Gold Nugget, Possibly England’s Largest, Unearthed Despite Malfunctioning Metal Detector
In a remarkable turn of events, a treasure hunter persevering through equipment malfunction stumbled upon what is believed to be England’s largest gold nugget to date.
Richard Brock, the fortunate discoverer, located the gold nugget weighing 64.8 grams (2.3 ounces) in the scenic Shropshire Hills near the Welsh border, as disclosed by auction house Mullock Jones on Thursday.
Dubbed “Hiro’s Nugget,” the find is roughly the size of a UK 50 pence coin and carries an estimated value ranging between £30,000 ($38,000) and £40,000 ($50,700), according to Shropshire-based Mullock Jones, the appointed auctioneer.
However, luck seemed fleeting for Brock, whose equipment nearly dashed his hopes on the day of the excavation.
Upon arriving at the Shropshire site in May, Brock encountered a faulty metal detector, as outlined in a press release by Mullock Jones. Undeterred, he resorted to older equipment. Initially yielding only a coin of insignificance, within five minutes, he stumbled upon the astonishing discovery, recounted the auction house.
Reflecting on his stroke of fortune, Brock remarked in the release, “It just goes to show that it doesn’t really matter what equipment you use, if you are walking over the find and are alert enough to what might be lurking underneath the soil, that makes all the difference.”
Deemed a “rare find” by auctioneer Ben Jones of Mullock Jones, the origins of the nugget at the dig site remain shrouded in mystery.
Sections of the Shropshire Hills were once submerged under a prehistoric ocean, where remnants of coral are frequently unearthed, notes the auction house.
“The site does contain an old road/ railway line and has remnants of Welsh stone within,” Jones added, suggesting a myriad of possibilities regarding its journey to the site.
The auction for Hiro’s Nugget concludes on April 1.
While Hiro’s Nugget stands as a significant discovery, numerous prior findings elsewhere in the United Kingdom eclipse its size.
The current record holder remains the Reunion Nugget, weighing 121.3 grams (4.3 ounces), discovered in Scotland in 2019.
