A GOLD nugget found near Ballarat in 1987 is at the centre of controversy in the United States, with an American man claiming he made the valuable find. Prospector Murray Cox says he is 100 per cent sure the so-called Washington Nugget, sold recently for $460,000 at a Californian auction, is in fact the one he found with friend Reg Wilson in Rokewood.Their nugget, known as the Orange Roughie, was a local sensation and was named for its fish-like shape. The recent dispute surrounding the nugget started when James Saunders Grill reported finding the 98-ounce nugget on his property near the town of Washington, California. Grill later used the find to create publicity for a proposed commercial mine development on the site, and signed an affidavit stating its authenticity. Local media reports suggested that Grill, 70, has been lobbying land authorities to have road access added to the site to increase its value. The March 16 sale of the nugget at auction in Sacramento, California, brought it to the attention of Mr Cox, who contacted reporter George Warren of local television program News10. “I called them up because I knew people were being defrauded in the sale. It’s excellent that it’s been exposed, and even the auctioneer believes us now after he tested the gold and examined the photos,” Mr Cox told The Courier yesterday. Mr Warren’s investigations tracked down Mr Grill, but the businessman remains silent on the nugget. The Orange Roughie nugget was sold to a gold dealer for $50,000 more than 10 years ago, but the soaring gold market has increased its worth.After the renewed media interest in the controversy, Mr Cox said he was unsure what would happen.“We didn’t set out to make any money out of it and now it is taking up so much of our time, I would like the thing resolved,” he said. Mr Cox wouldn’t comment on the outcome of the sale. The Sacramento auctioneer confirmed to local media that he now believed the nugget was not a local find.