Can you imagine the excitement of finding a shiny gold nugget? The world’s 30 largest gold discoveries of all time, most of which were unearthed in Australia!
The Monumental Nugget weighed 1,648-1,696oz. The largest gold nugget discovered in America weighed in at between 1,648oz and 1,696oz. Discovered by five prospectors in August 1869 in the Monumental Claim in Sierra County, California.
The Lady Noch Nugget weighed 617oz. Found in August 1887 at Sulky Gully, in Ballarat, Victoria by the Midas Mining Company, and named in honour of the then Governor of Victoria’s wife.
The Canaã 5 Nugget weighed 646oz. The fifth biggest nugget found during Brazil’s Serra Pelada Gold Rush in the early 1980s, is on display at the Banco Central Museum in Brazil.
The Dogtown Nugget weighed 711oz. America’s third largest true gold nugget found at Magalia, California in 1859, and is variously known as the Dogtown, Willard or Magalia nugget. It was melted down soon after.
The Kum Tow Nugget weighed 796oz. Found by Chinese prospector Loo Ching in April 1871 at Catto’s Paddock, Berlin (now Rheola), in Victoria. It was melted down but a replica forms part of the Mineralogy Collections at Museums Victoria.
The McEvoy Nuggets weighed 782-810oz. Found in either 1857 or 1858 by Nicholas McAvoy and Walter Palmer, in the Rheola locality in Victoria. The three nuggets weighed 810oz, 805oz and 782oz respectively, however they no longer exist.
The Normandy Nugget weighed 899oz. Found in a dry creek bed in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in 1995. This sparkling hunk of gold is currently on display at The Perth Mint.
The Poseidon Nugget weighed 953oz. Found in Tarnagulla, Victoria in December 1906, inspiring a festive gold rush.
The Hand of Faith Nugget weighed 960oz. Found by Kevin Hillier near Kingower in Victoria, in September 1980. It is the largest gold nugget found using a metal detector and is on display at the Golden Nugget Casino Hotel in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA.
The Viscountess Canterbury Nugget weighed 970oz. Found at John’s Paddock, Berlin in the Rheola locality in Victoria, in October 1870, and named after the then-Governor of Victoria’s wife.
Canadian 3 Nugget weighed 1,099oz. One of the largest nuggets discovered during the Victorian Gold Rush, it was found in January 1863 at Canadian Gully, Ballarat.
The Heron Nugget weighed 1,106oz. Named after a popular gold commissioner and found near Old Golden Point in Fryer’s Creek on the Mount Alexander goldfield in Victoria, in March 1855.
The Viscount Canterbury Nugget weighed 1,114oz. Like the Viscountess Canterbury Nugget, its partner was found in May 1870 at John’s Paddock, Berlin in the gold-laden Rheola locality in Victoria.
The Golden Eagle Nugget weighed 1,135oz. Discovered by 17-year-old Jim Larcombe at Larkinsville, Western Australia in January 1931 and named due to its resemblance to the majestic bird. It was a headline-grabbing national sensation, before being sold to the Western Australian Government.
Replica Of The Gold Eagle Nugget
The Canaã 4 Nugget weighed 1,185oz. The fourth-largest nugget found during Brazil’s Serra Pelada Gold Rush of the early 1980s and resides at the Banco Central Museum in Brazil.
The Canadian 2 Nugget weighed 1,224oz. Discovered at Canadian Gully in Ballarat, Victoria, in January 1863.
The Canaã 3 Nugget weighed 1,230oz. Notable for its distinctive ferrous red hue, it is the third largest nugget unearthed during the Brazilian Serra Pelada Gold Rush of the early 1980s.
The Great Triangle Nugget weighed 1,277oz. The largest ever discovered in Russia, it was found in 1842 by prospector Nikofor Syutkin at Miass in the Ural Mountains. It is on display at the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow.
The Canaã 2 Nugget weighed 1,430oz. The second biggest nugget found during Brazil’s Serra Pelada Gold Rush of the early 1980s and is on display at the Banco Central Museum in Brazil.
The Lady Hotham Nugget weighed 1,576oz. Named in honour of the then-Governor of Victoria’s wife, it was found by nine miners at the Canadian Gully in Ballarat Victoria, in September 1854.
The Precious Nugget weighed 1,717oz. Found at Catto’s Paddock, Berlin (now Rheola) in Victoria by a Chinese prospector in January 1871. It was named after landowner Precious C. Williams.
The Blanche Barkly Nugget weighed 1,743oz. Found in August 1857 by a team led by Scottish prospector Sam Napier at Kingower, Victoria. Named in honour of the then-colonial Governor’s daughter, it was displayed at London’s Crystal Palace before being sold to the Bank of England and melted down to make sovereign coins.
The Leg of Mutton/Canadian Nugget weighed 2,144oz. The largest gold nugget discovered at Canadian Gully, in Ballarat Victoria, it was found on New Year’s Day 1853.
The Canaã Nugget weighed 2,145oz. The largest surviving true gold nugget on Earth, the Canaã is the biggest lump of gold extracted during Brazil’s Serra Pelada Gold Rush in the early 1980s. It is on display at the Banco Central Museum in Brasília.
The RNC Minerals’ 2 ‘Nugget’ weighed 2,222oz. Not a true nugget due to its impure content, this enormous gold-encrusted rock was found in September 2018 at RNC Minerals’ Beta Hunt mine near Kambalda, Western Australia, and reportedly contains 1,600oz of pure gold.
The Welcome Nugget weighed 2,433oz. The biggest nugget found in gold-rich Ballarat, Victoria, it was discovered by miners from Cornwall, England in June 1858. It was exhibited at London’s Crystal Palace before being bought by the Royal Mint and melted down into sovereign coins.
The RNC Minerals’ 1 ‘Nugget’ weighed 3,351oz. RNC Minerals found the gold-encrusted rock at the Beta Hunt mine in Western Australia in September 2018. This eye-opener is said to contain around 2,400oz of pure gold.
The Welcome Stranger Nugget weighed 3,524oz. This magnificent granddaddy of all true gold nuggets was found by English prospectors John Deason and Richard Oates in February 1869 at Moliagul in Victoria. The monster-sized specimen was broken into three pieces and melted down.
The Holtermann ‘Nugget’ weighed 10,229oz. While the Welcome Stranger is the largest gold nugget ever discovered, the single biggest gold specimen ever found is the Holtermann. Dug up in October 1872 by German miner Bernhardt Holtermann at Hill End in New South Wales, it was crushed, and the gold extracted.
