67-year-old Man Uses Metal Detector to Find UK’s Biggest Gold Nugget Worth Rs 31 Lakh

A metal detectorist in Shropshire, England, made history when he discovered the biggest gold nugget in England, valued at £30,000 (Rs 31.62 lakh). Richard Brock, 67, persisted in the face of difficulties, such as being an hour late for the dig and running into problems with a malfunctioning metal detector. Due to mechanical issues, Brock had to use older, broken equipment when traveling three and a half hours from Somerset to take part in an organized trip on farms in the Shropshire Hills in May.

Richard said that initially, all his malfunctioning metal detectors could find were a few rusty, old tent pegs, while the other expedition participants were using cutting-edge equipment. However, Richard was to make the most significant discovery of his life some 20 years later. Something around five or six inches below the surface was found by his metal detector. He began digging, thinking it was just another tent peg, and was shocked to discover that he had discovered a massive 64.8g golden nugget. The metal, known as Hiro’s Nugget, is said to be the largest discovery of its sort on English soil and is now predicted to bring at least Rs 30 lakh at auction.

The nugget was found close to the town of Much Wenlock; it is said to have been an abandoned railroad track with stones from Wales, a country known for its gold reserves. According to Brock, studies suggest that Wales and Scotland are the only places in the UK where bigger gold nuggets have been found. A nugget measuring 97.12g was discovered in Anglesey/Ynys Môn, Wales, and the Reunion Nugget, weighing 121.3g, was discovered in Scotland in 2019.

The timed auction for the nugget is set to begin on April 1 and continue until then. It is predicted to bring in around Rs 30 lakh. Richard Brock has declared that he and the landowner would divide any proceeds from the sale evenly.