for my own claim met many people and organizations. Ultimately found my claim listed in the ICMJ Prospecting and Mining classifieds. https://www.icmj.com/ Suggest subscribing if you don't already.
Rick Solinski at Western Mining Alliance will help you locate and file a claim. They also sell claims. Finding your own claim is much cheaper than buying but takes time. https://theminingalliance.com/index.php
Brodec Location Services has many claims for sale. They are located in Nevada County and many of their listings are in this area which is closer for me. I sampled three of their claims but did not buy one (yet). https://brodec.biz/
Advanced Geologic is a good organization too. Charlie helped me with a reclamation bond and have nothing but good things to say. Reviewing their listings and miles to drive they were all a bit too far for a day trip and prices tended to be north of my budget.

Of course sample, sample and sample. Don't be afraid to walk away.

If you are still reading this post congrats as most people don't read till the end. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Happy Prospecting.

-Shawn
coldwaterprospecting@gmail.com