Whether you can legally keep a discovered gold nugget depends entirely on local mineral ownership laws, land tenure rights, and whether you obtained explicit permission to prospect on that specific property. In many jurisdictions like Australia, all minerals are owned by the Crown, meaning finding gold requires a valid miner's right or tenement lease to legally retain it. On private property, the gold typically belongs to the landowner or is split via agreement with the prospector. On public public lands where recreational panning or metal detecting is officially permitted under local regulations, finders are generally allowed to keep their small recoveries, provided they respect environmental guidelines, report significant finds if mandated, and avoid trespassing on protected areas or active mining claims.