King Henry, the most valuable gold specimen in the world, has taken centre stage at The Perth Mint, in a stunning display that evokes all the romance, enduring value and allure of gold.
Unlike a gold nugget, which mostly contains pure metal, King Henry is a gold specimen more closely relating to a gold-encrusted rock or gold-bearing quartz vein, weighing 93kg, containing an estimated 45kg of gold, which is worth more than $3 million.
Discovered in the Beta Hunt Underground Mine, which is operated by Karora Resources and located near Kambalda in Western Australia, the King Henry gold specimen was named after Beta Hunt airleg miner, Henry Dole, who made the impressive discovery in 2018.
In 2019, The Perth Mint acquired King Henry to preserve this significant gold find and to ensure it can be enjoyed by the public.
The Perth Mint Chief Executive Officer and Gold Industry Group Director, Richard Hayes, emphasised how King Henry epitomises what The Perth Mint has experience in its 122 years.
“The Perth Mint’s mission is to promote Australian gold to the world, a role we proudly carry out as trusted refiners of the vast majority of newly mined gold doré across Australia.
“King Henry, in particular, now allows us to showcase Australian gold’s finest to the rest of the world,” explained Mr Hayes.
Not only is King Henry among the largest of its kind in the world, but it is also one of very few on public display. Moreover, it is impossible to definitively rank King Henry among the world’s largest gold quartz specimens, however, industry experts estimate that King Henry is one of the largest of its type to have ever been unearthed.
King Henry is displayed next to The Karratha Queen silver specimen and together form an impressive new display in the Gold Exhibition, which is now open to the public.
After exploring The Perth Mint, unearth more gold nuggets on Perth’s Heart of Gold Discovery Trail.