2017-08-26 Sat

Convict transportation ships carrying thousands of English criminals were sent to Colonised Australia. Convict love tokens from this time period feature folk art and are highly desired by many collectors. Convicts used to carve coins into artifacts of memorabilia for their family. Classical Numismatic Group is going to auction one such love token on 13th September.

The circa 1831 to 1832 bronze token measuring 35.5 millimeters in diameter and weighing 23.25 grams, was made by Thomas Brownhill. The obverse depicts a man standing on the shore, wearing doffing hat, holding irons attached to his legs. It also features the ship and the man’s name, his age at the time of his conviction and the text FOR GET ME NOT. The reverse has the inscription WHEN THIS/ YOU SEE REME /MBER ME THO/ BANISHED FROM/ MY COUNT/ RY.

Thomas was convicted and sentenced to deportation for housebreaking on 26th March 1831. He was transported from Portsmouth to Sydney on a Ship named Isabella on 27th November 1831.

14 crew members were executed upon their arrival in Australia. Brownhill was well-behaved and also helped the captain to escape the shipboard mutiny. He was assigned to W.T. Morris of Batemans Bay and died on 13th December 1840. The offered token has an estimated value of $2,000.