THEY certainly were the golden days. Some 150 years ago, hundreds of thou-sands of dream seekers swarmed to the Wild West after gold was discovered in January 1848. People descended on California’s rocky plains from as far afeld as Europe, Latin America and even Asia as they sought to make their fortune. In those dusty, lawless days gold was once the word on the world’s lips and, now, 

almost two centuries later, history is repeating itself. But rather than a dark, perilous mine near San Francisco, riches can now be made, rather more comfortably, from the shop foor of a jeweller. Billboards across the Costa del Sol and Andalucia are plastered with the latest contendersAcross Spain and the whole of Europe the gold rush has defnitely returned. 

New cash for gold schemes are appearing as fast as people are fnding old family heirlooms. In the middle of the global downturn, fnancial crisis and, above all, plummeting currencies, it appears that gold is the one commodity in which people still have absolute faith. Add to the gold melting pot the fact that the precious metal is at its highest value for at least 20 years, and it’s easy to understand its glittering popularity. The latest fgures confrmed that the price of gold now stands at $1,228 per troy ounce, compared with its lowest in recent memory, which was $252.80 in July 1999.

It is estimated that in little over a year the number of shops dedicated to the purchase and sale of second-hand jewellery has grown from just over 10 to 90 across Malaga province alone. And the rampant growth of the industry has been re- and coverage the competing companies and shops have received. Billboards across the Costa del Sol and Andalucia are . And touring companies, such as Roadshow EU, are now giving more established shops a run for their money. No doubt about it. There is only one word on everybody’s lips at the moment. “It certainly is gold, gold, The gold rush It may not be full of gun slingers and wagon wheels, but the 21st Century gold rush is still turning the Costa del Sol wild, writes Andrew Pearcegold at the moment,” ex- of Anthony’s Diamonds in Fuengirola. “Gold equals currency, it is the only thing on the planet you can always rely on to sell.”

Barnes has been running his antiques and pawnbrokers shop since 1983 and believes that people have now renewed faith in its worth. “If you were to put a dia- be much more diffcult to sell. “But the thing is you can buy a million pounds of gold and sell it immediately. “It is not the same for cars or properties. The recommended retail price of a car can be 28,000 euros, but it doesn’t mean anyone will want to buy it. “But you can cash up gold instantly. Hence the gold rush.” Yet Barnes has been in the business long enough to be sure that the recent frenzy  despite its unprecedented growth – will not last forever.  “There is only a certain amount of gold in the world and the truth s most people don’t have it,” continues 

Barnes.  “There is a big boom in popularity but I suspect it will fzzle out.” Nevertheless, right now, the gold industry has arguably never had it so good and new shops have rapidly opened to cater for this de-

mand.  

One such example lured by the gold rush is The Old Gold Company, also based  14 months old, the company,run by Michael Senker, set up shop just when the industry was on  down. “The price of gold is the most expensive it’s ever trusts cash any more,” ex-plains Senker.“Many people would rather have something in gold, as opposed to cash. tough and they are coming across items stashed away which they don’t wear anymore. “They need to raise fast  too big or too small.”In one foul swoop punters can walk into such shops with a few shiny items and emerge with some handy money. It is no surprise that scores of people are now trawling through their bedroom drawers in search of any easy cash. And, under closer inspection,it is surprising what objects do actually contain gold. It can be found in Nasa telescopes, video cameras and gold is even a registered EU food additive. Green lovers will also be pleased to hear that the valuable metal is actually one of the most recycled substances on the planet. Experts predict that the average wedding ring will contain gold that was once worn in Ancient Greece or Rome.

 

Full of history, each piece of jewellery boasts it unique past, and this is what the travelling Roadshow EU specialises in. The family-owned business, run by Marbella residents, husband and wife Morne and Shani Botes, takes a keen interest in the antiques’ past. “The service we provide is different to the highstreet shops as we sit down with our clients and give them the history behind their heirlooms,” explains Morne, from South Africa. “Our clients love to hear the stories behind their valuables. For many, the value of their jewellery is actually of secondary importance to the intriguing past it is likely to contain.

 

“Sadly, in Spain, there are so many people who are paid just to tell someone the price of gold. “We are gold experts, and we have based our service on the much-loved British show the Antiques Road-show.”The multi-talented Botes can even claim to have enjoyed a brief Hollywood career, having been an extra in Guy Richie’s Rock n Rolla and the Bridget Jones sequel. However, he is now more than happy to see his three year old company grow and continue its success.

Despite admitting that it is tough to unearth “someone who fnds looking at an old watch exciting” the fedging businesses’ transformation has been impressive. Morne explains: “We began with just a small team of four people in Germany, now we have fve teams across Europe with two teams here in Spain.”Roadshow EU has now established permanent offices in London, Marbella, Dusseldorf and Madeira.And the company’s triumphs mean that the future is nothing less than exceptionally busy for the go-getting Botes. “I will be travelling up and down the coast for the rest of the year,” he adds. “We have shows planned for Nerja, Mojacar, Almeria and Fuengirola to name just a few places.”It certainly is nonstop for the gold industry at the moment. No doubt about it, the Wild West had nothing on this.