platinum nugget

this is my nug

Come on Walsh68. How about ending our agony an let us all know where this lovely nugget came from?

John Dagenais

oregon , im not hiding my location you still have to find them when you get there

That is a very nice lunker. I don't mind if you want to brag some more....How many grams is it in weight? What is it worth these days-I mean the market price?? I'm sure it is worth more than that to a (rich) collector. Find it panning? Got any more grains or pcs where that came from? Can you safely display that in your collection, or would that be risky, I wonder. There was a thread a while back on secuity...
Anyway, thanks for sharing the photo.

Mike

I have attached an image of my "lunker platinum nugget".

It came from an operating placer deposit in Alaska. Not Porcupine Creek. The Schaubels would never do this.

Can't say where for legal reasons.

It is exactly one ounce and is only worth a "Jackson" and not a "Franklin" as bullion since it is a pure silver fake casting.

But it is worth a "Franklin" to me since I lust after fakes.

Most gold fakes are cast from natural placer gold, and are thus difficult to detect by probe analysis.

But when my analyses showing casting imperfections and lost wax residue were shown to some South American
forgers, they caved immediately. Remember the gold octahedrons made from spinel masters?

Bart

Sorry, Bart, I'm not sure I understand what you are saying. You found a fake in a placer? Or you are calling a silver nugget "platinum" as a wisecrack? I'm not at all familiar w/ the art of nugget forgery, I doubt it is even called that! lol.
I like doing a little panning just to see what might turn up near the bottom of my pan, purely when I have spare time, because I don't find much, and I'm in Illinois, not Alaska....Ancient geologic events have scattered many things far and wide, so one can be pleasantly surprised anywhere, given time. Posting even a teeny weenie grain from an Illinois stream on mindat would be very cool.

Mike

Mike,

The nugget was sent to me by a very active professional exploration geologist in Alaska as part of a consulting job he was conducting.

It came from a placer operation in Alaska, and was presented to the geologist as a "platinum" nugget by the claim owner.

He doubted is was actually platinum and sent it to me for identification.

The analysis showed pure silver. I presume that it is a fake rather than a natural silver nugget because I've never seen a silver nugget like that from a gold placer.

I does "LOOK" like a possible platinum nugget. I don't know if there is horseplay going on, but that is my suspicion.

I do actually collect fakes. At one ounce I think the bullion value is about $20 (a Jackson), but to me, as a new kind of fake I traded it from the geologist for $ 100 or so. Thus it equates to a Benjamin Franklin $ 100 bill.

Sorry for being obtuse !

Bart

Bart'
Thanks for the explanation.
Is there a thread or website that explains the gold fakes you were talking about? Not that I'll ever need that info,just a curiosity.
If pt has an SG of 20-ish, and Au 10-ish, I'd say that would be easy to discern.
I got the Jackson bit, too. I don't drive a Lincoln, but I have a few in my wallet. There is a mineral show in Glen Ellyn (Chicago's
west side) in two weeks. Those and several more will be gone then..

Mike

Mike,

Gold and platinum have nearly identical specific gravities. Gold is often alloyed about 10% silver, and platinum is usually mixed with about 10% iron.

My work was all done for private clients. There is nothing published.

I think, however, that I have seen other researcher's work on gold fakes. Can't remember when or where.

Bart

Bart,

Sorry, I meant Ag instead of Au. Oops!

Take care.

Mike

Since Oregon is home to several metallic minerals that are found in nugget form - awaruite, for example - I would be interested in hearing more about walsh68's nugget and tests that have been performed on it. --Ken

i did a acid test it came out the way it should, being plat

Walsh 68,

I have long standing experience with this situation.

An "acid test" will not work in this instance.

Awaruite is stable in acids in the short term. So is metallic iron.

Remove a speck and I will analyze it for free via SEM / EDS.

Bart

Now that was really a generous offer, which I would take...a free analysis from Bart does not come often...

and of course it would categorically end any controversy or query as to authenticity of the nugget...

I for one am reallly impressed by the size of it...as Pt nuggets of that size are not common from too many places....I have however seen similar ones from the Simillakameen River system in Central B.C. Canada
They were in the possession of a contractor who literally had multiple shelves covered with quart sealers filled with Pt nuggets he had mined from his claim on the river..and no, he would not part with even a tiny one..

Ray,
What is a quartz sealer?
And what are you saying about Bart?! LOL
Why wouldn't a simple SG solve this?

Mike

Mike, "quart" - the volume - not "quartz"

Thanks, Alfredo, yes, I am a moron....With bad eyes, too. duh!

No worries, Mike... I've done worse

A specific gravity test will go a long way toward solving the problem.

At one time Russians made platinum cores for coins and then gilded them with gold.

They knew all about specific gravity in the early 1800s. But they didn't platinum would soon be worth more than gold.

And Ray, "free stuff" is extremely common at my place. You know that as well as anyone. Even when I charge $9.00 for an analysis that is as close to free as it comes. By the way. No more $9.00 analyses. I'm starting a new era of profitabilty.

Bart

bart, i would like to take advantage of your offer, so i can confidently know for sure. how much of a sample would you need?. where do i send it?
thank you, walsh68