Fricot Nugget
{{Short description|Large gold nugget found in California in 1865}}
The Fricot Nugget is a crystalline gold nugget found in El Dorado County, California in 1865 during the California Gold Rush by William Russell Davis.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldrushnuggets.com/fricotnugget.html|title=The Fricot Gold Nugget from California|website=Gold Rush Nuggets}} It is listed as the eleventh largest gold nugget ever found, and is the second largest gold nugget found in the United States of America. At {{convert|201|ozt|lb kg}},{{Cite web|url=https://georgetowndivide.wordpress.com/tag/fricot-nugget/|title=fricot nugget|website=The Georgetown Divide|date=25 January 2009 }} it is the largest surviving single piece of gold from the California Gold Rush.{{Cite web|url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=588|title=California State Mining and Mineral Museum|website=California State Parks}}
The nugget was found in Davis' Grit Mine at Spanish Dry Diggings at a depth of {{convert|200|ft|m}}, and was eventually shipped to New York City, where it was purchased by Jules Fricot for approximately $3,500.{{Cite web|url=https://raregoldnuggets.com/?p=1757|title=These 3 Huge Gold Nuggets Were Found in California|first=Rare Gold|last=Nuggets|date=September 23, 2015}} Fricot took the nugget to Paris for the 1878 Paris Exposition. Following the Paris Exposition, the Fricot Nugget was missing until 1943, when it was found in a safe deposit box in Calaveras County, California.
The nugget is on permanent display in the California State Mining and Mineral Museum. It came close to being stolen in 2012 during a robbery at the museum; however, safety measures protected it from being taken by the intruders.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2012-nov-15-la-me-gold-museum-heist-20121115-story.html|title=Four arrested in hijacking of gold and gems from mariposa museum|website=Los Angeles Times|date=15 November 2012 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thieves-armed-with-pickaxes-take-2-million-in-gems-gold-from-calif-museum-officials-say/|title=Thieves armed with pickaxes take $2 million in gems, gold from Calif. museum, officials say|website=CBS News|date=2 October 2012 }}