On January 16 this year, a very lucky prospector unearthed a massive gold nugget in none other than the country of Australia. The country is famous for its gold rush during the 1800s, as well as for producing two world record-holding nuggets – the “Welcome Stranger” (largest gold nugget ever discovered) and the “Hand of Faith” (largest gold nugget ever discovered with a metal detector).
Weighing in at about 11 pounds, this new unnamed nugget doesn’t break any records. But, it’s still a commendable size worth more than $250,000 at current gold prices. However, the novelty of the nugget’s size and discovery will likely help it sell for much more.
The prospector (who wishes to remain anonymous) found the nugget outside the town of Ballarat. During the aforementioned gold rush, Ballarat was a popular area for prospectors. In the years since, it’s been widely agreed that the area had been picked clean of any significant finds. However, this prospector claims he was able to find his nugget by using advanced equipment. The nugget was found about 60cm below the earth – deep enough to evade most metal detectors. The prospector’s Minelab GPX-5000, a $5,000-$7,000 device, was up to the task.
The find was big news in Australia. Some wonder whether it may spark another gold rush. Even though metal detector technology is getting better, it’s unlikely such a find will be repeated. It may really have been the last gold nugget in all of Ballarat.
