Giant Gold Nugget Worth £200,000 Found Using Metal Detector In Victoria, Australia
What A Whopper: Prospector Strikes 5.5kg Gold Nugget - With A Handheld Metal Detector
Sara C Nelson— Huffington Post UK
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A gold prospector armed with a handheld metal detector has unearthed a 5.5kg gold nugget.
The unidentified man made the find in the town of Ballarat, Australia, on Wednesday.
Cordell Kent, owner of the Ballarat Mining Exchange Gold Shop, told the Ballarat Courier: "If you are silly enough to melt it down, it would be worth just under $300,000 (around £200,000) on market value. But as a nugget at this size and shape, it’s worth significantly more than that.
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The nugget weighs 5.5kg and is worth around £200,000 - if it is melted down
“I can’t remember a nugget this big ever being found locally.”
The identity of the lucky prospector has not been revealed, although Kent says the fortune will be well spent.
He told Adelaide Now: "He's a person that really deserves it. He rushed to tell his wife when he found it and she didn't believe him at first.
"He is going to pay off a lot of bills and pay off his house. It's a real life changer."
Kent, who has been a prospector and dealer for 20 years, added he could not remember the last time a nugget over the weight of 100 ounces was found in the area.
In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2012 photo, an Emirati woman discusses her purchases with a salesman at a jewelry shop in gold suq in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With low customs on gold imports, low labor charges, cheap prices and high quality, Dubai has become one of the world's best retail gold jewelry markets. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012 photo, technician prepares 1 Kg containers of gold grains for melting into 995.0 purity gold bars at the Emirates Gold refinery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012 photo, strings of melted gold with a temperature of about 1050 degrees centigrade are poured into cooling water bath from a furnace at the Emirates Gold company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2012 photo, a Saudi customer discusses his purchases at a jewelry shop in the gold suq, or market, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012 photo, technician prepares 1 Kg gold bars of 995.0 purity to pack for delivery at the Emirates Gold company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012 photo, Strings of melted gold are pour into a water bath from a furnace with temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees centigrade at the Emirates Gold company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2012 photo, an Indian salesman collects a bangle to present to a customer at a jewelry shop in the gold suq in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012 photo, a gold press operator collects 10 gram gold blanks to press them with the logo of the Emirates Gold company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Thursday Oct. 11, 2012 photo, an Emirati man passes by a jewelry shop in the gold suq in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)
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In this Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012 photo, 10 gram gold bars with a purity of 999.9 have been pressed and stamped with the "Emirates Gold" company logo in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) (credit:AP)