A former soldier who is now an amateur prospector is happy after finding gold in Birmingham.
The valuable metal was found in tiny fragments by 37-year-old Andy Brooke as he was stream-panning in the city.
To prevent a rush to the West Midlands, the former squaddie who previously guarded the Queen is keeping the location a secret.
The Discovery Channel documentary Gold Rush gave the water treatment engineer the idea to spend his free time searching rivers for the valuable mineral.
In order to earn his fortune, Andy intends to go back to the top-secret location and discover the metal’s source.
I go out at least once a month because I’m fascinated with it, the former Irish Guardsman who claims to have “gold fever,” claimed.
I want to go throughout the Country and collect as many vials of gold as I can.
In Birmingham, there are a lot of metal detectorists, but I think I’m the only gold prospector there, he said.
“I would suggest that if someone wants to go outside and have some fun, I would urge that they do it.
That requires a lot of effort, however, and you must persevere.
More treasure discovered by metal detectorists will now be shown in public as a result of a legislation reform.
Metal items that are more than 200 years old and are considered to be outstanding findings will henceforth be labeled as treasure.
Today, this only applies to objects made of precious metals like gold or silver that are more than 300 years old.
To allow for the donation of additional artifacts to museums, the government is altering the legal definition.
Future generations will be able to study, appreciate, and enjoy them thanks to this, according to Lord Parkinson, Minister for Arts & Heritage.
Also, Andy has discovered gold traces while on prospecting visits to Scotland and Wales. His first find was made only after two years of exhausting searching.
He located the stream in the southern part of Birmingham, “near a golf course,” after learning that it had been mentioned in a British Geological Survey study as showing gold-bearing activity.
Any substantial discoveries would be considered “mines royal” and belong to the Crown Estate.
Andy initially visited the stream soon before Christmas and then posted about his discovery on his YouTube channel, “One Man and his Pan.”
I discovered a few gold flecks at the river’s bottom, he said.
I’m going to return to the top of the stream to try to find the source, or the place where the gold is really flowing from.
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