There is a lot of rusty metal scattered around the desert. Whether it's nails, tools, pipes, or gear wheels, it's out there! The problem is that it's disappearing due to illegal souvenir collection. Although removing antiquities from public lands is punishable by prison time and a hefty fine, many people still snag a few items here and there. It's much better to just leave the artifacts where they were found so that others may enjoy them in the future. Generally it is illegal to collect historic or archeological artifacts which are fifty years old or older. Items such as tools, nails (especially the square ones), gear wheels, pipes and anything else found around an abandoned mine site are almost certainly at least fifty years old.