Largest golden nugget ever found weighed as much as an adult man

The world’s biggest gold nugget ever found weighs as much as an adult man and it is a gold miner’s absolute dream.

For people hoping to invest their fortune, gold has typically been a reliable investment that has remained high in value – so much so that Logan Paul even made a Prime bottle out of the stuff.

During the Australian gold rush, the world’s largest nugget was found by miners originating from the UK.

On 5 February 1869, two Cornish miners named John Deason and Richard Oats were prospecting for gold in the region of Victoria, Australia.

They discovered a massive nugget that weighed 72 kilograms (11 stone) and measured 61 cm long, lodged in the roots of a tree. It was nicknamed the “Welcome Stranger” and was discovered, encased in quartz, on a slope called Bulldog Gully.

In notes from the time, Deason wrote: “I tried to prise the nugget up with the pick but the handle broke. I then got a crowbar and raised the nugget to the surface.”

The large gold nugget was taken to the nearby town of Dunolly where it was due to be weighed at the London Chartered Bank but failed to fit on the scales.

The nugget had to be broken into smaller pieces in order for its total weight to be calculated. The two men who discovered it were given just under £10,000, and the gold was melted down. According to the BBC, a similar-sized nugget today would be worth around £2 million.

This article was first published on February 13, 2024.

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