^Lot 1023 Carved Gold Pan c1800 - Mining Hard goods/Important Mining Publications

A carved wooden bowl used for gold panning in South America and Africa, called a batea. The batea is an open conical dish, often with a small central depression. The batea had been widely used in south-central America for centuries before the gold rushes of North America and the batea should have immediately rushed north but did not. The batea was originally made by carving and turning timber to produce a wooden thick-walled wide slightly conical dish capable of floating or at least possessing neutral buoyancy. Later a partial shift to a thin-walled batea made of metal occurred, the metal allowing the batea to be heated for cooking and to drive off mercury from amalgam to leave gold [Ref: World Placer Journal, 2000]. This piece has original repairs, consisting of two bands of metal that have been tacked into the walls to stop cracks in the wood from spreading. A nice display piece and a fine example of vintage tool making. From the M.D. Kast Collection.