DENVER — It’s widely known the name of the Denver Nuggets comes from Colorado’s mining past. The team pays homage further with crossed pickaxes on several of their alternate jerseys. And when it comes to actual gold nuggets, those can be found just a few miles east of Ball Arena.
“We have the best collection of nuggets from Colorado right here in this room,” Dr. James Hagadorn, curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, told Denver7.
Hagadorn stood inside the museum’s "Hall of Gems and Minerals," pointing out multiple small, rounded pieces of gold, all found in the rivers, streams and mountains of our state. He then turned his attention to the largest piece in the room.
“That is one of the sweetest pieces of gold on Earth,” he said enthusiastically.
Set inside a display case that doubles as a safe, was a brilliantly shining mineral about the size of an adult man’s hand.
“This is the biggest gold nugget ever found in the state of Colorado,” Hagadorn explained.
The piece of crystalline gold was found in 1887 near Breckenridge. Two prospectors, Tom Groves and Harry Lytton, made that discovery. As the story goes, Tom carried the 13.5 pound piece back into town wrapped in a blanket. That’s where the gold got it’s unique nickname: "Tom’s Baby."
“Swaddled like a little million dollar baby,” Hagadorn said.
Originally, the gold topped 13 pounds, though now, it only weighs in at about eight pounds. Denver7 asked where the rest of it was.
“Well we don’t know that,” Hagadorn said. “It’s a mystery.”
One thing that is for sure, according to the curator, is the worth of the one-of-a-kind giant mineral.
“I'm gonna quote a famous credit card commercial. It’s priceless,” he said.
"Tom’s Baby" is on display to the public at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a full-time piece in their collection of gold and gems. And if the Nuggets go on to win their own gold in the form of the NBA Championship, Hagadorn invited the team to come to the museum for a special tour, going hands-on with the team’s namesake. But one piece is off limits.
“I’ve only touched [Tom’s Baby] once,” Hagadorn joked.
For more info on the museum, head to https://www.dmns.org/visit/exhibitions/.
