Several years ago I took a tour of the Mollie Kathleen Mine just outside Cripple Creek, Colorado, and at the end of the tour the guide lets everyone take a sample from the ore car. My sample was very nice; as it contained traces of Amethyst which the hard rock miner proclaimed that was always a good sine as gold and Amethyst were usually found near one another.


So, this past week while near the town of Leadville I discovered this piece, and I must say I initially thought it to be just another piece of pyrite. What do you think it is?
Gold?




The first sample is from the Cripple Creek area and the second sample is from the Leadville area.






These of course are pyrite, or fools gold.