 | Market prices for the nugget, estimated to be 80 percent pure gold, is 1.6 million yuan, or about $255,300. The nugget is said to be the largest ever found in the Xinjiang region. The government-run Beijing Morning Post reported that if the state takes the gold, the herdsman’s outlook for compensation is dim, noting that in 2011 a farmer found a priceless Neolithic stone ax while digging on his land but received a mere 100 yuan ($16) in reward. | Altay sits near the borders with Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. |