Gilpin observer., 1900-02-01
SELLING "A MINE.
A Property May He Worth More to Ono Man
Than to Another.

AProporty may he worth More to Ono man
Than to Another.
1t is not easy to sell mine, largely
because of methods of mine owners,
says the Mining and Scientific Press.
Most mines are unproductive; they
have to be made; they are more than
a prospect" but not developed enough
to be really deserving Of the name
''mine." Those mines, or rather their
owners, must give inducement to capt.
tai, and while occasionally man or
corporation Is fooled into buying
mine that isn't much more than Il
prospect and paying the price of II
going" mine for it, such II transac-
tion is about the worst thing that can
happen district, for it is sure to be
found out, to the irretrievable injury
of that whole region. The most com
mon mistake OH the part of the mine
owner, provided he wants to sell, is to
set too high price on his property.
The would-be buyer can get along
without him better than he can get
along without the purchaser. and
while Il man is justified in getting all
that Il thing is worth, he Overeaches
and spoils sale by eXhorbitant or
impossible requirements at the outset.
1t is also to be remembered that mines
are now rarely bought by individuals.
and still rarer so developed to any
great extent. 1t is in mining as in
everything else. the day of aggregation
of capital, and twenty mems money
will go into projects that one mans
money could not touch or wouldn't
risk. This paragraph is inspired by
Il recent talk with Il mine owner who
has really good property and that
by the Investment of $40 900 or 100000
could in all probability be made pay
ing mine. He said. in conversation
with the writer. that he had just re-
fused $4,000 for it. When asked why.
he said: We'll. if it's worth $4,000
to ---, it's worth that to me-" But
it isn't. Right there is his mistake.
He has lived. or rather existed along
side that claim half his lfe-the best
of his years: he had Il chance to get
something he never had befOre-$25.-
900, n comfortable little sum. at once.
But he said: - would have sold
it to company for $4,000. Do you
suppose I'd let my mine go for So. 1000!
Not much" He will live and die right
by his mine and never have one-tenth
of $4,000 at once time, just because
he thinks that If it is worth n certain
sum to II man who can control or Sc
cure capital 10 make II mine of ii. II
is worth that much to him in its un-
developed state. It's hard enough to
sell Il mine without allowing such alb
surd notions to OverShadow ones bust
ness judgment But" ii may he asked,
you wouldn't advise ii man to sell IL
property for $4,000 when he knows
il is worth II great deal more. and
that the buyer will make two or three
times over on the purchaser \ man
should always do the best he can. If
he has go" enough about him to en-
list capital and develop his property
and make n mine of il worth S15O.O00.
he We're foolish to let any promoter or
middleman or anybody else get his
property from him for less than its
proved worth. but if he has been try
ing to do that for twenty years and
finds he isn't able. he is more foolish
to refuse S25.O0O offered him by some
one else for the. chance that he has
never been able to have tested.
Twenty-Five thousand dollars beats
nothing, and nothing is what this par
ticular man has had and, we fear. will
have. OF course it is Il good joke on
promoter or Il responsible man
with n proffer to ask an impossible
price and freeze him out of the place,
but somehow the joke is oftenest on
the one who does that. The wOuld-be
purchaser can 20 elsewhere. and the
man whose property is worth as much
to him as II is 10 any one else can
keep right on owning it and camping
alongside of il till he is old and for
gotten.