There are several places one can visit to try their hand looking for gold, with some people making a profession out of it. While finding a gold nugget at all is something to be celebrated, one man hit the jackpot years ago. Now, the nugget he found will soon go to auction for a crazy price.
Gold miner Barry Clay first unearthed the massive nugget 23 years ago. Found near Klondike along the Swift Creek Mine’s shores, it weighs a massive 21 pounds. Daily Mail reports it will be put up for sale in Dallas, Texas for $1 million. The “Alaska Centennial Gold Nugget” is what it has appropriately been dubbed. The name comes from it being found 100 years after the famous Klondike Gold Rush.
Realizing how valuable the nugget was, Clay buried the nugget under a tree in Alaska until he figured out what to do with it. After showing it to experts, they recorded it as the second-largest nugget ever found in the western hemisphere. The only known one exceeding it in size is called the “Boot of Cortez.” This one was found in Mexico in 1989 at 24 pounds.
The vendor who acquired the nugget from Clay 20 years ago is now putting it up to auction with Heritage Auctions in Dallas. That’s not the only valuable find going on sale. The auction will also feature two native gold crystals found in the Venezuelan jungle. Discovered in the 80s, the pair is expected to sell for $300,000 and $600,000 apiece.
The auction takes place on December 8. That means in a few weeks we’ll see just how much these precious items sell for.
‘Gold Rush’ Star Rick Ness Says it’s ‘Getting Harder and Harder’ to Mine in the Klondike
The Klondike Gold Rush took place over 100 years ago and people have steadily been picking at it since. It should come as no surprise then that Gold Rush star Rick Ness says mining there is “getting harder and harder.”
Talking to Looper, Ness talked about all things gold-related. One of the big questions pertained to the Klondike and the Yukon. As the land becomes more scarce in that region, the outlet wonders if the show may relocate. Overall, Ness seems to think that’s a distinct possibility.
“Yeah, well, I mean… that’s the thing, right?” Ness answered. “Like, they’re not making any more ground with gold in it, you’re right about that. There is still, I would say, a lot of ground left in the Klondike with gold in it, but the fact of the matter is that it’s getting harder and harder to get back to that ground.”
Concluding, he said he can’t predict what will happen there, but he goes to where the gold is.
