EDINBURGH: A budding gold panner who found a £10,000 nugget in a Scottish river has told how he almost threw it back.
The 20 carat nugget – which weighs 18.1 grams – was plucked from a river near Wanlockhead in Dumfriesshire.
It is the most significant find of Scottish gold 70 years.
The nugget was discovered on Thursday by a gold panner from the Canadian gold-rush province of British Columbia.
He was learning from expert Leon Kirk, who runs gold panning courses from the Museum of Lead Mining in Wanlockhead, Scotland’s highest village.
The panner, named only as John, said: “We were a few minutes into panning when I found the nugget with a bean tin – an underwater viewing tin with a glass base.
“I saw the piece lying just under the surface of the water and picked it up. It didn’t look like much and I was about to throw it back when I thought I should double-check with Leon.
“I said, ‘Is this gold?’ and couldn’t understand his excitement. Looking at the size of the piece, I still can’t believe it’s such a big deal.”
The small patch of the Lowther Hills is at the heart of one of Scotland’s
most productive gold fields.
It was once known as God’s Treasure House but big finds are so rare, Scottish gold commands a top price.
A 6.1 gram nugget found in 2002 was the biggest find for half a century.
Leon said: “This is such a major discovery that people will be talking about it in 30 years’ time.”
