Now that’s a Mcnugget: £50,000 gold find in Scotland
Snorkelling prospector keeps site of discovery secret over fears that others will flood area
SCOTLAND could be the focus of the biggest gold rush in years after a prospector discovered the UK’S largest nugget in a river.
The man, who has asked not to be named, discovered the 85.7g (2.75 Troy ounces) lump while lying face down in a Scottish river for hours.
Named the “Douglas Nugget”, it is claimed to be the biggest gold nugget to have been unearthed in Britain for 500 years and is thought to be worth at least £50,000.
The discovery was made two years ago but it has been kept a secret until now. Upon finding the nugget the man, in his 40s, ran from the water clutching his gold shouting “bingo”.
The nugget was discovered in a river in Scotland and its exact location is being kept under wraps in a bid to avoid a gold rush. Breaking his silence, the lucky hunter said he came across it by “sniping”, a method where hunters don a dry suit and snorkel before lying face down in a river.
The man, who has been hunting for gold as a hobby for 20 years, said: “I was following a crack in the bedrock and found around 2g in fine gold.
“This then led to a pocket, where I uncovered the nugget. I called over my friend to have a look and we both assumed it to be around 5-7g in weight.
“It wasn’t until I removed it that we realised just how big it was.” He added: “I took off my glove and picked it up, jumped out of the water and screamed, ‘Bingo!’ to my friend.
“We were both stunned and couldn’t believe it. I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime.”
The owner said he was unsure what to do with his nugget and is keeping it in a safety deposit box in the meantime, but there is a chance The Crown Estate could claim the money if it is sold.
Under law gold and silver are classed as Mines Royal, meaning that in most cases they belong to the crown.
Hunters therefore need permission from The Crown Estate to take away any gold that is found, regardless of the method used to find it. It is not clear whether permission has been granted.
Leon Kirk, from Gold Panning Supplies UK and a friend of the hunter, said that while they were concerned that giving away the location of the river could cause a gold rush, his friend was also keen to fully search the river. “It’s a bit of a secret society, gold panning, when you find a good river,” he said. “I know this guy has spent the last two years looking through the rest of the river where he found this huge nugget.
“He’s found lots of other pieces of gold since so that’s probably why he’s kept it quiet – you wouldn’t want to give something like that away.
“I think we’re both of the view as well that telling people where it was could ruin the river – but I don’t even know where he found it.” Despite not knowing exactly where this gold was found Mr Kirk recommended that people scour Wanlockhead in Dumfries and Galloway, where gold nuggets have been discovered before.
Mr Kirk added: “This is a very exciting and unprecedented find. But the nugget’s rarity means it is very hard to put a price on it. I would say it is worth at least £50,000 but, as it’s rarer than an Aston Martin or a Fabergé egg, a billionaire could easily come along and pay a lot more for it. Historically, it is off the Richter scale.”
The Douglas Nugget is believed to share a similar diameter to that of a golf ball.
‘He’s found lots of other pieces of gold since so that’s why he’s kept it quiet – you wouldn’t want to give something like that away’