City Mining for Gold: Strange Ways To Make Money

I’ve always kept my eyes open and to the ground when I walk and the result is that I usually find at least $100 dollars a year. There’s a lot of money at your feet if you are willing to look, and some people take this looking seriously. In fact, for them the streets are literally paved with gold (as well as diamonds and other precious stones).

While city mining for gold might first appear to be a ridiculous adventure, the basis of it are pretty simple and straight forward. Just like the gold found in streams and bedrock in the wilderness is heavier than the surrounding mud and dirt, gold found in city mining also sinks to the bottom. When gold falls off of people, it lands in the cracks and crevices in the sidewalks that people walk over day in and day out. Find that debris and you will find gold.

The key, much like in the wilderness, is to locate an area in the city where there is likely to be a lot of gold. In most cities, that area would be where people work with gold on a daily basis such as a jewelry district. Tiny particles of gold will stick to the clothing of those working with jewelry during the workday and when they come outside, it will fall off and gather in the sidewalk cracks and crevices along with other debris. If you collect that debris and pan it in a similar way as gold prospectors pan for gold in the wilderness, the resulting found gold can bring you $300 a day. That doesn’t even count the diamonds and other precious stones that you are also likely to find.

Sound hard to believe? Watch and learn:

I think I may have found myself a new hobby…

(Photo courtesy of Brooks Elliott)

Jeffrey Strain

Jeffrey strain is a freelance author, his work has appeared at The Street.com and seekingalpha.com. In addition to having authored thousands of articles, Jeffrey is a former resident of Japan, former owner of Savingadvice.com and a professional digital nomad.