19 replies to this topic

[Still Waters]

An amateur prospector in the Australian state of Victoria has astonished experts by unearthing a gold nugget weighing 5.5kg (177 ounces).

The unidentified man, using a handheld metal detector, found the nugget on Wednesday, lying 60cm underground near the town of Ballarat.

Its value has been estimated at more than A$300,000 ($315,000: £197,000).

http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-asia-21055206

[wolfknight]

Well I guess he is out of debt. WTG

[tipotep]

What a find , hope it wasn't on crown land !!!

TiP.

[seeder]

I always meant to get myself a metal detector... some great finds have been made.. and this guy just got semi rich


"A gold nugget with an estimated value of more than $300,000 has been unearthed near Ballarat in Victoria's west.

An amateur prospector found the nugget weighing 177 ounces, or 5.5 kilograms, with a metal detector just outside Ballarat in a popular area for prospecting.

The owner of The Mining Exchange Gold Shop in Ballarat, Cordell Kent, said the find was one of the most significant in his 20 years in the business"

http://www.abc.net.a...-nugget/4470016




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[OverSword]

Jealous!

[libstaK]

I'm chagrined!!! I've been told on at least a half dozen occassions by my sister and her partner what fun metal detecting is and "you should get one".  I've been dishing back the whole "bah humbug what a waste of time" just as regularly.

I live an hour from where this was found.  They'll be giving me the big "I told you so" any day now ...

[ozman]

This is exactly why I'm getting a metal detector capable of finding gold ASAP!!!!!!!!! and hitting the Minnesota Twin Cities Area.

[ancient astronaut]

WOW.

[DKO]

libstaK, on 18 January 2013 - 11:40 PM, said:

I'm chagrined!!! I've been told on at least a half dozen occassions by my sister and her partner what fun metal detecting is and "you should get one".  I've been dishing back the whole "bah humbug what a waste of time" just as regularly.

I live an hour from where this was found.  They'll be giving me the big "I told you so" any day now ...

I think it might be worth having a search, Victoria seems to be pretty lucky with large gold nuggets.

Quote

Most known in the developed world as the biggest gold nugget ever found, the Welcome Stranger was found at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia in 1869 by John Deason and Richard Oates. It weighed gross, over 2,520 troy ounces (78 kg) and returned over 2,284 troy ounces (71.0 kg) net ^[5].


The largest gold nugget found using a metal detector is the Hand of Faith, weighing 875 troy ounces (27 kg), found in Kingower, Victoria, Australia in 1980.

http://en.wikipedia....rgest_specimens

Edited by DKO, 19 January 2013 - 03:22 PM.

[Majikwayz]

So amazing how it formed like that...kinda ugly tho for gold....lol

[pallidin]

Yeah, where there's one large nugget, there might be more.
Wish I was there, to be honest.


EDIT: Hey, I've never really prospected, except playing around, but does anyone know if such a large nugget is indicative of a thick vein of gold somewhere, say, within a mile or more. Or does that NOT infer that at all?

Edited by pallidin, 19 January 2013 - 04:51 PM.

[seeder]

A fantastic find for a natural nugget, but think of the buried treasure you could be walking over all the time, in local fields and such places!

"The Staffordshire Hoard" was found by a metal detector in a farmers field, and was worth 3.5 Million to the finders

http://en.wikipedia....fordshire_Hoard

and

http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/


And theres been quite a few other big ones in the UK too. So if you ever wanted a detector, just buy one now and get some exercise! Im searching ebay for one next!

Some kid went detecting for the first time and probably wont need to work when he leaves school

"Boy, 3, unearths £2.5m treasure trove on FIRST metal detecting expedition"

http://www.dailymail...expedition.html



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[Lobotomy]

I remember seeing an episode of the awesome Globe Trekker (formerly Lonely Planet) where some guy in Australia found one like three times the size of that one. They showed the cast of it in the show and I think it was called The Hand of Faith. I'm booking my plane ticket right now, so don't worry folks!

[DKO]

Lobotomy, on 19 January 2013 - 11:46 PM, said:

I remember seeing an episode of the awesome Globe Trekker (formerly Lonely Planet) where some guy in Australia found one like three times the size of that one. They showed the cast of it in the show and I think it was called The Hand of Faith. I'm booking my plane ticket right now, so don't worry folks!

Three of the four largest nuggets have been found in Victoria, Australia. Plus the major gold rushes went on there. I might book a ticket too haha.

[King Fluffs]

I'd like to find something like that.