Australasian Tokens and Coins
The Kangaroo Office Gold and Copper Issues
For the following history of the Kangaroo Office pieces I am indebted to the treatise prepared by Dr. W. E. Roth and Mr. A. F. Basset Hull, made available by the courtesy of Mr. William Dixson, the present possessor.
About the end of the year 1852, or the beginning of 1853, news reachei England that owing to the scarcity of gold coin and the large quantity of the precious metal already discovered, Ballarat gold dust was selling on the fields for £2 155. an ounce. The idea of the promoters of this office was to start a large store in Melbourne, buy up the dust at the above price, and with it strike their own gold pieces of 2, 1, ½ and ¼ oz., which in the course of their business. they proposed rendering current respectively at £8, £4, £2 and £1. With this object in view, Messrs. Hodgkin, Taylor and Tyndall chartered a full rigged ship, the 'Kangaroo,' of 600 tons, which with a cargo of colonial stores, arrived at Hobson's Bay on the 23rd of October, 1853. As managers of the store they sent ou: Messrs. Rignold Scaife and Morgan Brown; with them they brought the necessary dies which had been cut by W. J. Taylor, the machinery and stamping press. This last, however, proved too heavy an encumbrance, for when once the press itself had been landed on the wharf, available assistance could be obtained for the purpose of removing it their store—the so-called Kangaroo Office, which was situated near the flagstaff, at near, or in the present Franklin-street West. Indeed, it was fully six months before the whole machinery was fixed up and in full working order; but by this time there was a glut of English sovereigns in the Melbourne banks, and the price of gold went up to £4 45. an oz.
The whole affair collapsed, and instructions having been received from the promoters in London to sell all up, the managers attempted to realise whatever they could. Already over £13,000 had been invested in the ship and stores concerned. Mr. Scaife, the senior manager, sent a lot of machinery and dies home—the remainder, together with the press he sold through Lloyd, his agent to Stokes (Martin & Stokes) of Melbourne, where it is being used up to the present day.
The dies that were sent home have been carefully examined; they are all incomplete, and have been struck in soft steel from the original dies in various stages of their manufacture.
It is from these dies that were returned to England that the specimens numbered 775 a, b, c, 777 a, b, and 779 a and b, Pl. 59, in the synopsis, have evidently been struck.
Lest the completed dies should ever fall into other hands, and so render the managers of the Kangaroo Office subsequently responsible, Mr. Scaife, on leaving Melbourne, gave pertinent instructions that the dies of the four gold pieces should be taken out into the bay and sunk. Owing to Morgan Brown having died some years ago, it is impossible to prove now whether the orders were carried out at any rate the dies have been hunted for at home and abroad, and no trace of them has been discovered.
Long after the writing of the above, and quite within recent years, the dies have been found in the possession of the successors of Thomas Stokes, in Melbourne. In 1917, Messrs. Stokes, the present holders, presented replicas in soft metal of the 2, 1, ½ and ¼ oz. pieces to the Numismatic Society of Victoria.
Whatever may have been done previously, there can be no doubt but that only one set of these pieces was ever issued at Port Philip; this set was subsequently exhibited at the first Melbourne Exhibition, but its after history is unknown. As bearing on the rarity of these pieces, it may not be out of place to mention that the British Museum contains a complete set; the U.S. Mint Collection at Philadelphia possesses the ½ oz. and the 2 oz. piece, while a 1, ½ and ¼ oz. piece appeared at the sale of Montague's Collection (by Messrs. Sotheby) in May, 1892, fetching £37 13s. and £8 12s.6d. respectively.
During the short time that the office was in existence very large quantities of the comparatively common Melbourne-Australian halfpennies were issued.
One of the firm's practical hands, Arnoldi, used to strike medals for some of the local societies-agricultural and other.
Mr. Reginald Scaife is still living (1892-1893); the authors are under a great debt of obligation to him for the above first detailed account of the Kangaroo Office, and the true history of what have hitherto been known as the Port Philip-Australia pattern gold pieces.
