Mapmaking has been one of the single most important parts of civilization for over 8,000 years.
Aside from spoken language and the written word, maps have played the single most valuable role in our understanding of time and place. Maps have allowed us to draw political boundaries, record property, and explore the globe from sea to sea.
But the very first geological map in recorded history didn’t do any of those things…
This ancient map was created for one reason, and one reason only: to discover gold.
Over 3,000 years ago, an Egyptian official named Amennakhte spread out a long piece of papyrus and proceeded to detail a valley in the Eastern Desert. But instead of naming territories or identifying cities, this map was marked with phrases like ‘hills where gold is found’ or ‘hills of gold and silver’.
The map was created for an expedition to a dry riverbed which served as a major mining area for Egyptians. It is known as the Turin Papyrus Map and is essentially one of the world’s first treasure maps.
It goes to show you how important gold was to the ancient Egyptians. It wasn’t a metal used for basic money or trade like it would become in later ages, it was solely reserved for royalty as a direct link to the ancient gods. They believed that the skin of the gods was made of gold, while their bones were made of silver.
Perhaps the most famous example of the Egyptians’ reverence for gold is the tomb of Tutankhamun — or King Tut. When archaeologists excavated his tomb in 1922, they found a literal treasure trove of golden riches.
Tutankhamun’s iconic funerary mask was made of solid gold and was impressive enough. But the real treasure was his coffin itself, which was 74″ long, 20″ wide, 20″ high, and made of solid gold.
At today’s gold price of $1,336 an ounce, that would make King Tut’s coffin worth an astounding $5,344,000. Talk about going out in style…
Now, while we don’t give gold the mystical status it once had, it still survives as one of the most sturdy symbols of wealth known to modern man. Not only does it serve as a rock-solid hedge against inflation and the uncertain nature of fiat currency, but the gold sector also offers some of the biggest gains you could ever hope for as an investor.
Today, I’m going to show you our very own gold map… which could lead to triple-digit gains quickly and safely.
This year has been a resurgent one for gold: it’s currently trading around a two-year high and is up 25% for the year. That would be a nice little return — but the real money has been in the gold miners themselves.
The big players like Barrick Gold (NYSEL: ABX) and Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY) have more than doubled in value this year:
And the ancient metal of the gods still has some room to run..
With the stock market teetering on all-time highs and the international stock markets reeling from tumultuous events like the Brexit, global terrorist attacks, and an all-out war in the Middle East — investors big and small are crowding into gold as a safe haven.
The royal investment class is especially bullish on the metal.
George Soros has been loading up on gold investments all year, and recently dropped $264 million into Barrick Gold, the world’s biggest gold miner.
Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller has bailed on the stock market almost entirely and is backing up the truck on gold. Gold is now the largest currency allocation in his hedge fund.
Even famed “Bond King” Bill Gross is ditching his conventional approach and advising his clients to invest in “real assets” like gold and land.
“I don’t like bonds; I don’t like most stocks; I don’t like private equity,” he wrote in his August letter to investors.
Like I said, you can make a nice return on the metal itself. I recommend that everyone has at least a small portion of their “safe investments” tied down with physical, precious metals. But if you really want life-changing returns — junior miners are the place to be.
While big miners like Barrick and Yamana have already doubled this year, it’s the small players that can still deliver those elusive 1,000% gains. The problem is, the good ones aren’t very easy to find…
There are between 1,500 and 2,000 junior gold miners scouring the land for gold at any given time. So where do you start?
Thankfully for our readers, our newest precious metals expert might as well have a global treasure map of the best gold deposits in the world…
It seems almost unfair how good Gerardo Del Real is at discovering the best — and most unknown — gold stocks in the world. It’s no shock that he’s spent the last decade behind the scenes advising some of the most active high-net worth investors in the resource space, including those who count in billions.
Since launching Resource Stock Digest Premium just three months ago, Gerardo has already recommended gold stocks that have returned 145%, 68%, and 64% for his readers…
All told, every single one of Gerardo’s recommendations is up — and the best are yet to come.
Right now, he’s gearing up for September, which he believes will be the single most important month for gold this year. Between the possible rate hike here in the U.S. and the results of Japan’s latest failed stimulus package, he thinks we could be in for quite the end-of-summer surprise.
That’s why he has marked his map for gold deposits in Mexico and Colombia.
You can follow along on his travels by signing up right here.
