Metal detectorist unearths 'Holy Grail' gold nugget on the Derbyshire border

A metal detectorist has made the "discovery of a lifetime" after finding a gold nugget shaped like Britain. Jonathan Needham, 54, discovered the gold on the border between Derbyshire and Staffordshire, and believes it was naturally formed underground.

The nugget, which resembles England, Wales and Scotland, measures almost 3cm in length and over 1cm wide, weighing 10.3 grams. Retired tree surgeon and treasure hunter Jonathan described his "Holy Grail" find on November 1 as his ''most interesting ever''.

He is currently determining whether the gold is natural or smelted. As scrap, the nugget could be worth around £800, but if it proves to be evidence of historical gold mining in the area, its value could significantly increase.

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History enthusiast Jonathan said: "I really could not believe it. I have dug gold before but I was not expecting to find a nugget of gold.

"When you are detecting in England to find a nugget of gold is exceptional."

"When I dug it I could see it was gold coloured and I knew straight away that it was gold - but I thought it could have been some bit of jewellery but it is not.

"It was quite funny - when I started cleaning it and turned it around I thought 'that looks just like England'.

"It is rare enough to find a piece of gold but to find one that looks exactly like England is crazy.

''The jury is out whether its natural or whether its part of a smelting process and the gold was smelted and then dropped.

''People are saying it's natural - if it is natural then I found this on the Derbyshire Staffordshire borders. It could open up a whole can of worms.

"Some experts are going to have to look into it and if it is natural gold it is going to be worth a lot more money than scrap gold.

"I am hoping it is a natural nugget and if it is it would be extraordinary because not many get found in this country.

"If it is natural gold it will be one in a life time."

Jonathan is now hoping to return to the same area to see if he can discover more similar finds. He added: "I will be checking out the area very carefully to see if I can pull any more out - it is an amazing find."

Last year he discovered a "one in a billion" Bronze Age artefact - after finding the 3000 year old dress or cloak fastener on a patch of land in Staffs.

Jonathan wanted to be a treasure hunter decades ago after watching TV shows about finds. He is passionate about ancient history and loves watching The Detectorists.

But he was always too busy working - so had to wait until after arthritis forced him to go part-time to take up the hobby. And now his hobby has turned into a profession.

"This is what I do. I am a treasure seeker I don't do anything else - this is my job," concluded Jonathan.

He now runs a YouTube channel where he shares his metal detecting adventures called The Detector-hist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDetector-Hist.