Scot who found gold nugget the size of golf ball in Scottish river keeping location SECRET as it could be part of BIGGER chunk
The plucky explorer found the precious 85.7g lump - named the Douglas Nugget - while diving in a mystery Scottish river
THE lucky Scot who dug up a £50,000 gold nugget is keeping the spot where he found it secret — to avoid a rush of treasure hunters.
The dad, in his 40s, yesterday revealed he shouted “Bingo!” after spotting the precious metal while searching a river.
The 85.7g lump of ore, dubbed the Douglas Nugget, is the biggest found in Britain for around 500 years.
Last night a pal told how the man, who is remaining anonymous, has kept schtum about the discovery for two years and still won’t reveal publicly where he unearthed it.
Leon Kirk, from Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, said: “We’re both of the view that telling people where it was could ruin the river.
“The guy has been looking near where he found this huge nugget.
“He’s found lots of other pieces of gold since. That’s probably why he’s kept it quiet — you wouldn’t want to give something like that away.”
The mystery finder revealed he came across the nugget by “sniping”. This involves lying face-down in a river with a wet suit and snorkel.
He said: “I was following a crack in the bedrock and found around 2g of fine gold. This led to a pocket, where I uncovered the nugget.
“I called over my friend to have a look and we both assumed it to be 5g to 7g. It wasn’t until I removed it that we realised how big it was.”
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The man, who’s been hunting for gold as a hobby for 20 years, added: “I took off my glove and picked it up, jumped out of the water and screamed, ‘Bingo!’ to my friend.
“We were both stunned and could not believe it. I have never seen anything like it in my lifetime.”
The owner is keeping his treasure, which is bigger than a pound coin, in a safety deposit box.
His friend Leon, owner of Gold Panning Supplies UK, added: “It’s a very exciting and unprecedented find.
“The nugget’s rarity means it’s very hard to put a price on it. I’d say it is worth at least £50,000.
“But, as it’s rarer than an Aston Martin or Faberge egg, a billionaire could pay a lot more for it. Historically this is off the Richter scale.”
Dr Neil Clark, author of Scottish Gold: Fruit Of The Nation, believes the Douglas Nugget’s shape could mean more is waiting to be found near the mystery location.
He said: “It is difficult to say whether it broke from a larger chunk. The rounded edges indicate that it was in the water for a while.
“But its size suggests it probably did not travel far.”
Legally, the gold may belong to the Crown Estate. They said they couldn’t comment without knowing the find’s location.
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Gold was first mined in Scotland more than 2,500 years ago.
Hunters in the 1500s dug out ore worth £65million today from the Lowther Hills in the Southern Uplands — known as God’s Treasure House.
Three years ago a Canadian told how he was set to throw away an 18g nugget worth £10,000 he’d hauled from a river near Wanlockhead, Dumfriesshire — until another prospector revealed he’d hit the jackpot.
He said: “It didn’t look like much.”
The World Gold Panning Championships were held last year at nearby Moffat.
And in February planning permission was given for a commercial goldmine at Cononish, Perthshire.
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