Minelab provided the image for this amazing find. A fortunate prospector from Australia discovered a massive 4.1kg gold nugget in the outskirts of Central Victoria’s Golden Triangle in South Australia, giving it the name “Friday’s Joy.” This lucky individual, who wished to stay anonymous, also found a tennis ball-shaped gold nugget weighing 9 ounces the day before, buried more than two feet deep, with the help of Minelab’s top-of-the-line GPZ 7000 metal detector. Initially mistaking it for junk like an old horseshoe, the prospector kept digging and uncovered the incredible treasure about 12 inches below the surface.
The massive 4.1kg nugget, valued at over $250,000, is affectionately named ‘Friday’s Joy’. (Image credit: Minelab)
As he carefully excavated the clay and delved deeper into the ground, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “It wasn’t just some old piece of metal in front of me. I had discovered a huge gold nugget – a once-in-a-lifetime discovery! (…) I never imagined that nuggets of this size still existed.”
For more than a decade, he had been prospecting on weekends in search of coins, artifacts, and gold. He had a pact with a couple of his closest friends to split the profits from any significant gold discoveries made while prospecting together.
After notifying his friends and enjoying a few beers to celebrate, the next task at hand was figuring out what to do with the nugget. “It’s like catching a huge fish and not knowing what to do with it! Where do we even keep it? I ended up washing it in water, wrapping it in aluminum foil, and storing it in my oven on the first night.”
This discovery was quite impactful, but it doesn’t mean he’s ready to quit his job and retire just yet. Instead, he mentioned his plans to buy a van and explore Australia whenever he has the time, combining his passion for metal detecting and prospecting with travel and sightseeing.
The prospector struck gold with the help of a trusty detector. A replica of the valuable nugget, now secured in a bank vault, is being crafted for an upcoming auction by Minelab. It is expected to fetch a handsome sum of over US$190,000. Just last year, another fortunate Australian prospector uncovered an impressive 87-ounce gold nugget near the town of Wedderburn, not far from Melbourne. Dubbed the Fair Dinkum nugget, it was sold at auction for $133K (A$175K).
