Yard Sale Gold Treasure

Well, it is finally Spring. After such a long Winter we thought it might not arrive.  And with Spring comes yard sale season.  Time to clean out Winter's clutter and make a few dollars. This is a great time of year for treasure hunting also.  You can find all kinds of treasures being sold in driveways and front yards.  My better half is the pro in this type of treasure hunting.  Although the season has only just started, she came up with this great jewelry last week.  The two bracelets are 14k gold, really nice, and cost $1 each. What can I say, if she paid retail for them they wouldn't be treasure, right?  The necklace and earrings are unmarked and are costume from the 1940's or 50's and were the same price. 

The gold mesh bag was today's find for a dollar.  It is is perfect condition, and has a row of diamonds or rhinestones across the top. Very nice, maybe 1930's vintage. We are just researching it now.  You just never know what is out there.  As Mel Fisher used to say, "Today's the Day!"

Visit a Gold Mining Ghost Town

Any treasure hunter dreams about ghost towns from time to time. Just don't get caught in one after dark!   The State of California has preserved an authentic gold-mining ghost town named Bodie that you can visit today.  I drove to Bodie several years ago and it is truly a neat place to visit.  The state has preserved it as it was left almost 100 years ago, with bottles still on the bar in the saloon, and boxes still on the shelves in the general store. Bodie boomed in the late 1870's when gold was discovered, and went from a population of 30 to over 10,000 in less than 4 years. Then big gold strikes were reported elsewhere, and the fortune seekers rushed off to stake their claims in places like Tombstone, Arizona. Bodie's Main Street, pictured here, once had 65 saloons on it, and all the mayhem that you can imagine.

Bodie is preserved as a State Historic Site today, so there's no treasure hunting allowed, but it is rich with memories and history.  Bodie is located between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe in eastern California.  For additional info and Bodie Photo gallery click here. Definitely visit if you have the opportunity.  Bodie is a piece of American hiistory you won't see elsewhere.