$10,000 Gold Nugget (Courtesy Ventura County Star)
MOORPARK -- Terry Hughes' seven-year hobby may have paid off big time after he found a rare gold nugget with an estimated value of $10,000.
The 62-year-old Moorpark resident has been searching the California desert for years in hopes of finding the big one.
On Memorial Day, he apparently did just that. He spotted a rare 8.7-ounce gold nugget.
Hughes says others were hunting for gold as well, but he was alone when his metal detector signaled a find.
On Thursday, he took it to Patrick Keene, co-owner of Keene Engineering, for the official weigh-in.
Keene Engineering is one of the world's largest suppliers of portable mining equipment.
A nugget that big is extremely rare, Keene said.
Hughes began searching for gold as a hobby years ago after his oldest son found a "dot of gold" during an outing at Lake Isabella. That's when he says he got the "gold fever."
Until now, the largest nugget Hughes had unearthed was a 1-ounce, 7-pennyweight nugget found the week between Christmas and New Year's.
Keene said that to his knowledge, Hughes' latest find is the largest piece to come out of the desert in the last 20 years.
Hughes says he's received collectors' value estimates as high as $20,000 on his nugget. But, he has no plans to cash in. He says he values the treasure of the find more than it's worth.
Gold in the United States is primarily found in California, Alaska and Oregon but is also unearthed in other southwestern states.
The 62-year-old Moorpark resident has been searching the California desert for years in hopes of finding the big one.
On Memorial Day, he apparently did just that. He spotted a rare 8.7-ounce gold nugget.
Hughes says others were hunting for gold as well, but he was alone when his metal detector signaled a find.
On Thursday, he took it to Patrick Keene, co-owner of Keene Engineering, for the official weigh-in.
Keene Engineering is one of the world's largest suppliers of portable mining equipment.
A nugget that big is extremely rare, Keene said.
Hughes began searching for gold as a hobby years ago after his oldest son found a "dot of gold" during an outing at Lake Isabella. That's when he says he got the "gold fever."
Until now, the largest nugget Hughes had unearthed was a 1-ounce, 7-pennyweight nugget found the week between Christmas and New Year's.
Keene said that to his knowledge, Hughes' latest find is the largest piece to come out of the desert in the last 20 years.
Hughes says he's received collectors' value estimates as high as $20,000 on his nugget. But, he has no plans to cash in. He says he values the treasure of the find more than it's worth.
Gold in the United States is primarily found in California, Alaska and Oregon but is also unearthed in other southwestern states.
