Placer Gold or Refined?

[fasteddy]

Do any of ya'll buy placer gold nuggets? Do you purchase for financial stability, investment or other reasons? What size do you try to acquire? What is your acceptable premium? What do you look for when buying nuggets?

I have been reseaching this and you can get 1 gram of small/medium nuggets for around $65 US but for a few bucks more you can buy 1 gram refined. I am looking for other gold purchase options not necessarily cheaper but different.

FE

[Copper Catcher]

Gold nuggets are neat! However you have to understand that size and purity all matter in trying to determine the price. Likewise crystalline gold will command a premium as well.

Nuggets from Australia for instance are more pure than Alaska, It is not as simple as taking the gold price and dividing by the number of grams to determine the value.

You might want to look at the auctions on eBay from chickenminer and or go to his website
http://www.chickenminer.com/. He is a full time miner who lives in Chicken, Alaska! I've purchased gold from him in the past and he is always great to deal with.

The bigger the mesh number the smaller the size of the flakes or nuggets:
http://www177.pair.com/nugget5/goldsizechart.jpg

Most of the time you can get gold dust and flakes much cheaper than nuggets. But beware some on eBay will quote grains versus grams or not be upfront and use a millimeter ruler versus show one that has inches.

Gold in any form is good to have! I hope this helps a little....

[Copper Catcher]

Also, while not as prevalent I have seen fake gold nuggets. Normally they are copper nuggets because they have some weight to them and then they are heavy gold plated.

Some folks also take scrap gold and try to make it look like a nugget but normally you can tell that is not a real worn stream washed nugget.

[Mossy]

I don't touch raw gold for investments. People into jewelry love them, but the purity is just too erratic to invest in, IMO.

[uthminsta]

Nuggets from Australia for instance are more pure than Alaska

Are the different places known for different average purities?

[fasteddy]

Thanks for the links CC..I have been on them, no purchase yet but its comin....Aaron...I have found the AK gold to be commonly in the 20 to 22 carat range and the Australian gold is 23 carats or better however there are anomolies in purer gold from AK and if you want it, it will cost you. Pricing these gold nuggets makes me want to go back to the Molly Kathleen with a small pick

[uthminsta]

I got a very small nugget that was "attributed" to the Yuba River. Any idea what purity it most likely is?

[galenrog]

Nuggets are for collectors. Everything else goes into the smelter, and later to a refiner. I generally place the label of "nugget" on any individual piece over 1/4 gram

[Copper Catcher]

I just wrote an article for the Gold Prospectors Association Mar/April 2012 magazine i.e. you have to be a member to get the magazine. The article was titled: Grams, Grains or Pennyweights and doing research I found the following about the purity of gold in general:

Georgia Gold is 21-24 karat
Australian is 22-24 karat
California is 20-22 karat
Alaskan is 18-22 karat

[Copper Catcher]

Hopefully at the next KSA I'll be able to put some up for sale... We shall see...