"The Hand of Faith is a nugget of fine-quality gold that was found by Kevin Hillier using a metal detector near Kingower, Victoria, Australia on 26 September 1980. Weighing 875 troy ounces (27.21 kg, or 72 troy pounds and 11 troy ounces), the gold nugget was only 12 inches below the surface, resting in a vertical position. The announcement of the discovery occurred at a press conference, attended by the Premier of Victoria Dick Hamer, in Melbourne on 8 October 1980. Kovac's Gems & Minerals were appointed agents for the sale of the huge nugget, by the gold nugget finder, Kevin Hillier. It was sold to the Golden Nugget Casino Chain for over a million dollars.

"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, anywhere in the world. Dimensions are 47 cm × 20 cm × 9 cm (18.5 in x 7.9 in x 3.5 in). The sale price was supposedly around $US1m.

"Replicas of the nugget are on display at a number of Golden Nugget casinos, including Golden Nugget Laughlin and Golden Nugget Atlantic City." (Wikipedia)

"A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, which holds a pickup coil, which can vary in shape and size.

"If the pickup coil comes near a piece of metal, the control box will register its presence by a changing tone, a flashing light, and or by a needle moving on an indicator. Usually the device gives some indication of distance; the closer the metal is, the higher the tone in the earphone or the higher the needle goes." (Wikipedia)

"Nevada is one of the largest gold sources in the entire world. In 2015 alone, Nevada produced nearly 5,340,000 troy ounces of gold worth a whopping $6.194 billion. This represents 78 percent of all gold produced in the United States and 5.4 percent of the world’s total gold production," the Only In Your State reports.

"Appropriately located in the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas is the world’s largest gold nugget. Discovered in Victoria, Australia, with a regular guy and his metal detector, this incredible nugget is now on permanent display at this Las Vegas landmark.

"The nugget is located in a hallway near the hotel's lobby. Despite its price rising and falling with market fluctuations, it remains quite a sight to behold. Oh, and photographing the nugget is especially frowned upon."

"In the September, 1980, Kevin Hillier took his new metal detector out for a spin in his tiny hometown of Wedderburn, Australia. Instead of a bottle cap or a paper clip, he found a 61-pound golden nugget barely a foot underground. Today, it makes its home in our lobby," the Golden Nugget Las Vegas says.

"The Hand of Faith is the biggest golden nugget in existence, the second-biggest ever discovered, and the biggest ever found with a metal detector. (And in case you’re wondering, Hillier made out just fine. He sold his golden nugget to the Golden Nugget for over a million dollars.)

"Yet the story behind the hand of faith discovery is just as incredible as the nugget itself. In 1978, Kevin Hillier, his wife Bep and four young children left Western Australia to travel the country in an old renovated bus they called ‘Gus’. Led by Bep’s unwavering belief in God and an amazing set of circumstances they found themselves on the Victorian Goldfields several years’ later," The Hand of Faith Story reports.

"Whilst living at the Bridgewater Caravan Park with little money, Kevin had a dream. He did not know what it meant at the time, but it was so powerful he drew a picture on a piece of paper and asked a friend to sign it. What happened next is hard to believe.

"On the 26 September 1980, Kevin Hillier and his wife Bep discovered one of the world’s largest gold nuggets behind an abandoned primary school in Kingower, Victoria. In the Hand of Faith story Bep Hillier gives an incredible account of her family’s real life adventure from having only the money in their pockets to making the discovery of a lifetime."

"My brother and I didn’t stay here, but made a trip to Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas to see the “Hand of Faith” gold nugget. Weighing in at 27kg, it is very impressive and the largest ever found using a metal detector. The staff were very helpful in directing us to the location of the nugget – I suspect they experience this frequently."

"Went to the golden nugget to get married, everything was perfect Pat did a great job she took care of everything, it was great, love the golden nugget. if you're planning a wedding this is the place for you. i was so impressed with the service, i would recommend them to the fullest!!!"