Boot of Cortez: The Largest Gold Nugget Ever Discovered

Boot of Cortez: The Largest Gold Nugget Ever Discovered

The Boot of Cortez was discovered by a metal detector in 1989. Credit: Heritage Auctions One of the largest surviving gold nuggets found in the western hemisphere is a breathtaking nugget named The Boot of Cortez. It is an amazing piece of gold, weighing in at a massive 389.4 troy ounces. In 1989, an amateur treasure hunter in Mexico purchased an entry-level metal detector at a local Radio Shack and ventured out into the forbidding Sonoran Deser…