Antique Bronzes, Extremely Rare Aboriginal Breastplate and High Grade Australian Coins

Payment

Shipping

AUSTRALIA :

Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $10.00 and will be sent by Registered Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

OVERSEAS :

Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $35.00 and will be sent by standard International Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

If we are unsure of the bona fides of a successful bidder we may request identification such as a Passport Photo or Drivers's Licence that matches the Credit Card details registered with Invaluable before we despatch an item.

Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and may require a signature on delivery.

Welcome to Smalls Auctions Sale 246 Part B. Before the ARL (Australian Rugby Football League) there was the NRL (New South Wales Rugby Football League) whose inaugural First Grade Premiership in 1908 was won by South Sydney with the Second or Reserve Grade Final being won by arch rivals Eastern Suburbs. In our Sale we have on offer the 1908 Second Grade Premiership Fob presented to Charlie Lees (Eastern Suburbs) in the inaugural year of the competition. Lees was promoted to the main team and in 1911 celebrated East’s first First Grade Competition scoring their only try in their 11-8 defeat of Glebe. Lee’s 1911 Premiership winning Gold Fob is also in our in our Sale along with his 1912 winning Gold Fob. A summary of the game on Wikipedia reports that "after Glebe won the toss, Dally Messenger kicked off at 3:31 pm on what was a very windy Saturday afternoon. Glebe winger Cubitt scored early, and Easts were only able to post a penalty goal in the first half and trailed 5-2 at the break. The referee was Tom McMahon (the elder of the two Sydney top-grade referees of that name) who in the first half sent off Glebe’s Sid Pert and Rooster Larry O'Malley, the former Australian Kangaroo captain. Early in the second half, Cubitt scored again for Glebe to take an 8-4 lead. However, in the final ten minutes, Eastern Suburbs were able to score a try after a high kick was misjudged by the Glebe fullback, and Charlie Lees took the loose ball to score a try. Dally Messenger converted to take the lead 9-8 with only minutes to play, and consolidated the win with another penalty kick to win the game 11-8 for the Roosters and allowing them to take their first premiership in front of 20,000 people." Two very important pieces for the dedicated sports nut. Also in our Sale is a 19th Century Aboriginal King Plate inscribed '’King Bully (Billy) of Gidgie Downs.” Kingplates or Breastplates are seen by many as an indignant reminder of the ill-treatment of Aborigines in Colonial Australia, but contrarily they are also seen by some historians as important relics of the white settlers interactions with the native inhabitants. The first Kingplates were distributed by Governor Macquarie to Aboriginal leaders who were elevated to 'King' status and were tasked with negotiating with the Government on behalf of all their tribe. Of course, there were no Kings or Queens in the native populations, so the arbitrary appointment of a ‘King’ overrode the democratic communal processes that traditionally underpinned Indigenous decision-making. The early plates were sand-cast and were loosely based on the Regimental Gorgets worn by Officers of His Majesty’s Military and, whereas the Military Gorgets bore the Royal Cipher of the reigning King, the early Breastplates often bore a crude Ducal Crown which alluded to the official imprimatur assigned to the recipient. Over time large Station Holders adopted the practice of recognising a 'King of the Tribe' with whom they would negotiate, and a brass plate bearing their title was callously strung from a chain around their neck. From around the 1840s the plates were made of thin pressed brass often carrying the name of the Station or Homestead and, in this form, they continued to be used right up until the 1930s. The Kingplate from the Gidgee Downs Homestead presented to King Billy appears as No.52 in ‘Poignant Regalia,’ the 1993-4 Exhibition of 19th Century Kingplates curated by the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales. The familiar ‘Kangaroo’ and ‘Emu’ motifs flank the plate although the posterior views of the native fauna are amusing if not unique. This plate is important for a number of reasons: Firstly, it seems to have escaped the notice of the cataloguers through the years that it is actually inscribed “King Bully’ and not ‘King Billy’ and that 'Gidgee' is spelt 'Gidgie.' Secondly, it has a unique set of hallmarks on the reverse side in the form of a monogram which appears to read “CT’ followed by ‘N.S.W.’ '84.' You would naturally assume that the '84' indicates that the plate was made in ‘1884’ but, it has the heft and look of a much earlier piece. It is interesting that the hallmarks crudely follow the format found on fine Russian Silver where the solitary '84' Zolotniks stamp (87.5% pure) is accompanied by a location mark and maker's mark much like the monogram on this plate which could be mistaken at first glance for Cyrillic script. So, was the plate the work of a Russian émigré who, proud of the finished product, used the only punches available in his jewellery workshop to brand his craftsmanship? This theory might also account for the misspelling of Gidgee and the more obvious mistake of engraving 'Bully' instead of 'Billy' by someone not fully versed in the local vernacular. And thirdly, it mimics the earlier Macquarie-era plates with a Ducal Crown at the top of the design which again points to an earlier date of manufacture. It is highly unlikely that the use of the Crown device found on some early sand-cast examples would suddenly re-emerge in 1884 decades after its last use. The Gidgie (Sic) Plate has plenty of unique attributes that make it important and ripe for further research. Kingplates are certainly tainted by their history which cannot be rewritten and so it is up to the individual to decide whether they see Kingplates as derogatory symbols of British Colonialism or rare relics of Australian Indigenous History. Smalls Auctions

Buyer's Premium
$0-99: 20.0%
$100-499: 20.0%
$500-999: 20.0%
$1,000-4,999: 20.0%
$5,000+: 20.0%

Conditions of Sale

VAT and taxes: The Buyer's Premium is inclusive of the Australian G(oods) & S(ervices T(ax) incurred by our service.

Shipping Terms: AUSTRALIA :

Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $10.00 and will be sent by Registered Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

OVERSEAS :

Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $35.00 and will be sent by standard International Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

If we are unsure of the bona fides of a successful bidder we may request identification such as a Passport Photo or Drivers's Licence that matches the Credit Card details registered with Invaluable before we despatch an item.

Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and may require a signature on delivery.

Buyers Premium: All purchases are subject to an all inclusive 20.0 % Buyer's Premium on the hammer price.

Tax Details: Taxes, Duties and Customs Charges that apply in the country of delivery are the express responsibility of the buyer.

Please notify us if you require a specific description on the outside of the package for customs purposes.