In the current issue of gold prospectors magazine, Jill talks about the interesting and valuable qualities of both Palladium and Platinum.
If you are a gold panner, don't dismiss those shiny little silver nuggets. They may be silver, but they may be something worth much more. Hold onto those and check with an assayer. Although palladium is more rare to find, platinum can more often than not be found with gold. It is usually near nickel and iron, and can be easily seperated from other metals by removing those with a magnet.
An interesting fact I found in this article is platinum is more dense than gold with a gravity of 21.4 whereas gold is 19.3. Although gold and silver are more common, platinum is more rare and has more industrial value in many industries including science and automotive. Platinum and palladium can also be found in meteorites.
Palladium and platinum are very similar, but palladium melts more easy and is not quite as heavy as platinum. Another interesting thing about platinum is it is very hard to melt and was a big reason that prospectors back in the day didn't find the metal to be of great value!
In conclusion, check your silver nuggets when out prospecting as it may be either platinum or palladium which are worth much more.
 PLATINUM EAGLE COINS SET OF FOUR ULTRA CAMEO 2003W  US $3,850.00
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 2001 Platinum Eagle 4 Coin Set 185 Troy Oz 9995 C28 US $3,452.00
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 TEST GOLD PLATINUM SILVER TESTING 10K 24K SCRAP COINS US $35.99
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 2000 1 4oz US American Eagle Platinum $25 Coin US $400.00
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 1 Coin Fine Platinum Coin Queen Elizabeth II 696 US $1,649.99
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 RARE 2002 Platinum Eagle Coin NGC MS 70 Mirror LK US $475.00
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 1990 China 1 Troy oz Platinum Panda Coin BEAUTIFUL LK US $3,000.00
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 2003 W 1 2 oz PROOF American Platinum Eagle $50 coin NR US $1,027.31
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 1998 1 4 oz American Liberty Platinum coin US $338.00
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 2007 W American Eagle NGC MS70 $25 Platinum Coin US $899.00
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