The name 'Tasmanian Numismatist' is used with the permission  of the Executive Committee of the 'Tasmanian Numismatic Society' however, any comments published in this privately produced newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the 'Tasmanian Numismatic Society', its Executive Committee or its members. Bearing in mind our public disclaimers, the Internet links selected by the authors of this  newsletter are usually provided as a complimentary source of reference to the featured article in regard to: (1) Illustrations and, (2) to provide additional important information. 

Any notices of concern to 'Tasmanian Numismatic Society' members will be included in a  'Society Snippets' section.

Every so often - for whatever reason - a query arises about something that we know was well and truly recorded in the past - but, suddenly, the information has disappeared or it becomes extremely hard to locate.

Perhaps, it was not considered too important - or, it just took up valuable room - so it was allowed to slip through the cracks in catalogue preparation.

The trouble with 'slipping through the cracks' is that it can get seriously lost and, one day, it might take a great amount of searching to find it again.

'The Pocketbook Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes' - 7th Edition (2000) by Greg McDonald, was the last readily available edition tthat I could find that featured an illustrated detail about Decimal paper 'Bank Training Notes'.

The last mention, in text, was made in the 2003 'Pocketbook Guide' - 10th Edition, with reference to the  'illustration above' - that wasn't there any longer.

These training notes are not valuable in the normal numismatic sense - but they are part of the currency history of Australia and shouldn't be overlooked and treated as expendable. I know that Greg won't mind if I quote several notes directly from his handy Pocketbook Guides to show what I mean.

The Pocketbook Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes - Tenth Edition (2003) - by Greg McDonald

QUOTE - Although not a circulating issue or one with an official 'legal tender' status, the above 'banknotes' were produced by Note Printing Australia for limited circulation within the banking system in denominations of two; five; ten; twenty; fifty and one hundred dollars to assist in the training of bank tellers. The $2 note was discontinued with the introduction of the the $2 coin in 1988.

These training notes were specially printed using genuine silk fibre banknote paper and were printed in the same colour and size  as the recently superseded paper banknotes. The paper used to produce these notes is of special historical interest.

In 1946, the then Commonwealth Bank had intended issuing a Five Shilling banknote (see note below). The paper was impregnated with special multi-coloured silk threads as an anti-counterfeiting device. When the decision was made not to go ahead with the Five Shilling note, NPA used the stored paper stock to produce this unique product. - UNQUOTE

The catalogue value for the set of 6 notes has crept up at the rate of $1.00 p.a. from about AUD$6.00 in 1994 to about AUD$20.00 now - so they are still not worth a fortune - but I believe that they are notable for the reasons quoted above. A recent Internet check has shown that they are selling for about AUS$4.60 each if quantities between 5 - 25 or more are purchased at one time. Refer: http://www.pomexport.com/index.html?Body=mission3.html

Could we call it an instance of 'slipping through the cracks'? If they haven'been found of late - keep an eye out for them, please ......... !

When Note Printing Australia entered the collector market in 1989, its first product was a vignette print of the reverse of the 1946 Five Shilling banknote which was never issued for general circulation as originally planned. An undated depiction of the Australian Crown coin - minus date and renamed Five Shillings -  surrounded by scrollwork was incorporated in the original design of this unissued note. Like the Bank Training notes, NPA used the actual silk-fibre paper stock which was still in storage after 45 years, and the original printing plates were used to produce this unique product.

Approx 19,300 of the planned 20,000 production run were sold.

The issue price was AUD$20.00 - however, they had depreciated downwards to AUD$8.00 by 1990 but have since regained some ground and are currently listed at a catalogue value of about AUD$18.00

In 1990, NPA followed up with a Cook's Landing reverse vignette print similar to the George V One Pound banknote issued between 1923 to 1933..

Approx 10,000 were sold at AUD$20.00 each, and, like the 5/- note vignette they depreciated until 1998 but have now regained their ground.and have a CV of about AUD$20.00  Both vignette prints were impressed into the numbered silk-fibre paper sheets that also gave a brief history of the note.

As far as I can see, the Five Shilling nor One Pound (£1) Vignette print were listed - but not illustrated - in 'Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values' since they were produced. There is no mention of the Bank Training Notes produced on the same paper.

1937 King George VI .925 Silver Crown (Actual size 38.5mm Weight 28.27g)

CoinWeb Illustration of Five Shilling Vignette print (on silk-fibre paper) featuring the Crown

1927 Riddle/Heathershaw One Pound note reverse depicting Captain Cook's landing - same scene as on the One Pound Vignette print.

The gradual disappearance of 'not important' information reminds me of what happened to the sections on 'Die Varieties and Mint errors' that were a feature of the early Renniks catalogue - the only substantial one of its kind back in the last days of Imperial coinage.

