Buried gold treasure isn’t just a thing of legends, or so thought Illinois resident Patty Henken when she found a note promising a buried treasure of gold coins. Henken found the neatly type written note this month after prying off the seat of an antique rocking chair. The note was folded up inside along with a key, which was supposedly the key to a buried chest of gold, with $250 dollars in gold coins. The cryptic text pointed her to a specific location, and was signed by one Chauncey Wolcott.

Henken set off in pursuit of the buried gold. She found the site mentioned in the note, now a vacant lot, and set about digging, even employing ground penetrating radar – before an Iowa woman read about the gold treasure hunt in the newspaper and recognized the name Chauncey Wolcott as the pen name of an old co-worker in the classified department of a local newspaper. She said the address given as the buried treasure locale was where he used to live. Apparently Wolcott, better known as John “Jay” Slaven was a notorious practical joker, and his practical jokes commonly involved hand written notes. Before his death in 1976, Slaven was commonly seen on TV and was often featured on radio shows.

Much to Henken’s disappointment, in this case treasure troves remained a thing of fantasy, although according to legends, a fortune in gold and gemstone jewelry lies just beneath the earth’s surface for anyone adventuresome and determined enough to find it.

Gold Coins

In case you have some spare time and a shovel, check out Oak Island off the Nova Scotia coast, where people have been digging for buried gold jewelry or gold coins since 1795. The diggers find a man-made obstacle ever 10 feet or so, but after digging to a depth of 160 feet no gold treasure has turned up.

There is the Cocos Island, which is supposedly home to an immense fortune in stolen gold jewelry, diamonds, rubies and gold coins, buried by the famous pirate Captain John Cook. The buried jewelry and gold is rumored to be worth a hefty five million dollars!

Blackbeard’s buried treasure is right in Boca Raton, Florida, according to legend. The notorious pirate supposedly buried a significant fortune in stolen gold jewelry, gemstone jewelry and gold money right in Florida.

If you’re planning to dig for treasure and search after ancient buried jewels, know the laws! Most places have laws and regulations regarding buried treasure, so know what they are you before swinging that pick-axe. For example, in Florida, the state requires a $150 treasure hunting permit, and in after your find your cache of gold and jewelry, you owe  the state 12% of its value.

When we think of precious metals we naturally think of luxury jewelry. Yet precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum are not used solely in the production of jewelry or of other decorative items. Apparently, these precious metals have astounding medicinal properties which are harnessed by modern medicine in an attempt to find treatments for ailments such as arthritis, high blood pressure and even cancer.

Gold and its Alleviating Attributes

Gold Injection

In the past 70 odd years, gold has been used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis Scientists have found that gold intramuscular injections radically reduce inflammation and rigidity of the joints caused by this particular autoimmune disease. Apparently, the gold which is injected straight into the muscle tissue enters the white cells which destroy the tissue lining of the joints. The gold then disables the attacking cells and alleviates the symptoms caused by the disease. Gold intramuscular injections are given once a week to patients suffering from arthritis. However, these golden treatments can be quite expensive, and can cost over one hindered dollars per injection. Gold intramuscular injections have been found to be quite successful in treating the acute pain which accompanies the inflammation of the joints. Thus, many arthritis patients do not spare any expense in seeking treatment, and opt for the pricy gold injections. Unfortunately, gold injections can take a while to come into effect (up to twelve weeks). The patient needs to be, well, patient when it comes to alleviating his or her symptoms.

It is exceedingly rare that people react badly to the gold injections. However, there are some side effects associated with this treatment. Side effects may include rashes, fevers, sore throats and shortness of breath. Therefore, patients treated with intramuscular gold injections must undergo regular checkups by their physician, which include blood and urine tests. If you are concerned by the injections’ possible side effects and required constant checkups, there are other drugs besides the gold injections which may be administered for your arthritis. Ask your doctor to recommend an alternative course of treatment.