Man finds gold nugget weighing 18 ounces while prospecting, estimated to be worth as much as $70,000.
“A thick T-bone steak: 5 inches long, 1 1/2 inch thick by 4 inches wide,” said Bryant Shock, co-owner of Gold Prospecting Adventure in Jamestown, describing the large nugget found last week by the amateur gold prospector at Woods Creek in Jamestown.
Shock said the prospector’s name is Oscar.
“He had a grin from ear to ear,” Oscar’s friend, Charlie Morgan, said. “He was in heaven.”
Post-lucky find, Oscar wants to keep a low profile, so Morgan is holding on to the nugget for him with the help of some canine security.
“He felt a little bit more secure with it being out of his hands and that way no one will know exactly where it is,” Morgan said.
The value of the nugget will be determined by the market, but Shock, who helped teach Oscar how to hunt for gold, said it’s worth a fortune.
“He’ll get, in my opinion, as high as $60,000 to $70,000 for that piece,” Shock said.
“It’s going to put Jamestown on the map,” Morgan said. “It will bring a lot of prospectors to this area looking around.”
And you can be one of them: Shock said all you need is the right equipment, like pans and a sluice and some instruction.
“Everyone finds gold, I pretty much guarantee it,” said Tom Tomasevich, one of Shock’s guides.
“You’re playing detective,” Shock said. “This is where the kids will be getting their fingernails dirty.”
The process of panning for gold can take hours. You should remember to keep adding water to your pan to float off the lighter materials and get to the gold at the bottom of your pan.
“I’m starting to see the gold coming out,” Tomasevich said, as he demonstrated how to pan.
Tomasevich and Shock said striking a rare treasure can happen to anyone at any time.
“This is what the Mother Lode is known for,” Shock said.
Jeffrey S. Overstreet
