Chinese Farmer Finds $250,000 Gold Nugget Lying On Bare Ground

One lucky farmer in remote China stumbled upon a gold nugget worth $250,000. The farmer says the nugget was “practically lying on the bare ground.”

According to Market Watch, the gold nugget weighed in at an astonishing 17 pounds (7.85 kilos). The nugget is said to be about 80 percent pure. That means the large gold nugget is worth 1.6 million yuan, which equals $255,313 U.S. dollars. The lucky farmer, Berek Sawut, is a Kazak herdsman. He says that the large gold nugget was “practically lying on bare ground” when he stumbled upon it.

The find happened while the man was working in the remote far western region in China known as Xinjiang Uygur. The area the nugget was found is part of the Altay prefecture; interestingly enough, the word Altay means “gold” in Mongolian. The region is known for breathtaking scenery and an abundance of natural resources. Therefore, though the find is huge, it is not entirely unexpected.

The Guardian reports that the gold nugget was “random-shaped” and measured approximately 18 centimeters wide and 23 centimeters long. The thickness of the nugget clocks in at around eight centimeters. Sadly, it seems that the farmer may not be able to quit his day job. Reports have not indicated if the man will actually be able to keep his find or not.

China is still under communist rule; therefore, the farmer does not own the land on which he works and does not have mineral rights to the property. All land in China is state-owned. This means when you “purchase” land, you are simply purchasing the right to use said land — you don’t actually own it. This is why many are questioning whether the man will be able to keep any of the riches or if they will all be turned over to the government. As many Reddit users point out, Sawut may now be regretting telling anyone about his precious find.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, a prospector in Ballarat, Australia, unearthed a 12-pound gold nuggetwith a metal detector. At the time of the find, the gold nugget was valued at approximately $300,000. The Australian was able to keep his find and was considering placing the golden nugget on auction to fetch a higher price.

What do you think about the fact that the farmer may not be able to benefit financially from his gold find? Should he receive a portion of the proceeds for securing the gold nugget for the government?