Holtermann's Nugget

1872
Glass photonegative

Generally regarded as the world’s largest specimen of reef gold, the Holtermann nugget was extracted from Beyer and Holtermann’s Star of Hope goldmine at Hawkins Hill on 19 October 1872. Weighing 286 kg, the quartz mass contained an estimated 57 kg. of gold. It took 12 men with crowbars and a horse to lift it to the surface, where it was photographed by Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss of the American and Australasian Photographic Company. A larger specimen was found four months later in the same mine. Contrary to local legend, it was taken to the surface intact by 16 miners, but was never photographed.