banjo
Member
Australia Day
A celebration in Silver
The Birmingham mint Great Explorers of Australia c1977
I thought this is a appropriate time to discuss alternative forms of silver stacking. The Item I want to show you is in Sterling Silver and was purchased in Australia in the latter half of 2011. I consider this collection to be a most fine example of Birmingham engraving that I have seen.
The collection was released in 1977 and was advertised in The Hobart Mercury on Saturday the 5th of January of that year. I can only assume that all the other capital city's were also advertised. The ingots were purchased on a Subscription basis and the ingots were sent by mail. Each ingot cost $30 and the price was fixed for the duration of the subscription unless for any variation in sale tax.
Each ingot approximately measures 50.8mm by 25.4mm and weighs 28.3 grams.
The detail on the ingots are incredible to say the least, showing off the craftsmanship of the master engraver. The ingots portray authentic early Australian illustrations rendered in fine frosted relief against a mirror finish background.
The issue was limited to 2500 but who is to know how many were incomplete or not in existence anymore.
The collection comes with a well made Teak finished wooden box lined in black velvet inlay for each ingot, with a white padded silk lined upper lid embossed with
THE BIRMINGHAM MINT Pty.Ltd.
The Worlds oldest independent mint
Great Explorers
Of
Australia
In gold print.
The set comes with a COA signed by K.G. Wood, General Manager.
There is also booklet with historic detail of each of the 20 explorers and is a worthy companion to the collection. These ingots are of proof quality and are hallmarked with the assay office and Birmingham mints 'H'
The explorers are as follows
Sea Navigators
Captain James Cook, RN. 1728-1779
LT. Matthew Flinders, RN. 1774-1814
LT. Phillip Parker King 1791-1856
Land Explorers
John O'Hara Burke 1821-1861 William John Wills 1834-1861
Allan Cunningham 1791-1839
Edward John Eyre 1815-1901
Alexander Forrest 1849-1901
Lord John Forrest of Bunbury 1849-1918 (Australia's first Peer)
Ernest Giles 1835-1897
Augustus Gregory 1819-1905
Frank Gregory 1821-1888
Sir. George Grey 1812-1898
Hamilton Hume 1797-1873 William Hilton Hovell 1786-1875
Edmund Kennedy 1818-1848
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt 1813-1848
Sir. Thomas Mitchell 1792-1855
George Augustus Robinson 1788-1866
John McDouall Stuart 1815-1865
Capt. Charles Sturt 1795-1869
Colonel Peter Warburton 1813-1889
This collection can be viewed at the National Library Canberra
Photo to follow.
A celebration in Silver
The Birmingham mint Great Explorers of Australia c1977
I thought this is a appropriate time to discuss alternative forms of silver stacking. The Item I want to show you is in Sterling Silver and was purchased in Australia in the latter half of 2011. I consider this collection to be a most fine example of Birmingham engraving that I have seen.
The collection was released in 1977 and was advertised in The Hobart Mercury on Saturday the 5th of January of that year. I can only assume that all the other capital city's were also advertised. The ingots were purchased on a Subscription basis and the ingots were sent by mail. Each ingot cost $30 and the price was fixed for the duration of the subscription unless for any variation in sale tax.
Each ingot approximately measures 50.8mm by 25.4mm and weighs 28.3 grams.
The detail on the ingots are incredible to say the least, showing off the craftsmanship of the master engraver. The ingots portray authentic early Australian illustrations rendered in fine frosted relief against a mirror finish background.
The issue was limited to 2500 but who is to know how many were incomplete or not in existence anymore.
The collection comes with a well made Teak finished wooden box lined in black velvet inlay for each ingot, with a white padded silk lined upper lid embossed with
THE BIRMINGHAM MINT Pty.Ltd.
The Worlds oldest independent mint
Great Explorers
Of
Australia
In gold print.
The set comes with a COA signed by K.G. Wood, General Manager.
There is also booklet with historic detail of each of the 20 explorers and is a worthy companion to the collection. These ingots are of proof quality and are hallmarked with the assay office and Birmingham mints 'H'
The explorers are as follows
Sea Navigators
Captain James Cook, RN. 1728-1779
LT. Matthew Flinders, RN. 1774-1814
LT. Phillip Parker King 1791-1856
Land Explorers
John O'Hara Burke 1821-1861 William John Wills 1834-1861
Allan Cunningham 1791-1839
Edward John Eyre 1815-1901
Alexander Forrest 1849-1901
Lord John Forrest of Bunbury 1849-1918 (Australia's first Peer)
Ernest Giles 1835-1897
Augustus Gregory 1819-1905
Frank Gregory 1821-1888
Sir. George Grey 1812-1898
Hamilton Hume 1797-1873 William Hilton Hovell 1786-1875
Edmund Kennedy 1818-1848
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt 1813-1848
Sir. Thomas Mitchell 1792-1855
George Augustus Robinson 1788-1866
John McDouall Stuart 1815-1865
Capt. Charles Sturt 1795-1869
Colonel Peter Warburton 1813-1889
This collection can be viewed at the National Library Canberra
Photo to follow.
