TASMANIAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY
INC.
The Secretary,
Tasmanian Numismatic Society, Inc.
G.P.O. Box 884J.
Hobart. Tasmania. 7001.
Australia.
Our members meet at 8.00 p.m. on the 2nd.Thursday
of each month (except January), in our social rooms at the Masonic Club,
181
Macquarie St., Hobart. Tasmania. Visitors are always welcome!
TASMANIAN NUMISMATIST.
Any literary contributions or relevant and constructive
comments regarding numismatics are always welcome and can be sent to the
T.N.S.
or directed to:
The Editor,
Tasmanian Numismatist.
P.O.Box 10,
Ravenswood. 7250. Tasmania.
Australia.
Internet Page: http://www.vision.net.au/~pwood/tns.html
Email: pwood@vision.net.au
The ‘Tasmanian Numismatist’ is published
and distributed FREE, on a monthly basis, to members of the Tasmanian
Numismatic Society Inc. and selected associates and
institutions. This publication is the only official newsletter of the ‘Tasmanian
Numismatic Society Inc.’ and its aim is to promote the hobby of
numismatics in an entertaining and enjoyable way, under the guidelines
suggested by the executive committee of the T.N.S.
All details of a commercial nature, organisations,
items or individual arrangement to buy, sell or trade are provided as information
only, and any consequent dealings are between the parties concerned.
The ‘Tasmanian Numismatist’ takes no responsibility
for disagreements between parties, and also reserves the right to only
feature information that it considers suitable in promoting our hobby to
our members under the guidelines suggested by the Society. Deadline for
contributions or amendment to copy is 7 Days prior to the beginning of
the month of publication.
This newsletter and its contents are copyrighted ©,
but anything herein (except as noted below) can be fairly
used to promote the great hobby of numismatics; however, we do like to
be asked by commercial interests if they wish to use any of our copy. Usually,
we are not too hard to get on with - and, as long as you undertake to give
credit to the author and the ‘Tasmanian Numismatist’ we don’t
mind too much!
This permission, however, does not extend to any article
specifically
marked as copyrighted © by the author of the article. In the latter
case, you must get explicit permission from the author either directly
or through the ‘Tasmanian Numismatist’ to use that material.
All opinions expressed in material published in this
newsletter are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the ‘Tasmanian
Numismatic Society Inc.’ or the Editor.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
President: - Roger McNeice.The nomination, which must have been properly seconded, will then be put to the financial members present and, if there is only one applicant for the position, that nominee will be declared elected - unopposed.
Vice- President: - Christopher Heath.
Treasurer: - Charles Hunt.
Secretary: - Geoffrey Forrest.
Honorary Auditor: - Richard Watson.
Editor: - Graeme Petterwood (Northern Tasmania).
General Committee (Minimum of 4 positions): - Philip Nichols, Kevin Hogue, Tom Williamson (Southern Tasmania).
Shane Matson and Paul Petterwood (Northern Tasmania).
"I JUST HAVE A FEW PHOTOS…….!"
The photos (above) were taken just as the few formalities were getting under-way - however, as I plan to attend the AGM on February 10th. 2000, the rest of the more informal 'happy snaps' can be seen by our other members at that time. ….. Ed.
GERMANY.
Previous correspondents, 'Lisa and Oliver', have
updated and expanded an English version of their homepage at:
http://privat.schlund.de/p/papermoney/e/home.htm
SPAIN.
A request for assistance has been forwarded from David
Rivera Alonso, who wants readers to contribute with information for
his new Spanish-English homepage.
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Paradise/5377/listadoco/listacol.htm
ITALY.
Coin swapper, Fabrizio Pivari, is interested in
making contact with collectors who specialise in centre-holed coinage eg.
Fiji and New Guinea etc. Fabrizio has coins from Italy, the Vatican and
San Marino for exchange. E-mail: pivari@hotmail.com
CANADA.
When I received e-mail from 'Perth Numismatics'
I thought a new company had opened in our West Australian capital of Perth.
However, I soon read that the message had originated from the town of Lanark
in Ontario Province, Canada - which has a thriving population of 800.
Erik Kafrissen has cordially invited our members
and readers to visit his commercial site at:
http://www.perthmoney.com
NETHERLANDS.
SECOND WBCC BI-METALLIC TOKEN RELEASED!
WBCC Press Statement January 8, 2000.
