A Metal Detectorist Using Faulty Equipment Discovered A 64.8 g Gold Nugget, Now The Largest Ever Found In England

A 64.8-gram gold nugget, the largest ever recorded in England, has been discovered in the Shropshire Hills by a hobbyist who arrived late and worked with faulty equipment. The find, named Hiro’s Nugget, is expected to fetch more than £30,000 at auction.

The discovery was made by Richard Brock, a 67-year-old retired cameraman from Somerset, during an organized metal detecting outing in May. His experience stands out for both the scale of the find and the unlikely circumstances surrounding it.

Gold discoveries of this size remain rare in England, where most metal detecting finds tend to consist of historical objects rather than raw precious metals.

A Find Within Minutes Despite Faulty Equipment

Brock’s day began with setbacks. After traveling three and a half hours to the site, he arrived about an hour late and discovered that his primary metal detector was no longer functioning. According to Brock, he was forced to rely on an older backup device with a fading display, far less reliable than the equipment used by others present.

“I actually arrived about an hour late, thinking I’d missed the action,” he said, describing how other detectorists were already fully equipped. His initial efforts yielded only minor items, including what he described as “a few rusty old tent pegs.”

Within 20 minutes of starting his search, the faulty machine detected a signal. Brock dug approximately 13 to 15 centimeters into the ground and uncovered the gold nugget. The sudden success drew immediate attention, as nearby detectorists gathered and began scanning the same area.

“I was a perhaps bit too honest and started showing people, and then all of a sudden I had swarms of other detectorists scanning the same area,” he recalled. “I couldn’t look for anything else as I had the landowner, the organizer of the dig, and every other detectorist around me trying to get a look at this nugget.”

A Record-setting Discovery In England

The gold nugget weighs 64.8 grams, surpassing the previous largest gold find in England, which weighed 54 grams. As Brock’s research explained, larger nuggets have been discovered elsewhere in the United Kingdom, though not within England itself.

In Wales, a nugget weighing 97.12 grams was found in Anglesey, while Scotland produced the Reunion Nugget in 2019, weighing 121.3 grams. These comparisons place Hiro’s Nugget among notable UK finds while confirming its record status in England.

“We’re pretty confident it is the biggest found on English soil,” Brock said. The nugget’s size and condition contribute to its estimated value of at least £30,000, with a sale planned through Mullock Jones auctioneers.

What the Ground Beneath Reveals About the Site?

The location of the discovery, near Much Wenlock in Shropshire, may offer some explanation for the presence of gold. The site is believed to have once served as an old track that included railway lines, suggesting that materials may have been transported through the area.

As reported by The Guardian, some of the stone present may have originated from Wales, a region known for gold deposits. This could account for the isolated presence of the nugget in a region not typically associated with such finds.

As the metal detectorist mentioned, the money from the auction will be split with the landowner, following standard practice. He also noted that the discovery was more about patience and paying attention than relying on technology.

“The machine I was using was pretty much kaput – it was only half working,” stated Brock. “It just goes to show that it doesn’t really matter what equipment you use. If you are walking over the find and are alert enough to what might be lurking underneath the soil, that makes all the difference.”

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