Know The Story Of The Gold Nugget That Was Worth Millions But Was Sold For 12 Thousand Euros. The Largest Gold Nugget In The World Weighed The Equivalent Of An Adult Man.
With a story worthy of fiction, the miners John Deason and Richard Oates had their lives transformed in 1869 when they found the largest gold nugget in the world. This monumental discovery, known as “Welcome Stranger,” should have guaranteed them an immeasurable fortune. However, the reality was different: the nugget, which was worth millions, was sold for only 12 thousand euros. The fame and glory that accompanied the discovery did not translate into the expected wealth, leaving an intriguing historical mark on the valuation of natural resources and the fate of their discoverers.
The Largest Nugget In The World Weighed 72 Kg
The gold nugget that was worth millions, named Welcome Stranger, was found by the duo in Victoria, Australia. Weighing an impressive 72 kg and measuring over 61 centimeters in length, the largest gold nugget in the world was so big that a crowbar was needed to unearth it. Happy with the opportunity to change their lives, the workers took the nugget to the town of Dunolly to be weighed at the London Chartered Bank, where it was broken into several pieces due to its enormous size.
The sale of the largest nugget in the world earned the duo a modest sum of 12 thousand euros, which at the time was enough to make them rich. However, the estimate is that if it were sold today, the largest gold nugget in the world would be worth around 2.5 million euros.
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With a weight comparable to that of an adult man, the Welcome Stranger did not have photographic records, but drawings allowed replicas to be made later.
The Gold Nugget That Was Worth Millions Did Not Make The Family Rich
Despite being very valuable, the largest nugget in the world was not enough to leave any inheritance wealth for the miners’ families. In an interview, Suzie Deason, from the fourth generation of descendants of John Deason, stated that despite the fame, no money from the nugget remained.
According to Suzie, when people hear her name, they always ask her where the gold is or if she is rich. “Unfortunately, I am not, nor do I have any jewelry made from the stone,” she states.
Currently, a replica of the artifact can be seen at the Dunolly Museum, and the discovery site, Moliagul, known as the Golden Triangle, still attracts many tourists and enthusiasts searching for gold.
However, as this, considered the largest gold nugget in the world, was broken and melted shortly after its discovery, the nugget that holds the title of the largest existing is another, and it is Brazilian. The Canaã Nugget was found in 1983 by Julio de Deus in the state of Pará. Currently located at the Central Bank’s Museum of Values in Brasília, the nugget weighs 60 kilograms.
The Story Of The Nugget Found In Brazil
Júlio discovered the stone in Serra Pelada, a site that, in the 1980s, became the largest open-pit gold mine in the world. Hosting more than 100,000 miners, the area had over 42 tons of gold extracted until its deactivation in 1992.
The peak of activity occurred in the very year the Canaã Nugget was found, with official records indicating the acquisition of 14 tons of gold in 1983. By the early 90s, however, less than 300 kilograms were found per year.
While Deason, Oates, and Julio de Deus sweated to find their nuggets, Kevin Hillier had a little help from technology to find the Hand of Faith. Discovered also in Australia in 1980, the 27-kilogram nugget is the largest ever found using a metal detector. Sold for over a million dollars, the Hand of Faith is displayed in a Las Vegas casino.
Want more details about the story of the gold nugget found by the Brazilian? Leave a comment, and we’ll meet again in the next post!


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