Monster gold nuggets in Heritage April 30 sale

By Paul Gilkes

Published: Apr 19, 2017, 5 AM

Gold is still being mined from the Original Sixteen-to-One Mine, in Alleghany, Sierra County, Calif., that first opened in 1896. The nugget illustrated is crystalline gold.

Crystalline gold mage courtesy of Heritage Auctions; background image courtesy of Minelab.com.

This nugget containing 17.84 troy ounces of gold was found in Bendigo, City of Greater Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Also from Bendigo is this 2.62-ounce gold nugget, with an estimate of $4,000 to $6,000.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

With an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000, this Australian gold nugget contains 11.93 troy ounces of gold.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Crystalline gold with quartz was mined from the Original Sixteen-to-One Mine in Alleghany, Calif.

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Gold nuggets are found in many sizes.

In its April 30 Nature and Science sale, Heritage Auctions is offering a handful of nuggets, including examples from Australia and the Original Sixteen-to-One Mine in California. The auction also offers examples of crystalline gold.

Australian gold

Three gold nuggets are offered from finds in Bendigo, City of Greater Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.

One, with an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000, weighs 554 grams and contains 17.84 troy ounces of gold. The nugget measures 3.82 inches by 1.94 inches by 0.84 inch.

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A second nugget, with an estimate of $4,000 to $6,000, weighs in at 2.26 troy ounces of gold. It measuers 1.61 inches by 1.22 inches by 0.7 inch.

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A third lot, with an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000, offers a U-shaped nuggets exhibiting two flanges, with an overall weight of 371 grams and a gold content of 11.93 troy ounces. The nugget measures 3.35 inches by 2.13 inches by 0.68 inch.

Original Sixteen-to-One Mine

Two lots offer cyrstalline gold on quartz originally mined from the Original Sixteen-to-One Mine in Alleghany, Sierra County, Calif.

One example, with an estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, carries a gross weight of 86 grams and contains 2.6 troy ounces of gold. It measures 2.68 inches by 1.4 inches by 0.82 inch.

The second example, with an estimate of $25,000 to $30,000, weighs 356 grams containing 10.1 troy ounces of gold. The piece measures 3.35 inches by 1.84 inches by 1.72 inches.

The Original Sixteen-to-One Mine, which was opened in 1896 and incorporated in 1911, is still being mined today.