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Kevin Hillier found the so-called “Hand of Faith” near Kingower, in the state of Victoria, in September 1980. The piece was approximately 30 centimeters from the surface, was sold to the Golden Nugget the following year, and is still presented as the largest gold nugget discovered with a metal detector.
A metal detector search conducted in the interior of Australia ended with one of the greatest discoveries in the history of gold prospecting. On September 26, 1980, Kevin Hillier found the nugget known as the “Hand of Faith“, which weighs approximately 27.2 kilograms.
The discovery occurred in a wooded area near the old Kingower school, near the town of Wedderburn, in the Australian state of Victoria. According to Monument Australia, the nugget was in a vertical position, buried about 30 centimeters from the surface.
The piece is approximately 47 centimeters long, 20 centimeters wide, and 9 centimeters thick. Its weight is recorded as 875 troy ounces, a measure that corresponds to about 27.21 kilograms.
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Detector turned walk into million-dollar discovery
The official site of the “Hand of Faith” states that Kevin and his wife, Bep Hillier, lived with their four children in a converted bus. After undergoing back surgery, Kevin bought a detector to walk through the goldfields during his recovery.
The Dunolly Museum clarifies that the equipment used was a Garrett Deepseeker detector. Therefore, although some publications describe the machine as “basic“, the historical sources consulted only confirm the model, without classifying it that way.
Nugget remains on display in Las Vegas
The “Hand of Faith” was sold in 1981 to the Golden Nugget, in Las Vegas, for over $1 million. Currently, the piece remains on display in the lobby of the establishment.
The Golden Nugget and a Reuters report identify the “Hand of Faith” as the largest gold nugget ever found with a metal detector.
However, it is not the largest nugget in history: that record belongs to the “Welcome Stranger“, approximately 72 kilograms, found in Australia in the 19th century.
