Weighing in at a staggering 875 troy ounces, the "Hand of Faith" is the largest gold nugget on display in the world today. That record was previously held by a 2,300-or-so-ounce monster known as the "Welcome Stranger," which was discovered in 1869, but was subsequently melted down. Both were found in Victoria, Australia, which boasts a large supply of nuggets rich in gold, most being at least 95% pure or 23 carats (the remainder is mainly made up of silver dissolved in the gold). The Hand of Faith also lays claim to another accolade, namely being the largest gold nugget ever found using a metal detector –- apparently it was a mere six inches below the surface, oriented in a vertical position as per the photograph below.
If you visit it today in the lobby of the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas, the explanatory sign tells you that the find was made in 1980 by a married man with four kids, while he was prospecting behind the family's trailer home. The sign also notes that the discoverer chose to remain anonymous, but it seems that his desire for secrecy was short-lived; we found him widely identified on the Internet as a guy named Kevin Hillier, whose wife Bep later wrote a book all about it. (Apparently, the book was a result, in part, of a desire to put to rest rumors that the nugget was found elsewhere in Australia, or even that it was man-made.)
On display you can also view a collection of large and unusual Alaskan gold nuggets, which were amassed by a Fairbanks businessman over a 30-year period. The collection comprises 31 individual gold nuggets, including the "duck bill" (6.6 troy oz.), the "golden eagle" (12 troy oz.), and the "parrot" (24 troy oz.), all named for their distinctive shapes. The "duck-bill" nugget was carried around as a pocket piece for more than 25 years by an Alaskan restaurateur named Jimmy Lees, who managed to wear off more than 2 ounces of gold during that time, not to mention wearing through numerous pants pockets. There's also a gold pocket watch whose chain is constructed of linked nuggets, plus a solid gold railroad switch key that weighs in at a staggering 25 pounds.
As far as the value of the Hand of Faith is concerned, the casino reputedly purchased it soon after the find for $1 million Australian ($870,000 US at the time). We read an account that said the nugget was then immediately insured for $5 million (US or Australian is unclear), even before the Lear jet that transported it ever left Australia, so the policy would pay out closer to what the nugget was actually worth in the event of the plane going down en route to Las Vegas. Of course, the value of the nugget fluctuates over time, depending on the current market price for gold. The Golden Nugget's current press kit lists that figure as "over $425,000," but on the day we researched this, we calculated the value at more like $491,000. This doesn't take into account the uniqueness of the nugget and what that might do to its value, however.
