Golden treasure found in Caucassus tomb

Grave robbers in the Apsheronsk District of the Krasnodar region missed the 2300 year old tomb of a warrior buried with a treasure.

The most spectacular object is a golden fibula-brooch which has an oval crystal set in its heart. The 5.8cm by 4.8cm object is finely carved and decorated. Among the gold artifacts is an agate-inlaid plaque which formed part of the sheath of the warrior's 91cm sword which was buried between his legs.

Two bronze helmets are among the most significant finds. One is adorned with carvings of rams horns while the other is patterned with zig-zags. Also part of the treasure trove was a bronze mirror, an iron tripod, glass and pottery, a battle-axe and several spears and arrows.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/travel/news/caucassus-tomb-reveals-warrors-golden-treasure/story-fn32891l-1226585583352

Modern Gold Rush - Sudan

"AL-SIREAF, Sudan, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Over 100,000 people have fled a battle over a gold mine between two Arab communities in Sudan's Darfur region, the United Nations said. The latest is over gold deposits in the northern area of Darfur, the BBC reported Friday. Many of the recent refugees are living outdoors in what the United Nations described as appalling conditions, adding it sent 600 tons of food and blankets to the town of al-Sireaf to aid them.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/02/01/Thousands-flee-Darfur-battle-over-gold/UPI-76301359748032/

"The fighting broke out last month in the Jebel Amir gold mining area.

"The fight is between the Beni Hussein, who are largely cattle herders, and the northern Rizeigat, a powerful tribe known for its camel herding. Scores of people have been killed and dozens of villages burned, according to the local authorities. Members of the Beni Hussein tribe accused government forces of helping the Rizeigat and giving them powerful weaponry. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/world/africa/thousands-displaced-in-darfur-as-tribes-battle-over-mine.html?_r=0______________________________________

KHARTOUM, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Sudan expects to produce around 50 tonnes of gold this year, earning $2.5 billion, its mining minister said, as the country seeks to offset the loss of most oil reserves when South Sudan became independent last year. Sudan is boosting production of gold and other minerals to gain new sources of state income and of foreign currency needed to fund imports. Output of 50 tonnes could potentially make it Africa's third largest gold miner behind South Africa and Ghana, and push it into the top 15 producers globally.

"The government has given conflicting data on Sudan's gold production which is hard to verify as much comes from half a million artisan seekers, part of whose output is smuggled abroad.

The central bank has tried to end smuggling of gold to major markets such as Dubai by buying up gold from local traders, even above market prices, according to industry sources." On December 12, 2012 the Central Bank imposed a ban on gold exports.

Sudan is among Africa's poorest countries, but is sitting on top of perhaps the largest gold reserves in the continent, according to a recent survey by Arab League's Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization (AIDMO).

Not surprisingly there is conflict. "Khartoum - Heavy fighting has broken out between two tribes over a gold mine in Sudan's Darfur region, killing several people and forcing authorities to close the mine, tribal leaders and state media said on Wednesday."

Royal Mint to mint sovereigns in India

"LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Royal Mint has started to manufacture gold sovereign coins in India for the first time in almost 100 years, it said on Monday. Indian residents have been unable to buy commemorative sovereigns since 1918, when the Royal Mint operated a branch in the country, producing 1.3 million coins in a single year. The first production run will be for 50,000 pieces and will be available in the market immediately, the Royal Mint said in a statement that coincided with British Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to India. The commemorative sovereigns will be produced by Indian gold producer MMTC-PAMP using tools and techniques developed by the Royal Mint in its South Wales facility.

India is the largest consumer of gold, with gold coins playing a key role in wedding ceremonies and festival celebrations throughout the year. The country's gold medal market is estimated at around 80 tonnes a year."

http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/content/en//mineweb-gold-news?oid=178234&sn=Detail

The Treasure of Lima

Spain had controlled Lima since the 16th century, when it defeated the Incas. In the centuries that followed, the Catholic Church amassed a huge treasure in Lima. In 1820 the city was on the edge of revolt. As a preventative measure, the Viceroy of Lima decided to transport the city’s fabulous wealth to Mexico for safekeeping.

Captain William Thompson, commander of the Mary Dear, was put in charge of transporting the riches to Mexico. Thompson and and his crew turned pirate, cut the throats of the guards and accompanying priests, and threw their bodies overboard.

Thompson headed for Cocos Island, off the coast of present day Costa Rica, where he and his men allegedly buried the treasure. The Mary Dear was captured, and the crew went on trial for piracy. All but Thompson and his first mate were hanged. To save their lives, the two agreed to lead the Spanish to the stolen treasure. They took them as far as the Cocos Islands and then managed to escape into the jungle.

Thompson, the first mate, and the treasure were never seen again.

