The precious metals recovered from the mines of the western frontier were largely processed into gold ingots, jewelry, and used in industry. Historically, very few large nuggets were saved for their value as collectibles. In modern times, large gold nuggets are exceedingly rare and are highly valued.
Heritage Auctions is the world’s largest auction house for collectibles, including fantastic gold nuggets that have been recovered from the mines of the West. These nuggets are selling at auction for prices that far exceed the value by weight of the specimens when considering current gold prices.
The following examples are gold nuggets that have been sold at Heritage Auctions and have sales prices over $10,000.
What is a Troy Ounce?
The weight of the nuggets presented on this page is given in troy ounces. This is Wikipedia’s definition of a troy ounce:
Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in 15th-century England, and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and the troy pound (12 troy ounces). The troy grain is equal to the grain unit of the avoirdupois system, but the troy ounce is heavier than the avoirdupois ounce, and the troy pound is lighter than the avoirdupois pound. One troy ounce (oz t) equals exactly 31.1034768 grams.
The short version is this: 1 ounce is worth 0.911458 troy ounces.
“Boot of Cortez” Gold Nugget – 389.4 Troy Ounces
Sold on January 20, 2008 for $1,314,500
Northern Mexico
The spectacular “Boot of Cortez” gold nugget was discovered in northern Mexico in 1989. It is described as “the largest surviving natural gold nugget ever found in the Western Hemisphere.” Heritage Auctions provides the story of how this nugget was discovered:
“The story begins in 1989 in the area around Caborca, near the Gran Desierto de Altar in the Mexican state of Sonora. The nearest surface water is the Sea of Cortez; some 60 miles to the west. Arizona is 70 miles to the north. Ranching is the chief occupation, but there are a number of mines in the area along with placer gold deposits in some of the canyons.
“It is within these dry canyons that a local Mexican man began his quest to find hidden treasure in the form of placer nuggets. Some finds of nuggets had been made in the past, and fired with optimistic enthusiasm; our gold-seeker grew determined to find his share. At this point, our latter-day prospector did something very much at odds with tradition: visiting a Radio Shack store – he purchased a metal detector. Practicing on buried coins and other metal objects, he learned how to operate it, and then he set out for an area that was reported to have produced nuggets.
“Once there, he started to walk; slowly and carefully across the desert, all the while following a grid pattern that would ensure that no areas would be unchecked. Hundreds of boring hours slowly ebbed away with an occasional ‘beep’ from his ear-phones to signal a potential find. Most were due to scrap iron or old lead bullets. Then one day; the ‘beep’ sounded a little different. Digging down; he caught that first gleam from his own personal El Dorado.”
The “Boot of Cortez” measures a stunning 10 3/4 inches in height and 7 1/4 inches in width, with a weight of 389.4 ounces Troy (32.4 Troy pounds).
“Alaska Centennial” Gold Nugget – 294.1 Troy Ounces
Sold on December 8, 2021 for $750,000
Ruby Mining District
Heritage Auctions provides the following description of the record-breaking gold nugget:
“The Alaska Centennial Gold Nugget is first and foremost the largest Gold nugget ever found in the State of Alaska. Discovered in 1998 along Swift Creek near the town of Ruby, Alaska, by Barry Clay, who was doing some placer mining and pushing dirt with a bulldozer, unearthed this seminal discovery and instantly made history.
“This is the second-largest nugget ever found in the Western Hemisphere – behind the famous “Boot of Cortez” originating from Mexico. The Alaska Centennial Nugget was sold to a private collector, where it has remained in his collection – until now. This offering represents a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.”
Measurements: 6.69 x 5.70 x 4.33 x inches (17.00 x 14.50 x 11.00 cm), weighs 9.14 kilograms (294.10 oz t)
Alaska Gold Nugget – 24.5 Troy Ounce Nugget
Sold on December 8, 2021 for $68,750
Ruby Mining District
Gold was first discovered in the Ruby District of Alaska in 1907. Several hundred thousand ounces of gold have been recovered here, almost all of it from placer mines. This stunning 24.5 troy ounce nugget is one of the larger specimens from this area.
Measurements: 3.83 x 3.09 x 1.07 x inches (9.73 x 7.84 x 2.72 cm), weighs 727 grams (24.5 oz t)
Poker Creek Mine (Alaska) – 12.42 Troy Ounce Nugget
Sold on November 10, 2020 for $52,500
Fortymile Mining District
The Fortymile district, along the international boundary, includes the upper drainage of Fortymile River, one of the Yukon tributaries that joins the main stream in Canada. It is one of the oldest placer areas in the Yukon region and had uninterrupted output through 1959.
