Summary
Australia South Australia Adelaide
One Pound 1852
Struck from the second die
Mint: Adelaide Assay Office
A coin-shaped ingot guaranteed to be worth a pound. The Colony of South Australia backed their valuation by giving exact details of the purity (22 carats) and weight (5 pennyweight and 15 grains) of the piece. It was made from gold brought to South Australia from the Victorian goldfields in 1852.
The One Pound ingots were made by the South Australian government to solve a major problem in the local economy caused by people leaving for the gold fields and taking most of the colony's money with them. The ingots were made iilegally, without approval from Britain. By the time the written request for authority to make the pieces had arrived in England and the British Government's refusal had returned to Adelaide, the Assay Office had already opened, solved the problem by issuing the tokens and closed.
Physical Description
A gold coin (23 mm diameter milled edge) with, on the obverse at the centre a crown within an ornate circle; below, 1852; around, * GOVERNMENT ASSAY OFFICE * ADELAIDE. and on the reverse at the centre within ornate circle in three lines, VALUE / ONE / POUND; around, * WEIGHT 5 DWT: 15 GRS: * 22 CARATS.
Obverse Description
At centre a crown within ornate circle; below, 1852; around, *GOVERNMENT ASSAY OFFICE* ADELAIDE.
Reverse Description
At centre within ornate circle, VALUE / ONE / POUND; around, * WEIGHT 5 DWT: 15 GRS: * 22 CARATS
Edge Description
milled
More Information
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 15 Mar 1976
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Date Issued
1852 AD
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Issued By
HM Queen Victoria, Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 1852
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Mint
Adelaide Assay Office, Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 1852
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Artist
Joshua Payne, Adelaide, Greater Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 1852
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Inscriptions
Obverse: GOVERNMENT ASSAY OFFICE ADELAIDE 1852 Reverse: VALUE ONE POUND WEIGHT 5 DWT 15 GRS 22 CARATS
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Denomination
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Series
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Material
Gold
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Axis
12
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Dimensions
23 mm (Outside Diameter), 8.768 g (Weight)
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Exhibition Collection Management
23 mm (Width)
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Shape
Round
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References
Andrews No.724
[Book] Andrews, Arthur. 1921. Australasian Tokens and Coins.
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Keywords