The 5 Biggest Gold Nuggets Ever Found…Ever!
Below is a list of the largest gold nuggets ever found.
1. The Welcome Stranger Gold Nugget
Between 1851 and 1861, Australia is reported to have exported at least 850 metric tons of gold, the equivalent of more than one-third of the total gold produced in the world.
Shortly after this major gold rush, in 1869, the Welcome Stranger nugget was discovered by Cornish miner John Deason and his partner Richard Oates near Moliagul Victoria, Australia.
Although many historical accounts of the weight of the Welcome Stranger vary somewhat, the nugget is believed to have yielded about 156 pounds of pure gold after smelting, and is believed to be one of, if not the largest, gold nugget ever found in the world. .
You would think that a gold nugget as large and valuable as the Welcome Stranger nugget would be found deep in a gold mine or located after significant mining.
The Welcome Stranger nugget was simply found by digging around the root of a wire-barked tree.
2. The Welcome Nugget
Not to be confused with another large gold nugget found in Australia that shares a similar name, the Welcome nugget is the second largest gold nugget ever found and weighs 152 pounds.
It was discovered by a group of twenty-two Cornish miners in 1858 at the Red Hill Mining Company site at Bakery Hill in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
And just as you’d expect from a discovery like this, a welcome nugget of gold lay deep underground on the roof of the tunnel.
3. Pepita Canaã Gold Nugget
credit: Bullionstar.com
Pepita Canaã is the third largest gold nugget ever found in the world, however, it currently holds the top spot as the largest gold nugget known to exist today.
And this monster nugget weighs 134 pounds.
This massive gold nugget was found in 1983 by miner Julio de Deus Filho in the Serra Pelada gold mine area in the Brazilian state of Pará and is currently on display in the “Gold Room” of the Central Bank Money Museum in the Brazilian federal capital of Brasilia.
4. Sierra Buttes Monumental Claim Gold Nugget
credit: Geologyin.com
In 1869, a group of miners were on their way to work when they saw a small portion of this 109 pound gold nugget sticking out of the ground.
You can see a replica of an actual gold nugget at the Kentucky Mines Museum near Sierra City.
5. Lady Hotham Gold Nugget
Named in honor of Sir Charles Hotham’s wife, the Lady Hotham Nugget was discovered by a group of nine miners at Canadian Gully in Ballarat in September 1854 during the Australian Gold Rush.
It weighed 98 pounds and was located deep in the mining tunnel at 133 feet.
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