Plaster coin model

This sculpted plaster model is for the half ounce gold coin of the first bullion coin release of The Australian Nugget series in 1987. It features a design by coin designer Stuart Devlin of the 27.66 kilogram Hand of Faith nugget, found in 1980 in Wedderburn, Victoria by metal detectorist Kevin Hillier.

Once a hand-drawn design is finalised and approved by the Government, a three dimensional representation of the coin is modelled in plaster. The larger scale of the plaster model enabled easier sculpting of the coin's details. The finished plaster model is then reduced to coin size to produce the steel die that strikes the design onto the coin.

The development of computer design software means this process can now be completed digitally, however, in some cases traditional methods are still used.