This is a very hard subject to figure out much, much like the true values on a claim. This is a topic that has intrigued me for quite some time. Staking a claim on the MTO will run about $36 per cell for a mineral tenure, and $105 for a placer tenure. If you can secure one!
I have seen many claims for sale all over the internet. For those of you who do have claims, what do you think they are worth and why? For those of you who have purchased a claim, are you satisfied? For those who are looking for a claim, are you considering buying, and if so, what are you willing to pay for it?
Unfortunately, a few have ruined it for the true prospector/miners out there with something to offer. If I thought a claim was only worth a bit of panning on a sunny day, I would stick to the panning reserves for free. There aren’t many good claims for cheap, and if it’s worth a lot then it should have something to go with it other then a promise and a dream. There is no doubt that some are the real deal, but they will have a healthy price tag attached.
There are generally 2 classes of claims, the Hobby claim, and the more serious Commercial-type claim. Generally, from what I have noticed, most of the hobby claims go for anywhere from $500 to $1500 per cell, providing a tidy profit for the seller. I am also aware that not much testing goes into them before they are put up for sale. Many smart investors won’t pay more than a few hundred. With a commercial claim your generally buying a business (a mining business), and like any business, they are generally valued against metrics established by the market, the market value of ounces in the ground, and cash-flow valuations. These valuation metrics generally fluctuate with the price of gold.
Certainly I am aware of what warrants a given price for a properly marketed claim, but for those of us that have claims, we can attest to the hard work, sweat, countless hours sampling, the experience, and the knowledge that we gained. We selectively mined the area in a practical and efficient manner, and the land was put back in an environmentally sound manner.
How much is a claim worth and how much should you spend? Time, effort, patience and all the goodies and experience you can get at a reasonable price.
