The “Boot of Cortez,” a stunning gold nugget weighing 389.4 troy ounces, holds the title of the largest surviving gold nugget found in the Western Hemisphere. Unearthed in 1989 by an amateur treasure hunter in Mexico, this remarkable discovery became a testament to the unpredictability and excitement of treasure hunting.
The prospector, armed with nothing more than an entry-level metal detector from a local Radio Shack, embarked on a quest through the desolate Sonoran Desert. This region, known for scattered gold and silver mines in Northern Mexico, was a challenging terrain for treasure seekers, with odds of finding placer gold in the vast desert extremely slim.
Starting with practice in his backyard, the treasure hunter gradually refined his metal-detecting skills. He eventually set his sights on the Gran Desierto de Altar, an area rumored to contain gold. For days, he found only small items such as nails and bullets, but one morning, a strong signal from his detector led to the discovery of something extraordinary.
As he began to dig, the signal grew stronger, and the more he unearthed, the larger the piece of gold became. After careful excavation, the man uncovered a massive solid gold nugget measuring 10¾ inches in height and 7¼ inches in width. The nugget, shaped like a boot, weighed an astonishing 26 pounds.
Named “The Boot of Cortez,” in honor of the famous Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, the nugget remains the largest gold nugget ever recovered in the Western Hemisphere. It surpasses the second-largest nugget found in Alaska by nearly 100 ounces. The Boot of Cortez is composed of nearly 80% gold, with the remainder made up of silver and quartz.
The story of the Boot of Cortez doesn’t end with its discovery. The original prospector reportedly sold the nugget to his employer for $30,000, and since then, it has changed ownership several times. In 2008, it was sold at auction for an impressive $1,553,500.
While gold nuggets have been discovered across the globe, many are typically melted down and transformed into new items. The largest known alluvial gold nugget, the Welcome Stranger, had a refined weight of 97.14 kilograms (3,123 troy ounces). Several of the world’s largest gold nuggets have come from the Brazilian Serra Pelada mine.
However, the Boot of Cortez remains a unique find. Not only is it the largest gold nugget discovered in the Western Hemisphere, but it is also the largest found by an amateur treasure hunter using a metal detector, cementing its place in history.
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