If I pan for gold do I get to keep the gold? Is there any left?
 

I am going to the Gold Country in the Spring in California to pan for gold. My boyfriend thinks if we pan for gold in the rivers we can keep the gold - tax free.

I rather doubt it. Has anyone struck gold and kept it? I will like to make a ring if possible.

If were possible to pan for gold and collect enough bling for a ring, wouldn't everyone do it?

I thought of that but it is cold and wet so that might scare people away. If we go high in the hills we might find the motherlode.

If you Google "do I get to keep the panned gold" the answer is yes, nothing about tax, but I didn't spend much time reading. Maybe you'll be luckier with both Google and Gold :)

You get to keep whatever gold you find in the pan - if any. It'll take you a month of Sundays to get enough gold for a ring.

It'll probably be easier to find rubies in Utah/Montana (I forget what my old boyfriend said) - that is, if you can tell rubies in the rough from mere stones.

BTW, pyrite is known as "fool's gold" - it glitters brighter than gold and is more abundant.

Go for the fun. Not for the gold. Have a fun trip! :)

woweee there is alot of information there thanks faina. An' you don't never touch my gold, no matter what you do with yourn - wow that is interesting too from Google.

http://www.treasurefish.com/stan-4.htm

I reckon this is going to be such a frolic I feel like a minor already. I will report back to tell you about my findings.

Fodors is the bomb.

I remember panning for gold in Knots Berry Farm and they put it in a little bottle for me to take home :)

Good luck, what fun to actually find enough gold to have a ring made!

<< I reckon this is going to be such a frolic I feel like a minor already.>>

…will be checkin’ all minor’s at the door for I.D.....

Can't you just hear Peeky protesting:

"Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"

peeky, we ain't never going to touch your catch of gold...because, we , all, have a heart of gold.
Good luck and don't forget to have the pan blessed before you go, ya hear?

When we panned for gold in Alaska, they not only let you keep it--they wouldn't buy it from you. It's yours.

Panned the Columbia river mannnnnnny moons ago. We kept the gold (don't tell Uncle Sam). Small flakes on our first time out. When we returned the (rented) pans, they separated the true and placed it into a vial on a lanyard --- not unlike the vial worn around the neck of A. Jolie in the press.

Great fun goldpanning as a lad of 14. Saw my first water snake there. Rented horses at 15 hands and hearty snortles. Toured around the "empty" ghost towns from the Gold Rush Era. Had our share of sarsaparilla. Very nice. Have things changed, anyone?

Pis

We were just in Columbia panning for gold. They let you keep it, but there's not that much gold. A lot of semiprecious stones though. We got a garnet that is almost big enough to do something with--very pretty. It's actually quite addictive when you keep finding jade, tourmaline, etc.

We panned for gold in Alaska this summer, in sluices that had been salted with gold flakes. Some of the children in our group collected about $20 worth---supposedly. It was weighed in the gift shop and its value declared, then came the hard sell of the lucite locket to display it and gold chain to wear said locket around neck for a total of about $75. Irony: chain was not even real gold. As hokey as it was, we still had fun and the tour of the camp was very informative. A very interesting bit of American history, the gold rushes.

We used to pan for gold quite a bit on the Yuba river and the smaller creeks up there - around the north end of Hwy 49. We never found a whole lot, but had a decent time.

Beware though - the water in the creeks and rivers in the spring is snow melt and pretty darn cold. You might not want to be in the water very long.

You are free to keep any gold you find. The only problem is there are many claims and you don't want to be a "claim jumper". My recommendation would be to sign up for a tour where they take you to and show you how to pan. Just do a google search. Believe it or not there is a lot of gold left and it is still big business in the mother lode.