World's Last Giant Gold Nugget

This 9-pound chunk of solid gold was found in the Sierra Nevadas by a man using a metal detector on his property. The rocky California mountains inspired the infamous Gold Rush during the 17th Century, yet somehow this massive piece of gold was overlooked by the miners and panhandlers who blanketed the area in hopes of striking it rich.

This nugget is said to be the last of its kind in the world; it will auctioned off in March 2011, and is expected to fetch nearly half a million dollars.