For the second time in their history, the Worldwide
Bi-metallic Collectors Club (WBCC) has issued its own Bi-metallic token.
The first WBCC Bi-metallic token commemorated its first anniversary with
the obverse depicting the WBCC sign. The reverse was blank, making it unique
among Bi-metallic tokens. Only 113 pieces were made.
The second WBCC Bi-metallic token has been specially
minted for the World Money Fair at Basel, January 21-23, 2000. The obverse
has the WBCC logo and the reverse has the text: - WORLDWIDE BI-METALLIC
COLLECTORS CLUB -WORLD MONEY FAIR - SWITZERLAND - BASEL - JANUARY 21-23,
2000. This time 300 pieces have been struck.
The Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club (WBCC) was established
September 14th, 1996 by using Internet facilities. It is the very first
'Internet' Coin Club. It has now 157 members from 38 Countries. WBCC goals
are to get collectors involved who have a GREAT LOVE for collecting Bi-metallics,
to exchange information about Bi-metallics and to trade Bi-metallics, too.
The membership costs nothing, but you must have a GREAT
ADDICTION in collecting Bi-metallics and must PARTICIPATE in the WBCC.
Financially, this WBCC Bi-metallic token was made possible
by several WBCC members: Jack Hepler (USA), Frans Dubois (Netherlands),
Jean Verleg (Netherlands), and Martin Peeters (Netherlands).
The second WBCC Token is available from, Frans Dubois
- Lazaruskade 12, 2802 ES Gouda, Netherlands, E-mail: dubois.f@wxs.nl
or Jack Hepler - 3557 Graham Meadows Place Richmond,
VA 23233-6659, USA, E-mail: HEPLERL@saic.com
The price is $5 US, postage not included.
The WBCC has table 384 at the World Money Fair at Basel,
where the token will also be available.
This Bi-metallic token is struck at the Mauquoy Token
Company Belgium.
WBCC Organisation:
WBCC Homepage Provider: Rod Sell, Australia, Rod.Sell@hlos.com.au
WBCC DoCu-Centre: Frans Dubois, Netherlands, dubois.f@wxs.nl
WBCC Public Relations: Cliff Anderson, USA, chander@mciworld.com
WBCC Research Centre: Paul Baker, UK, 85@wbcc.fsnet.co.uk
WBCC Focal Point: Martin Peeters, Netherlands, martinp@westbrabant.net
WBCC Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html
WBCC Bi-metallic Web Ring:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/9540/WRhelp.html
"All That Is Bi-metallic" Website:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/9540/bmhome.html
GREECE.
Our first e-mail note for 2000 from Greece:- "My
name is Apostolidis Christos, I am a Greek dealer of Coins Banknotes
and Phonecards. I just thought it would interest you to find out about
my services. Please check my site at: http://homepages.go.com/~apostolidis/index.html
You can find Coins Banknotes and Phonecards from around
the world there at low prices. The site is updated regularly."
Apostolidis Christos - Coins, Banknotes and Phonecards.
Agamemnonos Str. 28
GR-17675 , Kallithea
GREECE
Tel +30-946-843-272
http://homepages.go.com/~apostolidis/index.html
E-mail: apostolidi@yahoo.com
LITHUANIA.
A list of swap coins was received from Sarunas Mortuza
of Lithuania. They include items from South America, many northern and
mid European countries as well as the major Mediterranean and Asian areas.
Most of the selections are in low denominations but, as the list is a little
too long for this column, those interested in contacting Sarunas for details
can do so at :- mortuza.sarunas@is.lt
WHY IS IT SO?
Why is it that whenever I go to a market and see that
inevitable basket, bucket or rusty old tin that contains a few nondescript
coins - I immediately need to run a finger through them and half expect
to be hit in the eye with a fabulously rare piece?
As an unashamed, self-confessed 'magpie' collector of
long standing, I still get a buzz when I find a coin that I don't recognise
as being part of my less than valuable world accumulation. There are so
many coins with so many fascinating stories from so many countries that
attract so many others like myself that being a 'magpie numismatist' must
nearly qualify as being a numismatic category within its own right. Having
the broadest of interests cannot be all that wrong - can it?
Many people advocate collecting, world coins in particular,
by theme - but what happens when we 'magpies' see a wonderfully interesting
common coin that doesn't fit into our feeble attempts to stick to our thematic
schemes? We swap coins, of course!
