Summary

Alternate Name(s): Coin Bag

Calico bag used for transporting coins from the minting facilities directly to banks. Stamped with an inscription "ROYAL MINT / MELBOURNE" with the crest of the Royal Mint in black ink on the front.
The bags were tied with string, or sometimes sewn shut, and when empty were returned to the Mint for reuse. Today coins are sent to banks from the Mint in plastic bags, or are bundled together in rolls.
The Melbourne branch of the Royal Mint began production in 1872 and continued until the end of the initial production of the decimal currency. After this the Commonwealth Mint in Canberra was able to cope with the annual currency needs of Australia. The Melbourne Mint officially closed in 1972.

The bag is a very ephemeral part of the distribution process of the Mint. They were often reused until they literally fell apart and thrown away or were used for storing other material.

The donor's great uncle, Ernest Thomas Clucas, was a Deputy Warden of the Royal Mint in Melbourne January 1936 until December1941, although it's possible that she received it from a friend who worked at Westpac in the 1980s.

Physical Description

Calico bag, stamped with an inscription and the crest of the Royal Mint in black ink on the front. The bag is creased in the middle from folding. Circular stains from coins can be seen on the rear of the fabric.

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