Australian prospector looking for buyers for giant gold nugget

An Australian man who unearthed a 2.7 kilogram gold nugget is now on the lookout for buyers of his prize.

Chef and part-time prospector Mick Brown used a metal detector to find the nugget which was buried just 15 centimeters below the ground in the gold fields in Victoria, southeast Australia.

The weight of the gold values it at 135,000 Australian dollars (102,000 U.S. dollars).

But Brown is hoping collectors who can appreciate its beauty as a nugget will offer him 250,000 Australian dollars (190,000 U.S. dollars).

"There are collectors for these type of nuggets in the U.S., Europe and China," he told Xinhua.

"I've done TV interviews, radio interviews and my find has been reported in Germany and the UK.

"If any people from China are interested, I'd welcome them to offer me a deal."

Brown found the nugget while using his metal detector on public land in Australia, near the central Victorian town of Wedderburn.

The finders, keepers rule apply to such land in Australia.

According to Brown, his wife had ordered him out of the house to get some fresh air because he was grumpy after giving up smoking. As he waved his machine, it suddenly started pinging. He thought it was copper, but then dug into the ground to discover the nugget.

It changed the lives of the couple.

"I found it on Feb. 9, but I managed to keep it quiet for a couple of weeks."

He plans to use proceeds from his planned sale to pay tax, invest the rest and take his wife to a fancy dinner. Endi