Ranald Hill Collection of Tokens

Lot 920    Session 3 (2.30pm Tuesday)    Ranald Hill Collection of Tokens

Estimate $20,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $22,000

MASON & CULLEY, Williamstown penny, undated (A.353). Edge knocks otherwise nearly very fine and extremely rare, the classic rarity of the series.

Ex A.H. Baldwin Collection, Baldwin Auction May 2009 (lot 513). In A.H. Baldwin's notebook, now a treasure in our library, a pencilled note states "Roy in May 1936 gave 15/- for a very good but circulated Mason & Culley penny in Worthing. It was in a parcel of coins shown to him the rest being utter rubbish. This has one or two small dents on the edge. This makes five I know of." Written in ink in the note book is the following under 353 "Mason and Culley Williamstown, the ship conveying these to Australia sank off the Bluffs. The reverse is similar to the old Victoria 1d and no doubt the few known were put into circulation in this country, probably stolen by the workers. Mine originally cost 6d from E. Lincoln. I gave J.B. Caldecott ?1 for it. My original specimen went to Melbourne Museum. The one I got from Fletcher by exchange went to Wills and the one in Fletcher Collection also went to Wills with the collection. My own is finer than any of them and was found in Ipswich." on the side "Andrews used a rubbing of mine for his illustration". The finest specimen he had now resides in the Moran Collection (ex our Sale 3, 1979, lot 222). Apart from those mentioned, an example appeared in Portobello Road markets in the 1960's and was acquired by John Malcolm, this was subsequently sold in our Sale 2 (lot 460). The A.H. Parson's specimen, Glendinings, London (1954) went to Ray Jewell then to G.C. Heyde (Part 1, Sydney, March 1973, lot 582). Heyde's second example sold in Part III, March 1974, lot 418, ex E. Wills and S.V. Hagley.