I know that, because of my diversification of interests,
I will never be rich - in an investment sense - but I have found that richness
in knowledge is even more profound. This part of my life's education has
enabled me to converse with other collectors - at all levels and about
all manner of things besides their basic numismatic interest - without
feeling too much out of place.
It is a lot easier, for instance, to arrange swaps of
the everyday circulating coinages and other relatively mundane items that
sometimes you find are of common interest, than it is with the more valuable,
investment oriented, gems of our hobby.
Great friendships have been built on those small islands
of interest
Most of the world's numismatists are just as human as
you and I - and all of us always want to learn more about our hobby.
Perhaps this is the answer to why 'magpies' keep running
fingers through those market scratch-boxes - because, at heart, I think
that all we 'magpies' are looking for is that attractive bauble of knowledge
that accompanies every coin! What do you think?
THE KING OF ICELAND.
Compiled by Graeme D. Nossiter.
Jørgen Jørgensen was born on the 7th.April
1780, at home, at 59 Ostergade in Copenhagen, Denmark, after his mother
had a difficult confinement and nearly died at his birth. He was the second
son in the family of a respected Danish court watchmaker,
Jørgen
Jørgensen Snr. (1745 - 1811) and Anna Leth (or Lette) (nee Bruun)
who had married in 1775.
In 1766, Jørgensen Snr., while touring through
Switzerland and Germany just after completing his apprenticeship, took
the opportunity of changing his name to the more Germanic JÜRGEN
JÜRGENSEN.
He
obtained work in Switzerland at the J. F. Houriet factory and later became
their agent in Scandinavia before opening his own workshop in Copenhagen
in partnership with Izaak Larpent in 1773. The
JÜRGENSEN
(Jørgensen)* family were a very well respected part of the Copenhagen
scene even before their appointment to the Danish Court in 1785 as official
watchmakers. *(For ease of reader recognition, we will continue to use
the name of Jørgensen.)
Jørgen Jnr. was christened in the Church of St.
Nicolai on the 9th April 1780 according to the rites of the
Lutheran Evangelical Church, which was the official State Church of Denmark.
Several of Jørgen's brothers eventually took up
their father's profession and his eldest brother, Urban (1776 - 1830),
was elected to the Danish Royal Philosophic Society in 1815 and became
a Knight of the Order of Danebrog. Urban also became watchmaker to the
Danish Admiralty in 1822 whilst another brother, Fredrik (1787 - 1843),
also became the Danish court watchmaker in 1811. Jørgen had a sister
Catherine (Trine) who was born in 1788 and another brother Marcus, born
in 1798.
Jørgen Jørgensen, the younger, ended his
formal education at age 14, and at 15 he was apprenticed to Capt. Henry
Marwood of the British collier 'Jane' and spent the next 4 years
plying between Newcastle, England and the Baltic ports.
He later claimed to have served on various vessels including
a British man-o-war onto which he had been 'press-ganged'.
In
1801 we find him aboard the 'Harbinger' at Port Jackson in Australia,
and he was soon to join H.M.S. 'Lady Nelson' a 60 ton brig, under
the name of 'John Johnson'. He was not discharged from her until late 1804
and thus was most likely to have been present in Jan. 1804 at the disbandment
of the first settlement at Sorrento on Port Phillip Bay. He was certainly
on board the 'Lady Nelson' serving as Mate when it brought Lt Col
David Collins to Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania) in Feb. 1804.
He returned to Gravesend, England in 1806 and, some months
later, he went back to Copenhagen where he then took command of the privateer
'Admiral
Juul' during the Anglo-Danish War. Jørgensen took three 'prizes'
before surrendering to H.M.S. 'Sappho' in March 1808. After 10 months
restriction in London he made his way to Iceland, returning again to England
in June 1809. Aided and abetted by an English merchant and some seamen,
he then went back to Iceland, arrested the Danish Governor, assumed the
role of Governor (or 'King' as some records state) and proclaimed Iceland
independent of Denmark.
He later commented in a rare moment of objective candour
- "I…..fully determined to seize the first opportunity to strike some
blow to be spoken of …. It was not love of Liberty …. which influenced
me on this occasion … I have in the course of my life been under the malignant
influences of other passions besides play".
