Prestige Items

Coins and Tokens of Tasmania – 1803-1910 – Roger McNiece

The definitive work. We really admire people like McNiece who through their passion for their interest put the hard yards in, the effort, to produce such a useful work. Tooley, Spence, King etc all come to mind.

Published by Platypus Publication, Hobart in 1969, a first edition. Rather rare. Printed on the Mercury Presses bound by Walch .. how more Tasmanian can you get.

Octavo, 112 pages, numerous illustrations to help one along. A very good copy in an excellent dust jacket bar a small closed tear to rear.

Roger McNiece was a founding member of the Tasmanian Numismatics Society.

And, more than coins and tokens. We start with Specie .. the currency of NSW and the consequences of the Settlement of Van Diemen’s Land. Sorrell and Brisbane’s reforms. Arthur and the Sterling Money Act. The allowance for South American Dollars, Sicca Rupees [we had to encourage gentlemen in service in India to retire in VDL], Mexican Dollars ..

Then Paper Currency and Police Fund Notes and Treasury Bills. A lengthy chapter on Private Promissory Notes and numerous individual issuers. A chapter on Barter and the use of Rum Therein. Special Bank Issues and then the last third of the book taken up with Trade Tokens – so collectable.

More than Coins and Tokens – the McNiece Standard

$60.00

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The South Pole – An account of the Norwegian Expedition in the “Fram” 1910-1912 – Roald Amundsen – Queensland University Facsimile 1976

Facsimile edition, and a scarce one, published under the moniker of the University of Queensland Press in 1976. The original edition was published in 1912 and is highly collectable. Two volumes bound as one making it quite an impressive book in stature xxv, 392 pages; x, 449 pages. Illustrated from the original with plates and maps, one folding of each. A very good copy in a very good dust jacket.

The first to the pole. Account of Amundsen’s legendary dash to the Pole. He beat Scott’s Expedition by a month reaching the Pole on 14th December 1911. The use of dog sleds, better clothing, nutrition and a single minded purpose are factors that put Amundsen ahead of Scott.

Norwegian Captain Roald Amundsen had initially intended make an expedition to the Arctic, but changed his plans at the last moment and announced he would try for the South Pole instead. His explanation to the public was that if he could beat the English and Japanese expeditions to the Pole then he could secure success and funds for his extensive Arctic expedition, and also snatch the prize for his own country.

Amundsen sailed southward in the Fram to the Bay of Whales that would afford his expedition both the shortest route to the Pole and a route that would not overlap with either the Japanese or the English expeditions. From start to finish, Amundsen’s expedition ran like clockwork. He carefully planned every moment of the trip, using his experience in the Arctic and his extensive knowledge of dog-teams to help him through. His team was entirely Norwegian, accustomed to a harsh and cold climate, and were excellent ski-runners. In addition, Amundsen travelled light; he brought five men and fifty dogs on his expedition so that the latter could eventually serve as food for the former. Part of what doomed Scott’s party was the fact that he favoured men and ponies over dogs, bringing twelve men, eight ponies, and only twenty-six dogs.

Amundsen’s party remained in excellent health and always had enough to eat from their plentiful provisions at their well-stocked supply depots. They also supplemented their food stores with a great seal hunt just before the winter, after which 120,000 lb. of fresh seal meat were added to their stores, which helped protect them against scurvy.

Unlike Scott’s party, Amundsen’s party were also fortunate enough to have favourable weather conditions on their side, so that they were able to reach the Pole using their supply depots and dog sleds in just 99 days, a distance of 1860 miles, covering an astonishing average of 19 miles a day over frozen and difficult ground. Their journey was truly an extraordinary accomplishment, and Amundsen’s account of it is no less riveting

Amundsen – Fine facsimile of The South Pole published by Queensland University

$140.00

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Bronze Plaque Swedish Polar Explorer Otto Nordenskiöld by Austrian Artist Hugo Taglang – 1905

Produced to commemorate the Antarctic achievements of Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskiöld (1869-1928) who led a Heroic Era expedition to the Antarctic in 1901-1904. A fine image of the man decked out in heavy polar furs.

