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Thursday, 5th November 2009 (1041 views)

The state where gold was first discovered in the United States is experiencing a "new gold rush", according to reports.

With gold prices hitting record levels, interest in prospecting for the precious metal has "ballooned" in North Carolina in recent months, the Charlotte Observer states.

Many modern treasure hunters are drawn by the cheap start-up costs of hunting gold and, of course, the potential pay-offs.

North Carolina has a long association with the yellow metal. In 1799, the son of farmer John Reed reportedly discovered a 17-pound rock containing gold while out fishing.

Over 200 years later, the Reed Gold Mine, which is now a state park, still attracts visitors looking to pan for the precious metal.

Elsewhere in the state, at the Cotton Patch Mine in New London, owner Jeff Pickett has also seen a surge in interest from prospective prospectors.

"We're seeing the start of a new gold rush," he said.

However, for some, like the members of Gold Prospectors Association of America, it is more about the "quest for the undiscovered" than striking it rich, the newspaper noted.

Local association president Glenn Coleman said that with only ten per cent of the world's gold found so far, there is plenty more searching to do.

 

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