These Three iconic nuggets are yet to be surpassed in size and remain the rarest of their kind in the world. They are important to Australia for their historic and cultural values and the roles they played in the development of the country, helping to make it one of the lucky countries it is today.

Welcome Stranger

Welcome Stranger by Charles Rose - 1835mm wide x 1225mm

Holtermann Specimen

The 'Holtermann Specimen' by Charles Rose - 1525mm wide x 1985mm

The ‘Welcome Stranger’ was found by prospectors John Deason and Richard Oates on the 5th February, 1869 at Moliagul, Victoria, an inch from the surface near the base of a stringy bark tree on their claim in Bulldog gully.

The painting depicts the very last time the world’s largest nugget, the ‘Welcome Stranger’ was seen in one piece in the bank at Dunolly, Victoria, on the 8th February 1869, around 10am, before being broken into three pieces to be weighed on the bank’s scales and converted into pounds.

The painting portrays the period and sets the scene when Archie Walls the local black smith has brought the actual anvil to the bank and on which bank staff use to break up the nugget into three smaller pieces for weighing.

The nugget in this oil painting is actual size, based on the replica. It is made of papier-mâché and gilded in pure 24ct gold leaf.

John Deason and Richard Oates were advanced $9,000 pounds on the 8th February 1869, with the remaining payment subject to smelting and final weighing. $9,555 in total.

The arrival of the nugget in town had created quite a stir and the owners feared they may be robbed and so decided to cash in on the nugget that day. Originally they wanted to take the nugget to Melbourne and put it on display. A travesty it was broken up and smelted as its value as the world’s largest nugget would be worth up to 20 Million USD today.

Hand Of Faith

The gold specimen had only ever been seen in a black and white photograph up until now.

The collage of the specimen in this oil painting is actual size, 3D and in vivid four colour, resplendently gilded with 24 ct gold leaf set in painted white quartz and blue slate. It is the most accurate interpretation of the original in existence.

The ‘Holtermann Specimen’ is the largest single mass of gold ever found. It was discovered at 2 a.m. on the 19th October 1872 in the 'Star of Hope' .mine, on Hawkins Hill, Hill End, New South Wales, after a midnight firing of explosives revealed a 'wall of gold' from the ‘Micca’ vein that runs through Hawkins Hill.

Holtermann being one a major shareholder offered the other partners 10,000 pounds to buy the specimen. He was refused and the specimen was crushed and the value of gold amounted to 12,000 pounds. If only he offered more, it would have been well worth it historically. Today it would fetch 22+ million USD in its original form.

Hand of Faith by Charles Rose - 1225 mm wide x 1525mm

The ‘Hand of Faith’ celebrated 42 years on.

This oil painting depicts the actual place the ‘Hand of Faith’ was found thirty years after its original unearthing, which was kept a well-guarded secret. This nugget is still in its original state, having been purchased by the Golden Nugget Casino Group in Las Vegas.

Today it would be worth around 8million USD for the nugget value.

The nugget on the oil painting is 1.6 x actual size and gilded with 24ct gold leaf.

The ‘Hand of Faith’ is the largest gold nugget in existence in the world today found using a hand-held metal detector. It was found by Kevin Hillier on September 26, 1980, at Kingower, Victoria.

Kevin and Bep Hillier were gold detecting behind the Kingower State school. They headed off started off in opposite directions when Kevin screamed out that he had found a nugget. When they finally dug it out and lifted it up, they realised what they had found was historic as it weighed an astounding 27.2 kilograms. Kevin’s wife Bep claimed that the couple had some heavenly intervention, “People will say it was all coincidence and that’s fine. But that’s my father up there…and he’s interested in everything we do.” To them, the rock looked like a hand making a blessing. So, Bep and Kevin named the nugget the “Hand of Faith.”

The finding of the ‘Hand of Faith’ was primarily responsible for which financially reinvigorated the ‘Golden Triangle’ {the area bounded roughly by Bendigo, Wedderburn, Dunolly and Ballarat in Victoria, Australia}. Instantly attracting an influx of tourists, fossickers and renewed mining interests that is ongoing today.

The ‘Golden Triangle’ is renowned as the ‘home’ of the largest alluvial gold nuggets in the world.

The nugget was sold to the Golden Nugget Casino Chain in America for around $US 1 million where it is on public display.