Nordenskiold arrived in the Antarctic in 1901 and wintered on Snow Hill Island. Unfortunately, their ship the ‘Antarctica” got trapped in ice and sank in 1903. His back up Larsen eventually met up with the stranded team but was unable to get them away. They were eventually rescued by the Uruguayan Navy. Despite all this their visit was hailed a scientific success as they explored and researched much of Graham Land.

Nordenskiöld was made Professor of Geography at Gothenburg University in 1905 the same year this commemorative was struck. He later went on to explore northern Greenland and in the 1920’s certain parts of South America. He was killed by a bus in Gothenburg crossing the road.

80mm by 57mm weighing 170gm. The artist medallist Hugo Taglang (1874-1944) was born in Vienna. An example of this item is shown in the National Maritime Museum Collection, London ID MEC 2149.

Otto Nordenskiöld an unusual Antarctic commemorative
.

$180.00

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A Record of Tasmanian Nomenclature with Dates and Origins – J Moore-Robinson

Extremely scarce item> we have not seen any original copies available .. and this one in fine condition.

A pretty early place-name book … that is mainly European place-names. At a time when the consideration of original aboriginal names for places is foremost in mind this is a worthwhile counterpoint. We are not sure which work has most places covered … a confluence of both would be worthwhile … we don’t mean reading the obvious .. more the less obvious.

Published at the Mercury Press in 1911.
An unusually nice looking item. Thick like sugar paper covers, 106 pages, demi octavo, perfect bound, super condition for such a potentially fragile item over 110 year old

Small scarce and in perfect condition.

$90.00

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Godwin’s Emigrants’s Guide to Van Diemen’s Land [Tasmania]

A high quality facsimile of the exceedingly rare 1823 original. This published by the Tasmanian Government in 1990. A limited numbered edition of 500 copies this number 382.

Octavo, 90 pages, plus appendices. Large folding map and folding frontispiece view oof early Hobart.

Contains every bit of information that could be of assistance to anyone desiring to settle in Van Diemen’s Land. Interestingly, it also enclosed a blank application form for FREE GRANTS OF LAND … can you imagine the interest.

Bound nicely in half leather over suede covered boards, gilt title front and spine. A fine copy.

Godwin’s guide represents an important historical record

$130.00

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Tasmania’s A.I.F. Lighthorsemen – Peter J. Pickering

Self published in 2006 the full history of C Squadron, 3rd Light Horse Regiment – exclusively Tasmanian in WWI.

Large format, soft cover, perfect bound. 142 pages, plus appendices. Magnificently illustrated, the original images, superb coloured charts of campaigns bring the whole story to a new level.

Largely based on the authorised account of Sir George John Bell DSO CMG. The regiment went to Gallipoli and then back to Egypt and withing days thrown action in the western deserts and to the east of Suez. Among the soldier was a young wool classer Hudson Fysh who near the end of the campaign would take his first flying lessons. He would go on to fly London to Australia and later found QANTAS at Longreach in Queensland.

Edition limited to 250 copies of which this is signed and numbered 219 by the author. Also signed by the then Governor of Tasmania William Cox.

Scarce and very readable account – Tasmanian Heroes

$150.00

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Coins and Tokens of Tasmania – 1803-1910 – Roger McNiece

The South Pole – An account of the Norwegian Expedition in the “Fram” 1910-1912 – Roald Amundsen – Queensland University Facsimile 1976

Bronze Plaque Swedish Polar Explorer Otto Nordenskiöld by Austrian Artist Hugo Taglang – 1905

A Record of Tasmanian Nomenclature with Dates and Origins – J Moore-Robinson

Godwin’s Emigrants’s Guide to Van Diemen’s Land [Tasmania]

Tasmania’s A.I.F. Lighthorsemen – Peter J. Pickering

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