The world’s biggest gold nugget ever found weighs as much as an adult man, making it a gold miner’s ultimate dream. Gold has historically been a reliable investment due to its enduring high value. In a notable instance, Logan Paul even crafted a Prime bottle out of gold.
During the Australian gold rush, the largest nugget was discovered by two Cornish miners, John Deason and Richard Oats, on 5 February 1869 in Victoria, Australia. The nugget, weighing 72 kilograms and measuring 61 cm long, was named the “Welcome Stranger” and found in quartz on Bulldog Gully slope.
Deason recounted the discovery, stating, “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 nugget was too large for the scales at the London Chartered Bank in Dunolly, where it was taken for weighing.
Due to its size, the nugget had to be broken into smaller pieces to determine its total weight. Deason and Oats received just under £10,000 for their find, with the gold subsequently melted down. Today, a nugget of similar size would be valued at around £2 million.
Gold continues to hold its allure as a valuable investment, with significant finds like the “Welcome Stranger” nugget capturing the imagination of prospectors and investors alike.