This
situation came to an abrupt end after nine weeks when H.M.S. 'Talbot'
arrived
on the scene. Jørgensen returned 'voluntarily' to England in August
1810, but in September he was placed in the prison hulk 'Bahama'
at
Chatham. After his release he lived on parole at Reading for some
time, but because of his heavy drinking and a serious gambling habit he
fled his English creditors in 1812.
Jørgensen returned to England in 1813 and was
soon heavily in debt again and, as a result, he found himself in Fleet
Prison.
Our next recorded adventure was during 1815 - 16 when
he is known to have acted as a spy on the Continent for England.
During the next three years or so, his bad habits of
drinking heavily - and gambling unwisely - created a situation that caused
him to be arrested in May 1820 for Petty Theft and, from then on, he spent
much of his time in Newdegate Prison.
It appears that he was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment
but, after 19 months, he received a Royal pardon from the King.
He apparently ignored the chance he had been given and,
on December 4th 1822, he was back in Court and in serious trouble
He was tried at Middlesex after admitting he had stolen
15 Shillings and, of course, his previous disregard of the law was taken
into consideration. Jørgen Jørgensen was found guilty and
sentenced to death - but like many other criminals of the time, his sentence
was commuted to life imprisonment and transportation to Van Diemen's Land.
He was transported to V.D.L. aboard the convict ship
'Woodsman' that sailed from London on December 6th 1825,
touched at the Cape of Good Hope on 12th March 1826 and finally
arrived at Hobart Town on 29th April 1826.
The transportation records available from the time describe
Jørgensen as follows:
Height: 5ft 7 ¼ in.
Hair: Dark Brown
Age: 46
Trade: Seaman
Native Place: Copenhagen
Shortly
after his arrival, in June 1827, he was granted a Ticket-of-leave to survey
the northwest of the island for the Van Diemen's Land Company. However,
during the ensuing period, right up to October 28th 1833, Jørgensen
was often in trouble with the law - and his record states that, at various
times, he had been found guilty of:
Drunk and Disorderly Conduct
Riotous Conduct
Beating Norah Corbett (who had become his wife in 1831.)
Assaulting a Police Officer
The last offence was quite remarkable because Jørgensen had been appointed to the Field Police himself in 1828 and became the Police Clerk at Oatlands in 1830. It was also that year, on June 3rd, that he received a Conditional Pardon (#161) The pardon was granted after a petition was supplied from the VDL Bank after Jørgensen had recovered forged Treasury Bills valued at £4000 that had been stolen some months earlier. He was finally promoted to a Divisional Police Constable at Ross in 1833 and his Free Pardon was gazetted in the Colony on 21st September 1836.
In 1827, as mentioned, the newly arrived Jørgensen
was made available to the Van Diemen's Land Company for survey work in
the far North West of the island, the purpose of which was to find land
suitable for sheep raising. During the course of this expedition, (in
the opinion of some historians) Jørgensen became the first white
man to see Lake St. Clair and explore the inland and coastal areas around
Cape Grimm.
During his term as a field police officer Jørgensen
was engaged the pursuit of Aboriginals and in the detection and apprehension
of cattle and sheep thieves who were removing stock from afar afield as
New Norfolk in the south and Launceston in the north. (Most of the stolen
stock went into the butchery trade because it had two main advantages -
relatively good prices and no evidence afterwards.)
After receiving his Conditional pardon in 1830, Jørgensen
married Norah Corbett (or Cobbett) at St. Matthews Church in New
Norfolk on 25th March 1831 in a ceremony conducted by Rev. H.
R. Robinson.
Norah Corbett was born in 1800 (?), a native of County
Cork, Ireland, the illiterate, hard-drinking daughter of Patrick and Catherine
(nee Fitzgerald) Corbett. She had been tried at the Surrey Quarter Sessions
on the 25th October 1826 for 'Stealing in a dwelling house the
sum of 17/6' and sentenced to Life imprisonment and transportation despite
claiming it was her first offence.
She arrived in Van Diemen's Land on 2nd August
1827 aboard the convict ship 'Persian'. Her description was recorded
as being:
Height: 5 ft. 4 ½ in.
Hair: Dark Brown
Age: 22 (?) This age
does not match-up with her date of birth, but this is not uncommon.
Trade: Farmer's servant - Dairymaid.
It
is recorded that Jørgen became associated with Norah at New Norfolk
after using her as a spy to assist with his field police work. Their marriage
was anything but happy and Jørgen Jørgensen was later to
write to the Police Constable J. Price, requesting that Norah be held in
custody for about 6 weeks to rid her of her extremely drunken habits. She
had appeared in court many times for drunken behaviour and for assaults
on other women.
