The largest gold nugget ever present in England was unearthed by an experienced metal detector who turned up an hour later with faulty equipment.
Richard Brock, 67, drove three and a half hours from Somerset to the town Shropshire for the group to dig within the farmlands on the hills.
Upon arrival, he found that his metal detection kit was not working and he had to make use of an older, faulty machine.
However, after twenty minutes of digging, Brock literally struck gold when he unearthed an enormous 64.8 g lump buried about six inches underground.
The metal, dubbed Hiro’s Nugget, is believed to be the most important find of its kind on English soil and is predicted to sell for at the least £30,000 on the timed auction, which runs until April 1.
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Brock, who has been metal detecting for 35 years, said he thought he “missed the action.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I arrived late, I was only there a few minutes, and the treasure hunt was supposed to last all day.”
The detector made a rare find near the village of Much Wenlock, which was believed to be on an old railway track that will have contained stones from Wales – an area known for its gold wealth.
“It just goes to show that it doesn’t really matter what equipment you use,” Brock added.
“If you walk by the find and are alert enough to what might be lurking underground, it makes a difference.”
According to the detective, the previous largest find in England weighed 54 grams. But he added that research suggested larger gold nuggets had been present in Wales and Scotland.
A 97.12g lump was present in Ynys Mon, Wales in 2016. Then in 2019, a 121.3g Reunion lump was present in Scotland.
