• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Biggest gold nugget ever found that weighed as much as a person would be worth an insane amount today

Home> News> Money

Published 16:42 13 Feb 2024 GMT

Biggest gold nugget ever found that weighed as much as a person would be worth an insane amount today

The 'biggest golden nugget' ever which weighs as much as an adult is now worth millions

Chelsea Connor

Chelsea Connor

Featured Image Credit: Dunolly Museum

Topics: Money, News

Chelsea Connor
Chelsea Connor

Chelsea is a Journalist for UNILAD. Before this she worked as a Journalist and Comedy Writer for seven years, working for companies such as Newsquest, NationalWorld and Samahoma Productions. She became a qualified journalist back in 2017, completing a NCTJ at Liverpool City College.

X

@theccjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

The biggest 'nugget of gold' in the world weighed as much as an adult man, and would be worth millions of dollars today.

Gold-digging is a niche but, at times, financially rewarding activity, as miners have found gold worth millions over the years, but it's usually no guarantee that you'll make the big bucks.

However, miners John Deason and Richard Oats hit the jackpot back in 1869, when they found the discovered the monster nugget while digging in Australia.

Weighing in at 72 kilograms (11 stone), and measuring a huge 61 cm (24 inches), it was found in the roots of a tree, and was nicknamed 'Welcome Stranger'.

Advert

While gold is usually great for holding its value, the two miners took the nugget to the town of Dunolly where it was weighed at a London Chartered Bank, and were paid just under $10,000 for the massive chunk.

"It is a great story of two guys instantly becoming fabulously rich. In those days that didn't happen," said John Tully from the Goldfields Historical Society.

"Nowadays we have things like the Lotto where people can become millionaires overnight, but back then it didn't happen like that."

The biggest 'nugget' ever found.
Dunolly Museum

Advert

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.”

Due to heavy inflation, the gold has soared in price and is estimated to be worth around $2 million in today's money.

While there are a few ways to mine for gold, many big finds have been through a basic metal detector.

The largest chunk of gold that has ever found by a metal detector weighed in at 875 troy ounces of gold (27kg) and was discovered by Kevin Hillier in Kingower, Victoria, back in 1980.

Advert

Called the 'Hand of Faith', it is now on display at the aptly named Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas.

The biggest nugget found by metal detector is now in a Las Vegas.
Ken Lund/Flickr

Gold retains such value that YouTuber Logan Paul tried to get in on the action, and asked a pawnbroker if he would exchange a Prime bottle made from 24-carat gold.

The pawnbroker examined the bottle, subsequently offering the social media star $25,000 for it.

Advert

However, Paul didn't stop there and tried to bargain, requesting $700,000 for the bottle.

Ultimately, it was decided no deal would be reached for the Prime bottle.

It was one of the bottles that was given away at the London and New York activations for the popular drink, with another being won by a young boy from the UK.

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
6 hours ago
7 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Diddy denied bail after being found guilty on 2 out of 5 counts in sex trafficking and prostitution case

    Diddy has been denied bail after being found guilty on two of five charges he was facing

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Donald Trump makes shocking threat he wants to deport US citizens and people are stunned

    Donald Trump has made a threat to deport US citizens following the opening of a migrant centre in Florida

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Bryan Kohberger speaks for first time in court admitting to how he brutally murdered four Idaho students

    The Idaho murder suspect has spoken out following the brutal murders of four students in 2022

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Former prosecutor explains why Diddy was found not guilty on 3 out of 5 counts in sex trafficking and prostitution case

    A legal expert has shared his thoughts about why Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been found not guilty of three counts

    News
  • Second biggest diamond in the world has been discovered and it's worth a shocking amount
  • Man turned down a 50,000 Bitcoin house offer in 2015 and it’s worth a shocking amount today
  • Man who sold 10% Apple stake for $801 in 1976 lost out on sickening amount of money that it's worth today
  • China discovers $83,000,000,000 worth of gold sitting almost 10,000ft below ground