Some of the Largest Gold Nuggets in Alaska
Alaska is one of the hottest spots all around the world that has the best sites for gold mining. This is perhaps the reason why most of the largest gold nuggets across the globe are found in this country. Below are some of the largest gold nuggets found in Alaska.
The Largest Gold Nuggets in Alaska
The Alaskan Centennial Nugget
Weighing two-hundred and ninety four Troy Ounces, this is the largest of all the gold nuggets ever found in the whole of Alaska. This gold nugget was found by Barry Clay in 1998 somewhere in Ruby, Alaska, as he was operating his bulldozer. According to Clay, this gold nugget simply rolled off the pile of dirt that was ahead of the blade of his bulldozer. The nugget has long been sold and its current location is still unknown.
The Anvil Gold Nugget
Found somewhere on Anvil Creek in Nome, Alaska, this hundred-and-eighty-two Troy-ounce nugget was found by Pioneer Mining Company way back 1903. For almost a hundred year, it has remained the largest gold nuggets all around Alaska until the Alaskan Centennial Nugget got the distinction.
The Ganes Nugget
This gold nugget is found on Ganes Creek in McGrath, Alaska in 1985 by a father-and-son team. Warren Magnuson and his son Lloyd Magnuson found this while on commercial mining. The Ganes Gold Nugget weighs a hundred and twenty-two Troy ounces.
The Heart of Gold
This gold nugget was found by Mic Martinek on Glacier Creek in Alaska sometime in August 1984. Until now, he still owns this ninety-two Troy-ounce gold nugget and keeps it in a bank vault.
The Prospector's Dream
The daughter of Warren Magnuson, Dollie Magnuson Nelson says this nugget was found on Ganes Creek in McGrath, Alaska in 1985. This gold nugget was found by Warren Magnuson and his son Ben, while they were mining on a bench deposit.
All of the above gold nuggets mentioned are found by professional miners. However, there are also some who are into mining just because of pleasure, or commonly called the non-commercial operators.
Other Gold Nuggets Found by Non-Commercial Operators
33.85 Ounces- This was found by Steve Burris of Idaho, at Ganes Creek in McGrath Alaska last June 16, 2004. This nugget was found in a particular area where many detectorists have missed. According to records, this gold nugget is the biggest one ever found in the country by a non-commercial operator.
The NAC Nugget
This is a twenty-ounce gold nugget that was found by Dave Rankin in McGrath, Alaska in 2004, using his White's MXT Metal Detector. This nugget was found right at the end of the runway after a bulldozer work was just done. It was called the NAC Nugget because Rankin shared credits with the Northern Air Cargo for being the reason why this gold nugget was found. The lengthening of the runway then was mainly because of NAC's improvement to accommodate larger cargo planes.
Gold nuggets are really mostly found in Alaska. If you wish to buy gold nuggets, just make sure you buy them from reliable people.
