Australian Historical Medals

Lot 562    SESSION 3 (2.30PM TUESDAY 23RD NOV)    Australian Historical Medals

Estimate $300
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $460

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF MANUFACTURERS, Incorporated 1869, All Australian Exhibition, 1930, in silver (51mm), reverse inscribed, 'B.Seppelt & Sons Ltd./Champagne'. Some hairlines, otherwise uncirculated and an important recipient.

Joseph Seppelt left Silesia in Prussia in 1849 and came to Australia, arriving at the Barossa Valley in South Australia in 1851. He tried producing tobacco, one of the products he worked with in Prussia, but that failed so he turned to wine. He planted vines near Greenock at a place he called Seppeltsfield. This was successful. Unfortunately he died in 1868 but his family developed the business and by the 1890s it was the largest wine company in Australia.

After federation, B. Seppelt and Sons expanded by purchasing other operations, including Chateau Tanunda in 1916 and the Great Western vineyard and winery in 1918 and other properties over the ensuing years. It became a publicly listed company in 1970 and was taken over by SA Brewing in 1984.