100-ounce Sierra gold nugget going to auction

By Carlos Alcalá, Sacramento Bee

Imagine a gold nugget the size of a small fruitcake.

Fred Holabird, a mining geologist, doesn’t have to imagine, because a gold prospector brought one into his Reno office in 2010.

Holabird remembers shouting, “Oh, my God!” or something similar, but unprintable in a family newspaper.

“I made some exclamation that was very, very loud,” Holabird said Tuesday.

Holabird will auction what is now dubbed the Washington Nugget in March.

The stunning piece of gold was literally turned up from the ground near the town of Washington in Nevada County. It weighs nearly 100 ounces.