Australian Gold Nuggets

Australian Gold Nuggets








[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]The
term Australian Nuggets seems to bring back memories of the old
pioneering days when men were men and gold was bright and shiny and in
the form of beautiful nuggets rather than in small bars or coins.

Probably
the most famous of the gold nuggets is the very large "Welcome
Stranger". Found at Ballarat in the 1869 it weighs in at 2,284
ounces (71.01 kilos). That, at today’s price of $650 USD per ounce,
would be worth $1, 484, 600. Not bad for a day's digging!

Large
gold nuggets are now considered rarer than diamonds. Nuggets only form
very near to the surface, and as current mining is underground future
finds are unlikely except where individual prospectors have a lucky day
out in the fields. Most nuggets have already been discovered and even
the largest have been melted down.

Despite this, gold nuggets are
still available from the Perth Mint in sizes ranging from 1 gram up to
about 10 ounces or more. One can also purchase gold nuggets from eBay.

It is rare however to find any gold nuggets over 14 ounces for sale.

With
gold nuggets there is almost always a presentation case or it is sealed
in a plastic bubble. Although this is an additional cost it also comes
with a certificate detailing its authenticity and this cannot be removed
from the plastic without damaging it. This tends to ensure that your
nugget is genuine and in prine condition.

Gold nuggets are
collected often for their historical value rather than for investment
purposes. Although some people do collect for their future investment
value, most people prefer gold coins and bullion bars for investment
purposes.

Gold nuggets have a magic all their own and each gold
nugget usually has a story all its own. How the nugget was formed,
discovered and who the original prospector was can form part of the
history of each gold nugget.

A delightful hobby, if an expensive
one, collecting gold nuggets is really like collecting parts of history
and you can sit there and feel a part of that history when you hold in
your hand an Australian Gold Nugget.