Convict Love Token - 1834 - George Brown
This token may relate to John Hobbs, 23, labourer and weaver, convicted at the Middlesex Sessions on 22 September 1834 for stealing from a dwelling house. He was sentenced to transportation for life, and sailed for Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) on the Mangles on 24 April 1835. Hobbs's record describes him as measuring 5 feet 3¾ inches (1.6 metres), with a fresh complexion and hazel eyes. The style of token is very similar to that of Edward Kershaw.
Transcription
Back
Token with an engraved shield or coat of arms on it, bearing text along the lower edges:
JOHN . HOBBS
GEO BROWN
Front
Token with a decorative garland of fir branches and a pinecone shape at the top, and another leafy garland at the base. Engraved with cursive text:
1834
Farewell a long
farewell – my
Country's exile
Diameter
34.0 mm
Copyright: National Museum of Australia
