Serial Thieves Swipe $2.5M in JCPenney Gold

Cops believe gang of professionals behind gem heist

(NEWSER) - Orange County cops are seeking an inventive gang of thieves who bypassed a jewelry store's security system by drilling through a wall from the next store. The crooks, who broke into the vacant store, made off with a safe holding at least $1 million in gems as well as the store's security camera, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Soaring gold prices and a lousy economy have many hoping to strike it rich

(NEWSER) - The miserable state economy and the soaring price of gold have sent Californians back into them thar hills, USA Today reports. Prospecting clubs all over the state report a huge jump in the number of people panning for gold just as a 10.5% unemployment rate has left cash-strapped residents with free time on their hands. More»

(NEWSER) - Up and down the East coast, cash-strapped shoppers are trading in gold and silver, not at pawn shops, but at the mall, the Boston Globe reports. Merchants at kiosks buy the precious metals for less than half of market value, but customers are still pouring in. “It's certainly something that was done in the days of the Depression,” said one expert on commodities investing. More»

Cash-strapped consumers flock to parties featuring wine, nibbles, and cash for gold

(NEWSER) - Gold parties are taking off nationwide as Americans squeezed by the economy seek extra cash, Marketwatch reports. Partygoers bring along any unwanted gold jewelry they have lying around the house, sip wine and chat while it is appraised by experts, and leave with money in hand. Many go home with thousands of dollars in exchange for items they considered little better than junk. More»

Sierra Nevada digger hit with environmental charges

(NEWSER) - California authorities aren't buying landowner Joseph Hardesty's excuse that he is merely running a gravel business from a Gold Rush-era mine in a gold-rich part of the state. Authorities in El Dorado County say he is running one of the most blatantly illegal gold-mining operations ever seen in the state, and have slapped him with 14 criminal charges, including operating without permits and polluting a creek, AP reports. Inspectors say they found a "full-blown surface-mining operation" on his land, complete with shaker tables to separate gold from gravel. More»