By 1840, Jørgensen and his wife were living at 4 Watchorn St; Hobart, and whilst he was still addicted to gambling and drinking, it seems that at this time his main income came from writing about religious, legal, political and economic subjects. Amongst his works was an article, written that year, on the appointment of convicted persons to the Police Force, the abuses of the system and the ill behaviour of the members. (From his own actions one would think that he would know!)
Jørgensen was a man of many talents, he had an
excellent knowledge of English and, besides his native Danish, it appears
that he was fluent in French and Italian as well as being able to read
Latin and German.
Some of the unconfirmed recorded details of his life
make very interesting reading and are including here for our readers' perusal.
They come from Jørgensen's own testimony and some contemporary press
records:
He was the first to harpoon a whale in the Derwent when
he arrived with Commander David Collins in 1803.
In 1804, for some months, he sealed and whaled in New
Zealand waters aboard the 'Alexander' before returning to Gravesend
on June 1806 via Tahiti, around the wild Cape Horn and St. Helena.
It is known that he took an active part in the infamous
'Black Line' in 1830 when an attempt was made by George A Robinson to capture
and segregate all the remaining aborigines on the island. The effort prompted
him to write a book about the customs and habits of the Tasmanian Aborigines
and his role in the expedition.
Between 1835 -1836, he applied in writing direct to the
Secretary of State, Lord Glenelg, for remuneration for his years of services
during the 'Black War' but, like all the other colonists who applied earlier,
he was refused. Lord Glenelg, in turn, wrote to the Lt. Governor, Col.
(later Sir) George Arthur, and reported the 'informality of direct appeals
from Colonists'.
However, the Home Government did sanction his petition
for a Free Pardon, which he had originally submitted on September 17th
1834 - so he also successfully applied for one for his wife, Norah. She
had still been legally bound under the conditions of her Ticket-of-Leave
and at that time was beginning to display a suicidal disposition.
Jørgensen was a deep reader and wrote prolifically
to try and produce an income that he just as quickly gambled away.
He wrote his pamphlets on Australian Currency and
on the Funded System during this time - the latter being eulogised in the
press in 1831. Other writings and sermons - some of which were recorded
by the 'Hobart Town Courier' of 16th November 1832, soon joined these articles.
It was also recorded, in the press, that he was a speaker
at a public meeting that was held in August 1840.
Jørgen Jørgensen died of inflammation of the lungs in the Colonial General Hospital, Hobart, (part of the site of the present Royal Hobart Hospital) on the 20th January 1841 about six months after the death of Norah who had passed away on 17th July 1840.
One contemporary, William Hooker, says:
".. his talents were of the highest order: but
for his character, moral and religious, it was always of the lowest
order"
"Jørgensen was an averaged-sized man, given to
passionate expression and wild gesticulation. Gifted with extraordinary
high spirits and unbalancing verve, he was ambitious, diversely talented
and appreciably amoral.
A measure of discipline came later - with reluctance!
He would merit little attention had not the whole formless, headlong rush
of his life been marked by such wild spirit."
His status - according to Marcus Clarke, author of the
convict classic 'His Natural Life' (first serialised during 1870-72
and later renamed 'For the Term of His Natural Life' in 1884) - was
that of "a human comet."
Jørgen's own words spoken in 1817 were probably
closer to the mark - "After taking a careful study of my own mind, I
think that Genius may often be taken for madness!"
Main References.
Archival Records.
Newspaper Records. 'Hobart Town Courier' (16th.
November 1832).
Family Documents. Nossiter family records.
'A Shred of Autobiography.' by Jørgen Jørgensen.
Graeme Nossiter's connection with Jørgen Jørgensen dates back to when Graeme's great-great grandfather, Charles Nossiter, formerly of Yeovil, Somerset, held the position of a Post Office Messenger in Van Diemen's Land. On 14th October 1834, Charles was found guilty of 'Embezzling One Pound, the property of Jørgen Jørgensen, and appropriating to his own use the said One Pound'. His sentence was 12 months Hard Labour with the Spring Hill Road Party. It was more than a little ironic that, at about this time, Jørgen Jørgensen held a land grant of 100 acres at Spring Hill.
REVIEW.
