This coin has recently come into my possession and although it is an old coin, it has a unique story behind it that is more intriguing than the coin itself. It was believed that the entire mintage in 1827 was sent out to Australia from Britain, in particular to Tasmania.
Now the story becomes stranger here as there are differing accounts of its history from this point, the first was that the ship sank off the coast of Tasmania and the mintage was affected by salt and most coins were lost to corrosion.
The second was that the sea spray affected the coins which were stored on the decks of the boat.
Either way, I like this coin because this was the year that Willow Court’s construction started. It replaced a wooden structure that housed invalid convicts that was reported to be in bad condition in the early 1820’s, and it is what we are preserving today. It is so nice to have something that was about when Willow Court started its long history.
It is likely that a few of these pennies rattled around in the pockets of the staff and residents of Willow Court. It is nice to know the providence of a historical item and I look forward to hearing the stories that Willow Court has for us when it opens.
3 Comments
I think it is a wonderful thing to have found this coin, at this location. (wasn’t found on this location, it was in a private collection ED)I have often thought that the image of Britannia looks as if she is in an athletics wheelchair, yet still she wears her armour, weapon in hand, ready to fight for what is right. To be found in a centre which, when it closed, was working hard to help people with a variety of disabilities, seems almost symbolic. She is not “Britannia Disabled”, she is “Britannia EN-abled!”
All my very best wishes, that Willow Court may continue to recover it’s former condition. Perhaps, if the private owners of the areas they own, can restore, and keep, their lots to the way they were first constructed (I am led to believe that the owner of the Motel and Antiques shop has tried to do this, and I hear that other areas have been turned into shops as well. I know I would much rather shop somewhere interesting and full of character, rather than the carbon copy chain stores which all look the same.) Who knows, perhaps Britannia has turned up to “enable” Willow Court to grow and flourish into the top tourist attraction in the area. Tourists can peruse the museum, take the tour (which sounds fascinating, btw), stay in the motel and poke around the selection of shops, each one filled with it’s original character, yet turned, by careful and creative ownership, into a unique and fascinating store, unlike any other. It makes me wish I could be one of them, working together to bring life back to the site. Right now, Willow Court is it’s own patient, limping along. You, and the others who want to preserve and restore it, are it’s crutch, helping it, providing it therapy. Perhaps, one day, the vision of Willow Court, Tasmania’s “Must Visit” location will come through and she will walk tall, a sight of great historical importance to the whole world.
Not “dis”, nor “en”, simply “Able”.
All my best wishes for the future, keep up the good work and remember, Britannia is on your side!
I would have to agree with your observation with that coin, I have always thought of it as a wheelchair wheel.
Cheers
Mark
Hello I believe I have one exact coin I used to live in Tasmania 22 years ago and I found one very heavy large coin
It’s been with me since