Total recorded gold production of the Fortymile district through 1959 was about 400,000 ounces, all from placers.
Measurements: 3.24 x 2.69 x 0.99 inches (8.24 x 6.82 x 2.52 cm), weighs 386.3 grams (12.42 oz t)
Alaska Gold Nugget – 14.83 Troy Ounces
Sold on November 3, 2016 for $40,000
Unspecified District
This interesting specimen from Alaska measures 4.62 inches on its long axis. It sold in 2016 for $40,000, making it work over $8,600 per inch.
Measurements: 4.62 x 1.96 x 0.91 inches (11.73 x 4.99 x 2.30 cm)
“Kauffman” Nugget (Alaska) – 21.69 Troy Ounces
Sold on January 17, 2010 for $37,343.75
Brooks Range
This enormous gold nugget made news in Alaska when it was discovered in Alaska’s far-northern Brooks Range. The nugget was reportedly almost lost in the waste rock as it was too big to be properly sorted by the machinery at the mine. Luckily a member of the mine crew spotted the enormous nugget, and history was made.
Measures approximately 4¼ x 2¾ x ¾ inches and weighs in at a whopping 21.6927 oz t
Ganes Creek Mine (Alaska) – 8.35 Troy Ounce Nugget
Sold on December 8, 2021 for $31,250
Innoko District
This 8.35 troy ounce nugget was discovered in the Innoko district, in the upper drainage area of the Innoko River, located immediately northeast of the Iditarod River. The nugget sold at auction for $31,250 in 2021, a high price for a nugget of this size, demonstrating that the value of rare collectible nuggets is only increasing over time.
Measurements: 2.54 x 1.68 x 0.84 x inches (6.45 x 4.26 x 2.13 cm), weighs 260 grams (8.35 oz t)
California Gold Nugget – 33.28 Troy Ounces
Sold on January 18, 2009 for $29,277.50
Mariposa County
This remarkable gold nugget is unique for the combination of its large size and crystalline appearance. Its 2009 selling price of $29,277.50 is undoubtedly far less than the nugget would sell for today.
Measures 5 x 4 inches and weighs 1035.12 grams (33.28 troy ounces)
Eagle Creek (Alaska) Gold Nugget – 11.78 Troy Ounces
Sold on December 15, 2018 for $27,500
Circle District
This stunning 11.78 troy ounce nugget came from the Cripple Creek mine on Eagle Creek, in Alaska’s Circle District. The Circle District is one of the state’s oldest gold mining centers – the first known gold discovery in the area occurred in 1893.
Measurements: 3.19 x 2.52 x 0.74 inches (8.09 x 6.39 x 1.87 cm), weighs 387.26 grams (11.78 oz t)
Alaska Gold Nugget – 15.75 Troy Ounces
Sold on November 4, 2017 for $27,500
Unspecified District
This interesting “T” shaped nugget weighs more than a pound, and fetched a whopping $27,500 at auction in 2017.
Measurements: 2.63 x 2.62 x 0.83 inches (6.67 x 6.65 x 2.12 cm), total weight 490 grams (15.75 troy ounces)
Alaska Gold Nugget – Approx 12.1 Troy Ounces
Sold on September 28, 2014 for $23,750
Unspecified District
This unusual nugget contains a matrix of quartz crystals, and is estimated to be 12.1 troy ounces of gold. With gold being valued around $1,200 an ounce in 2014, the sales price of $23,750 indicates the premium collectors are willing to pay for unique specimens.
Measurements: 3.09 x 2.26 x 1.25 inches (7.84 x 5.73 x 3.17 cm)
Alaska Gold Nugget – 7.29 Troy Ounces
Sold on January 17, 2022 for $19,375
Unspecified District
This Alaskan nugget measures at over 3 inches long, and weighs 7.29 troy ounces. This is one of the more recent sales at auction (2022), and hefty sales price of $19,375 demonstrates how specimen prices are keeping up with the increasing value of gold.
Measurements: 3.10 x 1.31 x 0.62 inches (7.87 x 3.32 x 1.57 cm), weighs 227 grams (7.29 oz t)
Eagle Creek (Alaska) Gold Nugget – 1.42 Troy Ounces
Sold on November 10, 2020 for $18,750
Circle District
This unusual nugget takes the prize for the highest selling price per ounce – this 1.42 troy ounce specimen sold for a whopping $18,750 in 2020.
