For centuries, people have been finding small amounts of gold – earrings hiding in dresser drawers, old coins, floor sweepings from old factory floors. Thanks to the high price that every ounce of gold commands, those discoveries are worthwhile.

But then there are the discoveries of immense quantities of the precious metal that have been made over the centuries. Let’s learn some lessons from them that you can use as you hunt for precious, recyclable gold.

A Huge Gold Nugget, Worth More than $300,000

Photo of a miner with a gold nugget used for everything from jewelry to dental scrap to circuit boards, which can all be recycled by GoldRefiners.com, part of Specialty Metals Smelters & Refiners.

In 2013, an Australian man using a state-of-the-art metal detector was prospecting in the Great Dividing Range – an area that had already been explored for decades by other prospectors. He found an immense 12-pound gold nugget buried a foot underground.

Lesson to learn: A powerful new metal detector can sometimes find gold and other treasure, even in spots that have been extensively explored in the past.

The Sroda Treasure, Worth More than $50 Million

In 1985 when old buildings were being demolished in the Polish town of Sroda Slaska, workers found large hidden caches of gold and silver coins and other items dating from the 14th century.

Lesson to learn: If you investigate carefully, old buildings can hide large quantities of gold.

The Sunken Treasure in Caesarea, Worth More than $100 Million

In 2015, divers in Caesarea in what is now Israel discovered one of the greatest sunken treasures ever: about 2,000 gold coins on the site of an ancient shipwreck.

Lesson to learn: The odds are slight of finding gold in sunken ships. But if you find the right ship, you could be in for something significant.

The Bactrian Treasure, Value Priceless

In 1978, archaeologists in Afghanistan found more than 20,000 gold artifacts buried in graves that dated to the 1st century.

Lesson to learn: Old graveyards and burial sites can contain large quantities of gold.

The Carlin Trend, Still Being Mined

In 1961, a mining geologist in Nevada investigated an old gold mining area that people thought had been mined out. He found that the site contained immense quantities of gold that was contained in dust and other fine particles. Newmont Mining reopened the field in 1965 and thanks to modern technology, it now ranks as the fourth most productive source of gold in the world.

Lesson to learn: Abandoned old mines, streams and other sites can contain vast quantities of gold that can be extracted with modern equipment.

The Staffordshire Treasure, Worth More than $4 Million

In 2009, an amateur gold hunter with a metal detector discovered a hoard of about 3,500 gold items in a field in Staffordshire, England. It was the biggest cache of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, dating from the 8th century.

Lesson to learn: Metal detectors aren’t just for fun. They can lead to very big finds.

What Will You Do with Your Treasures?

There is a simple answer to that question. Call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners at 800-426-2344 and talk with our gold recycling consultants. When you do, mention today’s blog post and ask about discounted or free shipping costs for the items you send us for testing.

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Get Rich with these Practical Lessons from the Biggest Gold Discoveries