Quoted from PinMonk:I just figured out that the map and other things that obscure the screen aren't actually chewing up the gold timer. You can still collect gold even if you can't see them on the screen. In that mode, when you hit the gold button and COLLECT gold the flashers on the playfield will flash white until you collect the last piece when they will flash RED. Pretty nifty. Only took me a month to make the connection.
I thought the flasher next to the mystery hole flashed
White - No gold to collect
Yellow- gold available to collect
Red - time running out for gold to collect
I use that as an indicator of gold available rather than have to look up at the screen