Measurements: 1.44 x 1.24 x 0.44 inches (3.67 x 3.16 x 1.11 cm), weighs 44.1 grams (1.42 oz t)
Eagle Creek (Alaska) Gold Nugget – 3.16 Troy Ounces
Sold on November 10, 2020 for $18,125
Circle District
Miners on Eagle Creek in Alaska are enjoying some nice paydays with all the fantastic nuggets they are pulling out of the area’s placer mines. This 3.16 troy ounce specimen brought in $18,125 in 2020.
Measurements: 2.12 x 1.29 x 0.38 inches (5.39 x 3.28 x 0.96 cm), weighs 98 grams (3.16 oz t)
Ganes Creek Mine (Alaska) – 5.75 Troy Ounce Nugget
Sold on December 8, 2021 for $15,000
Innoko District
Another fabulous gold nugget from the Ganes Creek Mine in the Innoko District, this nugget sold for 15,000 in 2021.
Measurements: 2.32 x 1.63 x 0.74 x inches (5.90 x 4.15 x 1.87 cm), weighs 179 grams (5.75 oz t)
Nevada Gold Nugget – 4.95 Troy Ounces
Sold on March 14, 2020 for $13,750
Bullfrog Mountains
This stunning crystalline gold nugget is from the Bullfrog Mountains of Nevada, in the Death Valley region and near the famous ghost town of Rhyolite. The auction does not specify the exact origin of the nugget, but it is likely out of a quartz vein in a hard-rock mine.
Measurements: 2.42 x 1.97 x 0.50 inches (6.14 x 5.01 x 1.26 cm), weighs 154 grams (4.95 oz t)
Mockingbird Mine (California) Gold Nugget – 1.18 Troy Ounces
Sold on January 20, 2008 for $13,145
Mariposa County
This fantastic crystalline specimen sold at auction for $13,145 in 2008 when the average gold price was around $870 an ounce, making this the most valuable nugget by weight in this list.
Measurements: 1⅜ inches long and weighs 36.85 grams (1.18 troy ounces)
“Clancy’s” Black Bear Nugget (Colorado) – 14.79 Troy Ounces
Reserve price at 2008 auction $125,000 – not sold
Telluride District
This spectacular crystalline gold nugget lands at an odd place on this list relative to its value and incredible history. The nuggets on this page are ordered by sale price at auction, but this nugget did not have bids to meet its $125,000 reserve price.
This specimen was retrieved from the 908 Stope, 900 Level, Lower Black Bear Vein, in the Idarado Mine of Telluride, Colorado. Heritage Auctions provides the following text describing the amazing history of this nugget:
“At 1.27 Troy Pounds (460 grams) and 4 ½ x 3 ½ x 1 ½ inches it is arguably the largest surviving example of native gold from the district. It was “high-graded” by Clarence “Clancy” Fleetwood of Ouray, Colorado in 1948: “Clancy” being one of the miners working at that time in the Idarado Mine.
“‘High-grading’ was a wide-spread practice in gold mines, was a euphemism for miners stealing rich ore samples from the daily ore production. Ironically; had it not been “high-graded’ chances are this specimen would now be part of someone’s jewelry instead of a rare example of its type. “Clancy” found the specimen in an 18 inch diameter “blow-out” or cavity in a quartz vein. Approximately 60% of the gold was visible when it was first discovered; the rest was exposed in cleaning and etching.”
A Fortune in Gold: Ingots of the S.S. Central America
A vast fortune in gold ingots were lost to the sea in 1857 with the sinking of the S.S. Central America. Much of the gold has now been salvaged from the wreck, and in addition to the value of the bullion, the ingots serve as an important historical record of the private assayers that operated in California during the 1850s. A Fortune in Gold: Ingots of the S.S. Central America examines some of the stunning gold ingots that have sold at auction in recent years.
The Top Ten Gold Producing States
These ten states contributed the most to the gold production that built the West from 1848 through the 1930s. The Top Ten Gold Producing States.
Contemporary U.S. Specimen Gold
Large gold nuggets are not the only valuable specimens coming out of western mines. Buyers are paying high prices for quality crystalline specimens that are still being mined today. Many examples of these specimens are presented in the article Contemporary U.S. Specimen Gold.
