Lots for which bidding closed Aug. 28 in a Heritage Auctions Fine Arts sale included gold nuggets and formations discovered in different locations across Australia and the United States.

Mother Lode find

Topping the gold nuggets was a 10.4-ounce nugget that realized $65,625.

The 2.79-inch by 1.76-inch by 1.22-inch nugget, according to the auction lot description, was retrieved “from the heart of California’s Mother Lode Country, which was the famed location where settler James Marshall’s discovery of placer Gold at Sutter’s Mill precipitated the California Gold Rush.”

The “Jumper Mine” discovery within the Bagby Mining District “was found close to the source, approximately 18 inches below the surface, and never made it to the waterway. This locality produced numerous higher-grade pockets; in 1920, that mine yielded 621 troy ounces of the precious metal from 42 tons of ore,” the Heritage cataloger wrote.

Gold in quartz

Realizing $4,250 was a gold specimen adhered to quartz sourced from an Australian site.

The auction lot description notes the gold attachment resembles the shape of a male sheep.

The 1.98-inch by 1.37-inch by 1.16-inch structure weighs 53.7 grams, with a net gold content of 41 grams of high-grade gold.

Quartz mass

A 60.7-gram Australian find that realized $4,375 appears as an irregular round mass with yellow metal wrapping around grayish-white quartz.

The piece measures 1.28-inches by 1.17-inches by 1.01-inches.

The lot narrative notes “This vibrant crystalline Gold is impressive over the natural association and partially blankets the rocky matrix on every face.

“Highly dimensional, this little piece of natural art rests nicely in any number of positions and represents a wonderful form of Gold as it occurs naturally.

“Once again, a piece like this is clearly much more valuable as a specimen than Gold content, in terms of weight.”

$45,000 realization

The Rheola area in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria yielded a 4.01-ounce “nugget” that realized $45,000 in Heritage’s Aug. 28 sale.

The “nugget” measures 2.09 inches by 1.05 inches by 0.74 inches.

“This exemplary offering boasts an artistic shape, complex texture, and significant dimensions,” according to the auction lot description.

“Appealing from every side and angle, this highly dimensional specimen is rock solid with a flame-like quality and lively dynamic aspect.

“The superlative piece is vibrant and full of character. Gold in ‘nugget form’ is inherently rare, and this one is worthy of a major premium although labeling this as a ‘nugget’ would be an understatement of truly monumental proportions,” the cataloger wrote.

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