Silver Dog Doug Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 How and where I found the Silver Dog. I was metal detecting about 30 miles southwest of Tucson on April 27, 2006. Checking out a wash when my detecter over loaded. I thought it might be a big piece of iron, And I really didn't know what it was. grey/black in color and heavy . I laid it in the bed of my truck and kept metal detecting for another 2 hrs, When I decided that I had better take my prize home, What ever it was. I had it asayed a couple days later, and it turned out to be 19.92 lbs. and 83% Silver. A while later after talking to John B., I loaned it to the Flandrau Museum. I will leave it there until I go broke , which might not be to long the way the economy is. Silver Dog Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironbug Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 How and where I found the Silver Dog. I was metal detecting about 30 miles southwest of Tucson on April 27, 2006. Checking out a wash when my detecter over loaded. I thought it might be a big piece of iron, And I really didn't know what it was. grey/black in color and heavy . I laid it in the bed of my truck and kept metal detecting for another 2 hrs, When I decided that I had better take my prize home, What ever it was. I had it asayed a couple days later, and it turned out to be 19.92 lbs. and 83% Silver. A while later after talking to John B., I loaned it to the Flandrau Museum. I will leave it there until I go broke , which might not be to long the way the economy is. Silver Dog Doug That is TOTALLY AWESOME MAN! Excellent job nail that one down. I don't know how to clean something like that, don't wreak it. Does anyone know any collectors he can talk too? Your the man Silver Dog Doug! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Hoser Oates Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 :icon_mrgreen: SWEEEEETT!! Thats one heck of a great find-tons a au 2 u2 -John :twocents: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micro Nugget Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Doug: A once-in-a-lifetime find! Magnificent specie!! An important lesson here, too. Dig all those signals. How many of us have ignored those impossible overloads: "Naw, it can't be," and then just walk off... Thanks for sharing this post and also for sharing your big beauty by putting it on display for the public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 That's a great find!!! Congrats. They used to find those native silver nuggets by the ton with metal detectors at Cobalt, Ont Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaimi Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Aloha Silver Doug, What kind of metal detector did you use to find this puppy? How deep? We want to know all the usual questions. aloha, Stan aka Kaimi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 A truely amazing find...have you gone back for any siblingss??? WTG...Cheers, Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Dog Doug Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 I used a Whites MXT, But I could have used a Walmart special. It was about 4" deep in the side of the wash. I have a friend that found two small ones close by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 "Small ones" :confused0013: s...I guess that means only a pound or two, huh Cheers, Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSalt Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 That really is amazing. Thanks for putting those pictures up. I found something that looked like that a couple years ago but it was smaller. Unfortunaley it turned out to be slag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bedrock bob Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Too cool Doug! THAT is a find and a half. My first question is "is that natural or man made?" I would assume that it is man made, but what do you think? I have found several small silver "blobs" that look very similar...All a product of smelting ore. The only "Native" silver was in the form of wires in hard rock ore pockets. There have been several big lumps of silver found along the border that were a result of shoot-em-ups. Most were blobs similar to this that were hand smellted from ore and were being hurried south across the border. Not all were poured in molds or even sand casted. Some were dropped as shot or just dumped out there to cool and sent to refiners in Mexico. The second question I have is what are the assay values? You gave the silver value but it is the other things in there that clue you in to how it was formed. Can you shed some light? I have a chunk of ore that assays 50% silver and is nearly 100 lbs. Mostly lead and copper though, and is a natural mineral formation. Honestly, I think that it is the "other things" that are so much fun in this hobby. Gold nuggets are very cool but the old pocket knives, harmonicas, buttons, etc, are the stuff of the miners lives and tell a great story too. Anyhting out of the ordinary tells a great story! Bedrock Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonnysnewlife Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Trying to slueth this out, 30 miles southwest of Tucson, would put it perhaps just north of Arrivaca? They have gold there that has a lot of Silver in it, hence the Oro Blanca area. What a truly great find. I guess I have to ask, would this be more valuable intact as it is, like gold specimens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzed in AZ Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 "WOOF..WOOF...!!!" Thats a dog-gone great find for sure mate. Trying to work out if it's man made or natural is a bone of contention I guess. However, either way thats bloody awesome. Good on ya! HH - Johnny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Dog Doug Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Too cool Doug! THAT is a find and a half. My first question is "is that natural or man made?" I would assume that it is man made, but what do you think? I have found several small silver "blobs" that look very similar...All a product of smelting ore. The only "Native" silver was in the form of wires in hard rock ore pockets. There have been several big lumps of silver found along the border that were a result of shoot-em-ups. Most were blobs similar to this that were hand smellted from ore and were being hurried south across the border. Not all were poured in molds or even sand casted. Some were dropped as shot or just dumped out there to cool and sent to refiners in Mexico. The second question I have is what are the assay values? You gave the silver value but it is the other things in there that clue you in to how it was formed. Can you shed some light? I have a chunk of ore that assays 50% silver and is nearly 100 lbs. Mostly lead and copper though, and is a natural mineral formation. Honestly, I think that it is the "other things" that are so much fun in this hobby. Gold nuggets are very cool but the old pocket knives, harmonicas, buttons, etc, are the stuff of the miners lives and tell a great story too. Anyhting out of the ordinary tells a great story! Bedrock BobBob, They tell me at U of A that the nugget is natural. If it were slag it would have rocks and sand in it, and it does not. I think it came out of the earth that way. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Dog Doug Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Trying to slueth this out, 30 miles southwest of Tucson, would put it perhaps just north of Arrivaca? They have gold there that has a lot of Silver in it, hence the Oro Blanca area. What a truly great find. I guess I have to ask, would this be more valuable intact as it is, like gold specimens? Yes it would be more valuable. I was offered 5 k for it, but turned it down. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.