Buying a claim Options

[Modern Day Miner]

I am considering buying a claim from an individual. What sort of checks should I do before pruchasing this claim? I know I should sample the claim before but what other stuff should I check for?

Thanks
MDM

[CP]

I am considering buying a claim from an individual. What sort of checks should I do before pruchasing this claim? I know I should sample the claim before but what other stuff should I check for?

Thanks
MDM

Is this something any of you would even consider? I just think that if you are going to be a gold prospector/miner then wouldn't it make more sense to have your own area then to working public areas or asking permission to work other peoples claims? Or is the whole idea of having your own claim to much of a headache ie regulations and bureacratic red tape?

Hi MDM,

Buying or filing a new claim does mean you have ownership of the minerals in that claim and mining is the intent. To work as a prospector or miner for ones living you'll definately want your own yes, and one with a sweet deposit too, or you can also get a lease or joint venture agreement set up with a claim owner......claims are real property and can be bought, sold, willed, leased, traded etc.

In todays world you'll want to be very careful as there are many "larks" as Swizz said who are more than happy to file claims with only the intent of reselling. These paper filed claims are often not even marked in the field (one thing to check for) and the seller may not be willing to give up any historic production history (because there isn't any) and some won't even meet you at the claim to show it too you.
Filing only with the intent of reselling (IE no prospecting work ever done or deposit suspected, or markers erected) may not be outright illegal, it's certainly unethical and highly frowned upon by real miners/prospectors. Just because it's not illegal doesn't make it right.....that's how the moratorium got started....thanks to ski areas using mining claims to pantent ground that was never mined.
It's buyer beware sorry to say so just use caution. The seller should be happy to show you documentation requested and field markers as well as hopefully some historical production or testing results of work done.

If none of those answers come easily or ? then maybe it's a paper filed claim, they are for sale everywhere it seems.
If those answers are easily given and sound truthful to you then the paper work part is easy to verify through the BLM and county to make sure it's current and correct.

To file your own claim with some good research and the proper paper work along with the right knowledge and field work will only cost a few hundred dollars and your time.....satisfaction level will be extremely high and you'll know how the claim process begins.....also meaning you'll know where to take it next after it's your claim.
We actually have tons of information that you'll find useful around the Colorado Prospector forums on this topic, make yourself right at home and post up more questions as you have them. Swizz is correct on the 20 acre limit per claim and once filed, as you read in another thread, you can't make that claim any bigger if ammending the claim file.

Hope this info helps some.
Good luck on the claim venture, we all hope you find/file a good one.

CP

BTW-Hey nuggetstoosmall, I'm not sure what your trying to stir up in this thread but by "these people" I guess you mean Denise and myself?
We have never had any "reciprocal agreement" with other clubs. and we rebuffed? Huh? What kind of "agreement" did we "rebuff" exactly? Reading your post would lead one to think we backed out of some arranged deal.
Is this a bad club? Well time will tell won't it, it always does....we've been here since 2003 and we'll be here for a long time to come. We "work with" many many clubs, organizations and businesses all over the country as well as individual miners and prospectors.