Specimen Mining

I was curious if anyone had any advice on how to get into specimen mining.

I have a general idea:
Review the laws on mining and mineral resources.
Get maps from the BLM of existing claims.
Go prospecting.
Find something.
Stake a claim.
File the claim.

But what about mining techniques and safety? Most mining and mine safety courses seem to focus on large scale commercial mining. What about the safety and legality of utilizing explosives? What about mining permits and environmental laws?

Where does one get started and learn the trade in such a field?

Jenna; First question is why?. Probably 99.9% of the people on this site have never filed a claim and never will . I would also venture to say that the odds are about the same that you will ever find something so spectacular that you would need to file a claim. There is enough mineral collecting in the world that is free to keep you busy for many lifetimes. Were you to find a spot where there is something worth the hassel of filing a claim by all means go for it but realize that mining can be VERY expensive. I'd do a lot more reaserch and talk to some people that do it for a living. The collectors edge has a lot of info on their mines and the kind of bucks they spend to get specimens. good luck Dave Owen

Hi Jenna,

Specimen mining helped put the bread and butter on my table for years, but as with most things, it is a lot of hard work, determination and luck.

What Dave says above is very true and I wouldn't even consider filing a mining claim unless I knew I was on open ground, had a great prospect, and resonable, reliable access, Research is the name of the game here and it seems you fully understand that procedure.

Be aware, that owning a mining claim is a big responsibility and can be quite costly when you consider all the related fees. Sometimes it is just easier and cheaper to buy the specimens you want. However, if you are determined and want some help, just p.m. me.

Good luck, Lyla ne: Red Ledge Gold Mine

Dave:

It's just something I've always been interested in and I live in a mineral rich state. One of the largest obstacles here would probably be accessibility. A lot of areas require a helicopter or mules to get to, or have to be hiked in to on foot, but people have done it. There are plenty of areas that are easier to get to though and just haven't been prospected much due to their remoteness and the size of the state, perhaps with the exception of oil exploration.

Jenna, you might consider working first with someone who is already mining specimens and getting involved in their dig. If you know a little bit about what you are doing and can bring resources to bear that will enhance their efforts, you may very well be welcomed. This will let you see what is involved. It is usually a full time job, or at least is a full time job during the months when the mine is active (usually during the times of summer vacations or good weather).

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

Jenna,
Like you, I find this interesting as well, and thought it would be great to do someday, but found that there is a lot to learn before making the attempt (over the past few years, there have been a few forum threads about this). Unfortunately, I live in a state (Michigan), where it seems there is not much real land left to stake a claim on, so I would have to head west if I wanted to try it. I have seen claims for sale at times, with some of the sellers willing to take care of some of the legwork involved, but a buyer would still need to learn a lot to maintain the claim and take care of any ongoing business.

One suggestion, similar to Rock's, is to get involved in a share based claim. Recently, in a forum thread on the Spruce Pine claim in Washington, I found that it is operated on a share basis, with shares running $13k USD, if I remember correctly. The buy-in granted a certain number of days per year on the claim, and seems like it would be a good way for a person to get involved with claim staking and maintenance. From what I was told in the forum, quite a few claims operate in this manner. However, I have no idea where one would go to see open claims with a shareholder type setup, that also have available shares. Still, it seems like it would be a great method to learn the process before striking out on one's own.

Having been involved in digging out a Victorian lead mine in search of fluorite specimens, and so knowing the time, toil, expense, and danger involved, and the difficulty in recouping even a fraction of one's costs, I am tempted to say, "Don't!" On the other hand, if everyone took that attitude, mineralogy would be much poorer. Our project ended acrimoniously after the landowner died and his heir evicted us, quite possibly illegally, but we had not the money to go to court over it. If you do go ahead, make sure you have every detail in writing, and approved by a lawyer, before you begin.

I can think of perhaps thousands of reasons not to get into specimen mining. Among the things to consider include:

Small scale mining is almost extinct in Western countries, meaning that the equipment and people with the expertise to use it are increasingly difficult to come by.

In the face of ever increasing bureaucratic regulations you will find yourself spending as much, if not more time dealing with the BLM, OSHA, MSHA, and other government agencies (here in the US) than you will actually mining. If you are working on Federal land you will likely be required to post a very expensive reclamation bond as part of any work you are permitted to do.

Many local jurisdictions will make it very difficult, if not impossible for a private individual to acquire an explosives permit.

Liability insurance will be difficult, if not impossible to obtain, and if you do, it will be very expensive.

If you can surmount all the bureaucratic obstacles, and find the necessary equipment, you will need some serious cash reserves to keep you going until you (hopefully) find something you can sell to generate cash flow. At the Rogerley we were lucky in that we found specimens straight off. Even so, our annual operating costs are such that in only three years out of 13 have we actually made a profit at it. The folks at the Oceanview mine in Pala, Southern California have been making some news lately over some major finds of kunzite and beryl, but they drove barren tunnel for many years before finding anything.

If what you want is mineral specimens, I would recommend buying them and let someone else gamble with their time and money trying to dig them out of the ground. If you like nature and the outdoors, I would recommend hiking of skiing as much less expensive ways to enjoy it. If you have some time and money to burn, like a bit of adventure, don't mind dealing with bureaucratic morons, and don't care if you loose all your money, then maybe specimen mining is for you. Really, it can be fun once in a while, and as I like to tell friends who do not understand, it beats watching the telly in my spare time.

Cheers,
Jesse

Jesse:

Thanks for the reply.
There are some people up in Placerville, CA who are apparently operating an illegal gold mine on their property and have been fined $100,000 for doing so, and I think you just explained why they didn't do it the legal way, bureaucracy! Also I think they're zoned as residential. But according to their neighbors "They've got machinery more expensive than houses" so I guess they found something....or as you said, they don't care about losing all of their money! Or going to jail for that matter.

Did you have any experience in the mining industry when you started working Rogerley or did you learn as you go? I don't really plan on going underground unless I found a very good reason to because of the seismic activity around here, but I'm curious, does the Rogerly hire a professional mine engineer to ensure the stability of the tunnels?

Hello Jenna,

At the Rogerley we have been very fortunate to have a local fellow who worked in the commercial fluorspar mines around Weardale for 25 years before the last one closed about the time we took on the mine. He was also one of the few local miners who were active in collecting specimens on the side, so he understands not only mining but specimen collecting as well. His experience with small-scale mining has been invaluable to us, and I am sure we would have failed a long time ago without him.

If you want to get a first-hand perspective on working here in the US, I would recommend talking to Joe Dorris (Pinnacle 5 Minerals), who has been operating claims for amazonite and topaz in Colorado for some time now. He's usually at the InnSuites show in Tucson and seems happy to talk about the subject.

Cheers,
Jesse

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Joe Dorris at the Denver show, he is very knowledgeable and his mining operation is pretty cool to see!