# Hand of Faith
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{{Short description|Australian gold nugget found in 1980}}
{{refimprove|date=November 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Hand of faith1.JPG|thumb|The Hand of Faith is the world's largest [gold nugget](/source/gold_nugget) found by using a metal detector.]]
The '''Hand of Faith''' is a very large [gold nugget](/source/gold_nugget) that was found by Kevin Hillier using a [metal detector](/source/metal_detector) near [Kingower, Victoria](/source/Kingower%2C_Victoria), Australia, on 26 September 1980. Weighing 875 [troy ounce](/source/troy_ounce)s (ozt; 27.21 kg, or 72 troy pounds and 11 troy ounces), the gold nugget was only {{Convert|12|in|cm}} below the surface, resting in a vertical position. The announcement of the discovery occurred at a press conference, attended by Premier of Victoria [Dick Hamer](/source/Dick_Hamer), in Melbourne on 8 October 1980. Kovac's Gems & Minerals was appointed as the agent for the sale of the huge nugget by Hillier. It was sold to the [Golden Nugget Casino chain](/source/Golden_Nugget_Hotel_%26_Casinos) for over a million dollars.[{{Cite journal |date=2010 |title=2010 Yearbook |journal=Gold, Gem & Treasure |publisher=Express Publications |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=24–26}}]
The Hand of Faith is currently on public display at the [Golden Nugget Las Vegas](/source/Golden_Nugget_Las_Vegas)[{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldennugget.com/las-vegas/casino/hand-of-faith/|title=Hand of Faith|access-date=20 August 2021|archive-date=20 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820223653/https://www.goldennugget.com/las-vegas/casino/hand-of-faith/|url-status=live}}] in the United States. Replicas of the nugget are on display at a number of Golden Nugget casinos, including the [Golden Nugget Laughlin](/source/Golden_Nugget_Laughlin) and the [Golden Nugget Atlantic City](/source/Golden_Nugget_Atlantic_City).
It was initially incorrectly stated as weighing only 720 ozt, but after correction, the new calculation was 874.82 ozt. This explains why some publications continue to give an incorrect weight. It is still regarded as the largest modern nugget found by a metal detector. Its dimensions are 47 cm × 20 cm × 9 cm (18.5 in x 7.9 in x 3.5 in). The sale price was over US$1 million.[The largest was the Golden Eagle, weighing 1,135 oz, found in [Western Australia](/source/Western_Australia) in 1931.] There were numerous nuggets found during the [Victorian gold rush](/source/Victorian_gold_rush) era, commencing in the 1850s, that were far larger.{{cn|date=April 2026}}
==See also==
*[List of gold nuggets by size](/source/List_of_gold_nuggets_by_size)
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links==
*[http://www.handoffaith.com Hand of Faith Website]
*[http://www.facebook.com/handoffaith/ Hand of Faith on Facebook]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140806120853/http://www.goldennugget.com/entertainment/faith.asp Hand of Faith at the Golden Nugget Casino]
*[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/golden-nugget-hand-of-faith Hand of Faith Gold Nugget] at [Atlas Obscura](/source/Atlas_Obscura). Accessed 7/20/2025
*[https://vitalvegas.com/golden-nugget-takes-show-gold-nugget-road Golden Nugget Takes Its Show, And Its Nugget, On the Road]
Category:Gold mining
Category:Gold nuggets
Category:Metal detecting finds
Category:Gold prospecting in Victoria (state)
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hand of Faith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_of_Faith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_of_Faith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.