Treasure Hunter Retrieves $100K 22-Karat Gold Nugget From River In Scotland

It isn’t all the time that a treasure hunter would find his treasure. However, one lucky guy has found his treasure from a Scottish riverbed.

According to NYPost, the hobbyist unearthed the 22-karat gold nugget worth $100,000, using sniping. This is a scavenging method, which involves snorkeling in just shallow waters. The treasure hunter would have to turn over rocks and dirt to find any buried treasure that lies beneath.

The Reunion Nugget

The gold nugget of the unnamed treasure hunter was dubbed as “The Reunion Nugget.” It consisted of two semicircular pieces, and both fit together perfectly. They were found on different parts of the riverbed.

The first part, the larger one, which weighed 3.1 ounces, was found at one side of the riverbed, while the other one, the 1.1 ounces, was on the other side. It took approximately 10 minutes before the smaller nugget was unearthed.

Lee Palmer, the author of “Gold Occurrences in the UK,” revealed that the two pieces fit together like pieces of a jigsaw. He also emphasized that the nuggets had no impurities in them, making it even more invaluable. The whole nugget weighs 4.2 ounces and is now considered as the largest one in the UK.

A mineralogist, according to Palmer, said that the nugget, “looked like entry and exit hole that could’ve been made with a Neolithic antler pick.” This pick is akin to the one used by farmers during the Iron Age.

Largest Gold Nugget

Palmer is hoping that the invaluable gold nugget will be purchased by a museum. He added, “that is if the Crown Estate doesn’t try to stake their claim.” Before “The Reunion Nugget,” the largest gold nugget was The Douglas Nugget, which weighed around 3 ounces and discovered in 2016 also on a Scottish waterway.

The author also emphasized that even if you would be taking the largest individual piece, it would still be the biggest one in the UK. When you add the second piece to it, along with the story on its discovery, it will remain to be one of the finest treasures of the UK at present.

As of this writing, the hobbyist treasure hunter’s identity still remains unknown. The owner of the land where the treasure was discovered also remains anonymous.