Gold nugget worth £10,000 uncovered in
Scotland is the biggest discovery in decades –
but the man who found it almost THREW it
away
- Gold nugget worth £10,000 was found in a river in Scotland by a Canadian
- It is believed the nugget, which weighs 18 grams, will spark a gold rush
- The panning enthusiast who found it almost threw the hunk of gold away
A gold nugget worth a staggering £10,000 was almost discarded by the lucky man who pulled it from a river in Scotland.
The
hunk of precious metal - thought to be the largest found in Scotland in
seven decades - was discovered by a Canadian gold panning enthusiast in
a river near Wanlockhead, in Dumfries and Galloway on Thursday
morning.
It is believed the 20-carat nugget, which weighs around 18 grams, will spark a gold rush in the area.
Scroll down for video
Discovery: The large nugget of gold worth was found in a river near Wanlockhead, in Dumfries and Galloway
Expert: Leon Kirk, who runs gold panning courses, holds the £10,000 nugget and his 20-year haul of gold
Share this article
John,
the man who discovered it and asked that just his first name be
published, was learning to pan for the precious medal under the watchful
eye of expert Leon Kirk.
Mr Kirk runs gold panning courses from the Museum of Lead Mining in Scotland’s highest village.
John,
who hails from the Gold Rush province of British Columbia, said: 'Leon
was telling me how to look out for haematite, the red-coloured mineral
which is often found with gold.
'We were a few minutes into panning when I found the nugget with a bean tin - an underwater viewing tin with a glass base.
'I saw the piece lying just under the surface of the water and picked it up.
'It didn’t look like much and I was just about to throw it back when I thought I should double-check with Leon first.
'I said "is this gold?" and couldn’t understand his excitement.
'Looking at the size of the piece I still can’t believe it’s such a big deal but it’s very interesting to watch the reactions.'
The 20-carat nugget, which weighs
around 18 grams, could spark a gold rush in the area despite hunks of
gold of this size being extremely rare in Scotland
The last significant gold nugget to
come out of the waters around Wanlockhead was a piece weighing 4.1 grams
(pictured left next to the most recent discovery)
Golden nuggets of this size are extremely rare in Scotland - a country which does not have a commercial gold mining industry.
It is understood that any Scottish gold extracted or panned therefore commands a premium price.
Most
of the larger pieces of Scottish gold have been found in this small
area of the Lowther Hills which was once known as 'God’s treasure house
of Scotland’.
Mr Kirk said: 'I like to tell my students that everyone goes home with a flake or two of gold, but this is exceptional.
'This was a big nugget. This is something I will never see in my lifetime again. That’s what makes it so special.
'I was teaching him (John) techniques in the river of how to find gold.
'Within a few minutes he came up to me to show me what he found. It was just incredible.
'I’m so glad for the guy. It’s great for the area. It’s great for the hobby. It’s given people a lift and a buzz.
'John
has the nugget. He’ll eventually pass it on to his daughter or
something, it will stay in the family. He’ll never sell it that’s for
sure.'
Wanlockhead Museum of Lead Mining trustee Gerard Godfrey (left) and gold panning expert Leon Kirk (right)
Mr
Kirk added: 'I always knew there were sizable nuggets in these hills
but, in my decades of panning, have only found very small pieces or
flakes.
'The
last significant find was made in 2002, ironically during the Queen’s
Golden Jubilee, and that weighed in at 6.1 grams and is only a third of
the size of the nugget that was found today.
'This is such a major discovery that people will be talking about it in 30 years time.'
Mr
Kirk’s collection of gold boasts a piece he panned in Perthshire
weighing in at 16.5 grams, the biggest nugget he has found since he
began panning more than 20 years ago.
Museum trustee Gerard Godfrey said: 'We are absolutely delighted with such a significant find.
'No doubt there will be a mini gold rush once this gets out but we are very happy with that.
'We
welcome responsible panners to the area and have all the equipment and
information necessary for experienced or novice enthusiasts.
'There is now no doubt that there are some very large pieces of gold in these hills which are just waiting to be discovered.'
The
museum is not naming the exact location of the find, for fear of a
stampede of prospectors that could damage the delicate river bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment