The Monumental Nugget: America’s Largest Gold Find
photorealistic rendering of a massive gold nugget, evoking the scale and raw beauty of the Monumental Nugget:
The largest gold nugget ever officially discovered in the United States is the “Monumental Nugget.” This incredible specimen was a product of the legendary California Gold Rush era.
America’s Largest Gold Find
The Story of the Monumental Nugget
- Discovery: The nugget was found in August 1869 near the Sierra Buttes Mine property in Sierra County, California.
2 According to local lore, a group of miners on their way to work spotted a portion of the massive gold chunk exposed on a trail after heavy rain had washed away the dirt covering it. - Size: The Monumental Nugget was truly colossal. Its weight is generally reported to be between 1,593 and 1,696 troy ounces, or approximately 109 to 116 pounds (49.5 to 53 kilograms).
The Original Sale and Modern Value
Detailed records of the Monumental Nugget’s original sale price are difficult to pinpoint, as it was likely sold directly to an assay office or melting facility in the late 1860s and quickly melted down. In the boom-and-bust environment of the Gold Rush, the primary focus was on the bullion value rather than its numismatic or aesthetic preservation.
We can estimate its value based on its weight:
| Metric | Details |
| Weight | ~1,593 troy ounces (the commonly cited pure gold content) |
| Original Price (Estimate) | Around $33,000 USD at the time of discovery, based on the fixed gold price of $20.67/oz. |
| Estimated Melt Value Today | Based on recent gold prices (using ~$4,000 per troy ounce), the melt value alone would be approximately $6.37 Million USD (1,593 oz $\times$ $4,000/oz). |
| Numismatic Value Today | Priceless. If the Monumental Nugget had survived intact, its historical rarity as the largest U.S. find would give it a collector’s premium potentially three to five times its melt value, easily pushing its worth into the tens of millions of dollars. |
Unfortunately, the original Monumental Nugget no longer exists. A life-size replica is currently on display at the Kentucky Mine Museum in Sierra City, California, giving visitors a sense of its incredible scale.
America’s Largest Gold Find
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Visit our gold prospecting site to view of collection of natural gold nuggets,
silver and many other unique precious metals collectibles and great gift ideas:
https://california-gold-rush-miner.us
A few examples from our site:
High Grade Silver Ore Slab
silver slab – example only
Nice sawn vein specimen of fresh, unaltered high grade silver ore from the world-class Cobalt Ontario deposits. Sawn on one side only. The deposit was described in Mineralogical Record, Volume 43, Number 6. In general, veins are predominantly composed of carbonates (calcite and/or dolomite) with arsenides and sulpharsenides of Co, Ni and Fe with native Ag and Bismuth. Most of this material has been squirreled away in collections by now, although specimens do occasionally come to market.
There are a few of these silver slabs available. The very bright silver really makes this piece stand out, but, unfortunately makes it all so hard to photograph. As an example the one pictured above is 66 grams for $45.
Silver, Bornite
There are a few of these beautiful native silver w bornite specimens available. Here is a 2 inch x 1 inch, Apx. 17.5 grams – Native Silver on Bornite thumbnail specimen from San Martin, Mexico. As an example the one pictured above is 17.5 grams for $60.
Avon Gold Rush Collectible stein
1987 8 1/2” tall San Francisco Gold Rush Handcrafted in Brazil for Avon. Each one of is individually numbered (#32017) this is the last one. $35.
For further information on these: seo711@gmail.com
All the items shown here are very limited and subject to prior sale without notice.
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Also see the most expensive type of gold nuggets, the Crystalline Gold Nuggets
Crystalline gold
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