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There Is Gold In Them Thar Hills And In Fremont Street Casino

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IMG_0845Back in the day, there was gold in the Valley. Las Vegas had its share of gold diggers. There was silver too, that drew prospectors to the area.

Today, the gold rush is pretty much limited to people checking out old gold mines or buying some of the precious metal from the many pawn shops or jewelry stores in town. You may be surprised to know that you can buy gold, pure gold, inside one of Fremont’s streets premier casinos, The Golden Nugget.

There are reasons for naming a casino a certain name. Many times we don’t know why and don’t really care about the reasons. However, The Golden Nugget has been rightly named because there is, in fact, real gold inside. The gold is in the form of a golden nugget, the largest in the world.

Tucked away in a corner hallway of the casino is a glass enclosure that holds the massive golden nugget. It is, according to the casino’s website, also the largest nugget to ever be discovered with a metal detector.

In 1980, in Wedderburn, Australia, a man named Kevin Hillier stumbled across this massive nugget while trying out a new toy, his metal detector. Apparently, it worked very well.

Due to its shape, as you can see in the photo, it is named the “Hand of Faith.” This nugget probably weighs more than your armchair or pit bull. On the scale it tips the scale at 875 troy ounces, or 61 pounds and 11 ounces. And, it is worth an estimated $1,000,000 or more at current gold prices.

The next time you visit the Golden Nugget, stop by and see “the” Golden Nugget. When you are finished gawking and snapping photos, turn around and you will see a vending machine that dispenses gold. Credit cards are accepted.

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