Early iron age gold found in dumpster

"After a remarkable series of events, a treasure trove of Early Bronze Age gold has gone on display in Ireland for the first time. Police officers recovered the ancient artifacts in 2009, after they were tossed in a dumpster along with the stolen safe they had been kept in at Sheehan’s Pharmacy in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon. It is believed that the thieves had failed to notice the 5,000-year-old gold hidden among documents when they dumped out the contents of the safe. http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Ancient-gold-horde-found-in-dumpster-goes-on-display-132608168.html

"The collection – consisting of a gold crescent shaped collar and two small gold discs – was originally discovered by Hubert Lannon while he was digging in a bog in 1945. Two years later, he gave the artifacts to the Sheehan family, who kept them locked in their pharmacy’s safe for over sixty years.

Novice finds Roman Gold Coin Hoard

In October 2012, a novice treasure hunter who bought a basic metal detector returned to the shop in Hertfordshire weeks later, clutching part of Englands' finest ever hoard of Late Roman gold coins.

The man stunned staff by showing them 40 gold Solidi, before asking: 'What do I do with this?' They contacted local experts and together got the permits they needed, headed back to the scene and pulled up another 119 gleaming pieces.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2218640/Novice-treasure-hunter-bought-basic-metal-detector-40-Roman-coins-worth-100-000.html#ixzz2LBxR22B8

"The man had bought a Garrett Ace 150, retailing at around £135 and described as being ideal for children to use for a hobby. Local heritage officials described the find as 'a nationally significant find.' The coins are a rare example of the Solidus, dating from the last days of Roman rule in Britain. The last consignments of them reached these shores in 408AD."

The Lost Dutchman's Mine

This time of year, David Bremson sees plenty of rescues in the Superstition Wilderness. "Most of the body recoveries we've done out of the Supes have been Dutch hunters," Bremson said. A Dutch hunter who got lucky twice was Robin Bird, the woman who went searching for the fabled gold and ended up flirting with death before she was rescued late Wednesday night. Bird also had to be rescued in December while doing the same thing.

This time, she was found lying in the mud along the Bluff Springs Trail at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. She was unresponsive and suffering from hypothermia and severe dehydration, said Tim Gaffney, spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.

But Bird was hardly the only hiker who needed help this week. At 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, rescuers found three men who had gotten lost in the Superstitions on Tuesday. They had met Bird on the trail and asked for directions, and she steered them wrong.

At 6:30 p.m. Sunday, a 21-year-old Arizona State University student was rescued after he failed to return from a hike on Saturday. "This is not an unusual amount of rescues," Bremson said. "It's fairly normal." Rescuers ask people to point to their map and show where they got lost, Bremson said.

"Well, none of them have a map. People are becoming more and more isolated from the outdoors because of the amount of time they spend indoors."

http://www.wltx.com/news/watercooler/article/223150/363/Hikers-Getting-Lost-in-AZ-Mountains-on-Hunt-for-Gold-Mine

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In 2009 Denver bellhop Jesse Capen disappeared after heading off to find the 'Lost Dutchman's' gold mine - which has evaded adventurers for centuries. 3 years after finding Capen’s Jeep, wallet, backpack and cellphone, volunteers from the Superstition Search and Rescue finally located what they believe is Capen’s body. “We call ‘em Dutch hunters out here,” said Superstition Search and Rescue Director Robert Cooper. “They’re infatuated with all the lore and the history of the lost Dutchman mine and he was part of that.”

The body, Cooper said, was found in a crevice roughly 35 feet up a cliff face in the southern portion of the Superstition Mountains, near the 4,892-foot Tortilla Mountain. Capen, 35, had made finding the treasure an “obsession”.

In the 1840s, according to the Denver Post, the Peralta family of Mexico mined gold out of the Superstition Mountains, but Apaches attacked and killed all but one or two family members as they took the gold back to Mexico. Some 30 years later, Jacob Waltz — nicknamed "the Dutchman," even though he was German — rediscovered the mine with the help of a Peralta descendant, according to legend. Jacob Waltz made periodic trips into the Superstition Mountains and returning to Phoenix with small quantities of bonanza gold ore. He was known to shoot anyone following him through the rugged mountains east of Apache Junction, Arizona. Waltz died in Phoenix, Arizona Territory on October 25, 1891 without revealing the source of the rich gold ore ... some found beneath his death bed.

"The clues to Waltz's gold mine still ring clear ... "No miner will find my mine." "To find my mine you must pass a cow barn." "From my mine you can see the military trail, but from the military trail you can not see my mine." "The rays of the setting sun shine into the entrance of my mine." "There is a trick in the trail to my mine." "My mine is located in a north-trending canyon." "There is a rock face on the trail to my mine." These and many other clues have fired imaginations for more than a century.

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