Rare Australian Banknotes, & Other Curios

August 7, 2022 12:00 PM AEST
Timed Auction

185 Lots

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Smalls Auctions

Location: Paddington, Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 (0)2 9357 5492

Payment

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  • Accepts online payments
Accepted Forms of Payment: American Express, COD (cash on delivery), MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Other, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

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 181 In our sale we feature two infamous lots that relate to the Japanese attack on Sydney Harbour on the night of the 31st of May 1942. Two midget submarines the M-24 and M-27 were launched from mother ships off the Coast and entered Sydney Harbour with the intention of destroying Allied Warships. The M24 managed to slip through the anti-submarines nets that spanned Sydney Heads while the M27 became entangled in the nets and its crew chose a warriors death blowing up the vessel to avoid capture. The M24 fired its two torpedoes at the USS Chicago both of which missed their target with the first failing to explode and running ashore on Garden Island. The second caused collateral damage when it exploded into a sea wall under the Kuttabul a Sydney Ferry which had been requisitioned bu the RAN for use as living quarters for Naval Ratings. It rapidly sank with the loss of twenty-one lives. The fate of the M24 remained unknown until 2006 when its wreck was discovered by recreational divers off the coast of Sydney it having again successfully avoided the submarine nets to affect its escape. In the chaos after the sinking of the Kuttabul another midget submarine the M22 successfully slipped into the harbour on the morning of the 1st of June. It was chased down and disabled with depth charges at Taylors Bay opposite Taronga Park Zoo with the crew being found dead inside with self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The two midget submarines were raised and ballast from the recovered vessels was put to good use being sold as souvenirs to the public to raise money for the Royal Australian Navy Relief Fund and King George’s Fund for Sailors. We have one of these rare miniature Lead Submarines made from the ballast recovered from the M22 & M27 in our Sale. Impressed on the sides on the submarine is “MADE FROM BALLAST, JAP MIDGET SUB / SUNK IN SYDNEY HARBOUR MAY 31, 1942. Also, in the Sale we have a China Medal of 1900. You may well ask what possible connection there could be between a bravery award for the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and a Souvenir of the Midget Submarine attacks on Sydney Harbour in 1942. Well, it’s not in design of the medal whose reverse design echoes the Orient as is appropriate seeing it was awarded to British and Imperial forces for action during the 'Boxer Rebellion' of 1900. Nor is it in the history of the rebellion when Western missionaries and Chinese Christians came under attack from a group calling themselves the 'Righteous and Harmonious Fists,' or the 'Boxers' for short who had set out to ruthlessly destroy Western cultural and religious influence in China. Nine countries, including Britain and Australia were keen to maintain their profitable commercial interests in China and so sent military forces ostensibly to protect their citizens and quell the uprising. No, the connection can be found on the impressed edge of the medal which was awarded to W.H. LITTLEFIELD. A.B. H.M.S ARETHUSA who was one of over 8000 British recipients and, like most people returning from war, he would have counted his lucky stars that he had survived to tell the tale. However, history can be cruel, and it was not done with Mr Littlefield who would later play an inglorious role in another skirmish known euphemistically known as the 'Battle of Sydney.' Littlefield had migrated to Australia in search of a better life and oversaw the Signal Station at Sydney heads when on the night of 31st May 1942 Japanese midget submarines managed to slip past his watchful gaze and into the Harbour to create havoc for the Allied vessels moored in its bays. I’m sure that’s not a tale of war that Mr Littlefield would have passed on to his grandchildren. The Sale also contains more eclectic sewing paraphernalia which was lapped up in our earlier sales. There is also a dealer’s stock of modern Australian coins and some small antiques and collectables as well as some rare Australian Colonial Banknotes. We hope the Sale has something of interest for you. 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%
Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
A$0 A$249 A$5
A$250 A$999 A$10
A$1,000 A$4,999 A$25
A$5,000 A$9,999 A$50
A$10,000 + A$100

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.