The Kangaroo Office Gold and Copper Issues
775
Gold. Two ounces. 1853. 35 mm. (W. J. Taylor fecit.)
- Obverse. A broad raised engine-turned rim with PORT PHILIP above AUSTRALIA below incused on it. Within, a kangaroo to right with date 1853 beneath.
- Reverse. A similar raised rim with PURE AUSTRALIAN GOLD above, TWO OUNCES below incused on it. Within, a large figure 2 with TWO OUNCES incused on it. Edge milled.
A similar piece with plain edge was included in the Murdoch sale as unique, but doubts have been expressed regarding its genuineness. * On Pl. 59 there are shown impressions taken from the dies in various stages of manufacture. No. 775a, of the obverse, with Nos. 775b and 775c of the reverse. These are in the Mitchell Library cabinet.
776
Gold. Two ounces. 1854.
This piece, which is said to have been similar on both obverse and reverse to No. 775, except as to date, is listed in the catalogue of the Murdoch sale.
777
Gold. One ounce. 1853. 28 mm. Pl. 59.
- Obverse. Similar to No. 775.
- Reverse. Similar to No. 775, except that the numeral is I with ONE OUNCE incused on it. Edge milled.
On Pl. 59. No. 777a is an impression from the obverse and 777b from the reverse of this piece made from the dies before completion. These are in the Mitchell Library cabinet.
778
* A copper proof of the obverse of No. 777, with edge milled.
779
Gold. Half ounce. 1853.
- Obverse. Similar to No. 775.
- Reverse. Similar to No. 775, except that the numeral is ½ and quite plain. HALF OUNCE incuse on rim. Edge milled.
No. 779a, on Pl. 59, is an impression in white metal, and 779b, in copper of the die of the obverse of this piece in various stages. These are in the Mitchell Library cabinet.
780
Quarter ounce. Gold. 1853. 18 mm. Pl. 59.
- Obverse. As No. 775.
- Reverse. As No. 775, with the numeral į quite plain, and QUARTER OUNCE incuse on rim.
781
* Four pence (n.d.). Copper. Upset. Pl. 56.
- Obverse. A plain broad raised rim with FOUR PENCE incuse above. Within on a trellised base a large figure 4 quite plain.
- Reverse. Britannia seated to left with olive branch in right hand and wand in left, the sea and a steamer in the distance. AUSTRALIA over. W. J. TAYLOR LONDON on the base. Edge plain.
782
* Halfpenny (n.d.). Copper. 28 mm. Normal. Pl. 56.
- Obverse. PURE / AUSTRALIAN / GOLD / ISSUED AT THE / KANGAROO OFFICE / PORT PHILIP / NATIVE GOLD / EXCHANGED in eight straight lines with PIECES of ¼, ½, 1 & 2 OZ. curved above and ON THE BEST TERMS below. Beaded rim.
- Reverse. A kangaroo with MELBOURNE over and legend in four lines in the exergue, W. J. TAYLOR. MEDALLIST / TO THE GREAT / EXHIBITION / 1851. Edge plain.
783
* Halfpenny (n.d.). Copper. 28 mm. Normal.
- Obverse. As No. 782.
- Reverse. As No. 782 without the legend in the exergue.
784
*Medal. Copper. 39 mm. Normal.
- Obverse. A coining press in sunken centre, with COINS MEDALS & TRADESMEN'S TOKENS STRUCK round. On raised rim KANGAROO OFFICE above, MELBOURNE below, surrounded by a plain circle and enclosed by the projecting rim.
- Reverse. Head of Queen Victoria in high relief, wreathed with rose, shamrock and thistle, VICTORIA over, W. J. TAYLOR LONDON in minute letters below. Edge plain.
784a
*White metal. 39 mm. Normal.
- Obverse. As No. 784.
- Reverse. As No. 784.
