DALLAS, TX.- Metal detecting has been a popular hobby for generations for history buffs, archaeologists, beachcombers and even curious students, each eager to uncover a treasure hidden within the Earth’s surface.

With that backdrop, imagine the surprise of a couple wandering through the renowned Kalgoorlie Goldfields in Western Australia more than four decades ago, when an outing to find a little Gold yielded so much more. The detector located a massive Gold nugget, the largest from Kalgoorlie in more than half a century. That behemoth, now known as the “Golden Beauty,” will become a centerpiece of a new collection when it is sold April 23 in Heritage’s Nature & Science Signature® Auction.

“Gold always has been enormously popular, in part because of its pure value and beauty, but also because it is exceedingly rare,” says Craig Kissick, Vice President of Nature and Science at Heritage Auctions. “It has been estimated that all of the Gold ever mined could fit in a cube measuring roughly 22 meters (72 feet) in each direction. Very little remains in a natural nugget state, with the vast majority melted down and refined for things like coins and jewelry. For perspective: a nugget weighing just one troy ounce is as rare as a five-carat diamond. Finding a Gold nugget of any size is an absolute trophy, but to find something like this is beyond rare. A lot of people have spent their lives searching for Gold and never found anything even close to this.”

The Golden Beauty, once part of a private Swiss collection, is as impressive in size as it is in sheer beauty, measuring nearly 7-1/2 inches (19 centimeters) long and weighing in at more than 145 troy ounces, or a full 10 pounds.

Also in play is a Crystallized Gold Nugget from Australia that weighs 15.52 troy ounces. This beautiful specimen was presented by an anonymous donor to a couple of Salvation Army Captains in New Albany, Indiana during the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign in December 2024. The hammer proceeds from this magnificent nugget will benefit the Salvation Army’s Annual National Commander’s Red Kettle Challenge 2025.

The Golden Beauty and nugget earmarked to benefit the Salvation Army are just two of the Gold lots in the auction, a list that also includes but is not limited to an Australian nugget that weighs 52.27 troy ounces and a nugget from California weighing 29.78 troy ounces.

Another visually stunning lot in the auction is a “Gem” Ammonite Fossil with Predation Marks. From the Bearpaw Formation in Alberta, Canada — the lone source for such specimens — the iridescence of this 13-inch (33-centimeter) ammonite captures just about every hue imaginable in the only material classified as both a fossil and a gemstone. But beyond its sheer beauty, what makes it remarkable is the presence of circular dots found near the center of the fossil, marks that are believed to be predatory bite marks from a mosasaur — a marine reptile that also lived during the Cretaceous Period.

Also offered is “Ekleipsis” — a sword made from an assortment of meteorites, 24K Gold, Mother of Pearl, Opal and Damascus steel. Made in 2024 by artist Tristan Dare, it features a blade meticulously crafted from more than 2,000 layers of Damascus steel and features Gold inlays that are reminiscent of celestial bodies, representing the stars above. At the heart of the blade lies a forged fusion of more than half a dozen meteorites from around the world, including rare pieces from Muonionalusta, Gibeon, Campo del Cielo, Saint-Aubin, Canyon Diablo, Aletai and Seymchan, some of which are among the oldest known meteorites on record.

A number of exceptional meteorites will touch down in the auction, including a massive museum-quality specimen from the Campo del Cielo Meteorite that measures 14.5 inches (37 centimeters) and tips the scales at a hefty 112 pounds (50.80 kilograms). Found in 1576 in Chaco, Argentina, it is a museum-quality specimen in every way, impressive in aesthetic appeal and in sheer size, and a magnificent representation of the iconic Iron, IAB, which has been popular among collectors for decades, if not centuries. Other exceptional Irons in the auction include a 7.6-kilogram specimen from the Henbury Meteorite that was found in 1931 in Northern Territory, Australia, and a 17.2-kilogram mass from the Gibeon Meteorite that was found in 1836 in Namibia.

For meteorite collectors who aren’t magnetically drawn to Irons, the auction includes an array of lunar meteorites, including a 131.4-gram specimen from NWA 16894 that was found in 2023 in the western Sahara. Representing one of only 22 approved meteorites classified as lunar basaltic breccia, this is a rarity even for a piece of the Moon. The total weight of NWA 16894 is only 1,230 grams, meaning the sample offered in this auction represents roughly 10 percent of the original meteorite. Other lunar meteorites in the auction include a 173.2-gram piece of NWA 16683 from Mali and a 54.5-gram Laâyoune 002 Lunar Meteorite Slice from the western Sahara, as well as an array of jewelry like an NWA 16294 Lunar Meteorite Pendant.

Also in play is a gorgeous Backgammon Set with Board and Pieces made from Malachite and Chrysocolla, Pietersite, Corundum and Magnesite sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, India and Australia. The exquisite composition of rare and exotic minerals are crafted into a functional work of art. The exterior is green and turquoise Malachite with Chrysocolla, from DR Congo. Completing the playing surface are 24 triangular “points” made from chatoyant golden Tiger’s-Eye and 36 handcrafted checker pieces, each carved from exotic Australian “Lime Chrysoprase” (Magnesite) and deep brownish-purple Corundum from India.

Other top lots in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• A Triceratops Nasal Horn
• A Blue Calcite Bowl
• A Fossil Horse Skull
• A beautiful Opal Parure