大盂鼎出土后，被当地豪绅宋金鉴所得，后为爱好青铜器的岐山县令周庚盛所夺。道光十三年（1850），宋金鉴去京赶考，得中翰林，有钱有势后便拿出3000两银子把大盂鼎重新赎买回来。同治年间，宋氏家道衰微，后代宋允寿以700两白银出让给左宗棠的军事幕僚袁保恒。
After the unearthing of Dayuding, it was captured by the local gentry Song Jinjian and later by the bronze-loving Qishan County Ling Zhou Gengsheng. In the thirteenth year of Daoguang (1850), Song Jinjian went to Beijing to catch up with the exam and got Zhonghanlin. When he was rich and powerful, he took out 3000 two silver coins and redeemed the big bowl tripod. During the Tongzhi period, the family of the Song family declined, and the descendants of Song Yunshou sold 700 pairs of silver to Yuan Baoheng, Zuo Zongtang's military aide.
袁深知左宗棠爱文物，将此鼎孝敬。数年后，湖北总兵樊燮告发左宗棠居功自傲，图谋不轨，朝廷信以为真，欲召左进京对质问罪。当时任工部尚书的潘祖荫上疏辩解，左才得以幸免。左宗棠知潘祖荫喜收藏，集金石甚丰，为报救命之恩，便以心爱之物大盂鼎相赠。后来，大盂鼎一直由潘祖荫珍藏。
Yuan is well aware of Zuo Zongtang's love cultural relics and respects them with filial piety. Several years later, Fan Xie, the general soldier of Hubei Province, accused Zuo Zongtang of being proud of his merits and plotting against the law. The court believed him to be true and wanted to call Zuo to Beijing for questioning. At that time, Pan Zuyin, who was in charge of Shangshu of the Ministry of Works, excused himself, and Zuo was spared. Zuo Zongtang knows Pan Zuyin-xi's collection, which is rich in gold and stone. In order to save his life, he gave it to each other with his beloved things. Later, Dayuding was kept by Pan Zuyin.