Once these items were omitted during the 1980's, collectors stopped searching for, and noting, these sorts of things until the late Mostyn Byrnes fanned the tiny flame and got  interest ignited once more.The old catalogues came out of the cupboards, new ones were compiled and became sought after because of the information and illustrations they contained - but, for some newcomers, it meant virtually starting from scratch with a new hobby topic. This area of the hobby is now thriving once more. but - as I said - it's easy for other little things to 'fall through the cracks' if we are not alert and raise our voices occasionally. It may not seem all that earth-shattering  to us who are the current custodians of the hobby - but one day, we will need to pass over the keys to the next generation - with a complete inventory of what we know.

As we get more tied up with numbers, numbers, and more numbers in everyday life, we sometimes forget that under the numbers on our coinage are representations of our unique Australian  fauna  - animals that are found nowhere else on earth.

Let's remember a few  - the Feather-tail Glider; the Frilled Lizard; the Echidna or Spiny ant-eater; the Lyrebird; the Platypus - and, of course, the best known iconic pair of them all - the Red Kangaroo and the Australian Emu.

These animals - and a bird - are so special to us that we chose them to be depicted on our first decimal coins that were issued in 1966.

Due to the fact we have so many to choose from, there have been a few more icons added to the list since then - but let's start at the beginning and learn a little bit about each of them. (Pictures not to scale).

Australian 6 piece decimal coinage range similar to that issued in 1966

The Bronze One and Two Cent coins have now been consigned to history.

The Feather-tail glider is basically a gliding marsupial - a possum, that has a loose skin flap running down each side of its body between the front and back legs and the ability to use the feather-like fur on its tail  to trap air and give itself some direction, like a aeroplane's tail rudder, as it jumps and glides from tree to tree..The Glider is often called a 'flying sqirrel' or 'flying mouse' due to its diminutive size. It was appropriate that this animal would feature on our smallest sized bronze coin.- the One Cent.

The Frilled Lizard looks to be a very fierce creature indeed. They are part of the Dragon species of lizards and are found only in Australia's northern areas. Full grown they can be up to a metre long - mostly tail -  but when aroused or cornered it spreads out its vividly coloured neck frill like an umbrella to make itself look even bigger, and it stands on its back legs for height and puts on a fierce display of open-mouthed hissing. It can run fairly fast in an upright two-legged gait - but it's usually in the other direction as they are relatively harmless. The impressive display is usually all  puff designed to give its tormentors just enough doubt so that it can escape to the nearest tree. He might fool predators - but he still ended up stuck on the Two Cent coin.

A 'Mouse' Glider - and a Frilled Lizard (these little dragons turn a lot darker in colour depending on the threat)

The Echidna (or Spiny Ant-eater) is another fierce looking creature with an arsenal of thick needle sharp spines. It might look like a shorter spined Porcupine - but it is not related - the female is an egg-laying ground-hugging mammal with special suckling facilities built into a pouch for its young

With its acute hearing and sense of smell the Echidna is alerted fairly early if a threat is on the way, and it rolls itself into a tight defensive spiked ball to protect itself. It is an excellent - and super quick - burrower into soft soil..  Echidnas are not agressive, but they are usually quite determined to keep going in the direction they have chosen. They have a sticky long-tongue suitable for breaching small gaps to pick out morsels like termites and ants. Echidnas, which usually only grow to be about 30 - 40 centimetres in length, are only found in Australia and New Guinea, but they are capable of living in all sorts of habitats in those countries.. One has rolled itself into a ball and  features on Australia's lowest value Copper-Nickel coin - the Five Cent.

The Lyrebird - the name is very descriptive as the male of these mound-building birds has largish tail feathers that, when extended like a peacock, have the appearance of an old-fashioned Lyre.These song-birds are excellent mimics and use the calls of other birds, or other familiar noises, as part of their own calling routines. It is a relatively small-bodied bird - about a small chicken size - and it is normally very elusive and shy and it tends to inhabit thick forest areas where it will scratch out a small clearing for itself and its mate.They  have been known to get cautiously aggressive if threatened in their defined nest mound area particularly during the egg-laying season. The extended tail is flaired, thrust forward over the bird's body and vibrated during a courtship dance ritual  that takes place on the mound in an effort to woo a hen- look at how delicate it is as shown on the copper-Nickel Ten Cent coin.

Australia's 30 - 40 cm long Echidna - and a courtship mound-building Lyrebird (not to scale)

The Platypus (or Duck-billed platypus) is a marvellous mixture of things that seems to work. It is a unique egg-laying suckling mammal like the Echidna, it has webbed feet and a bill like a duck, fur and a tail somewhat like a beaver, and can swim as fast as a seal - but it can become waterlogged and drown..

It also has a poison spur on its back legs for self-defence - which is effective and can be extremely painful .The platypus is a small shy burrowing animal about the size of a small fat cat with short legs and it lives on grubs and worms that it obtains along freshwater riverbanks and creeks.  The Copper-Nickel Twent Cent coin was large enough to show the platypus in graceful motion through water.

The Kangaroo and Emu make up part of Australia's Coat-of-Arms so it was only natural the these symbols should grace the 1966  .800 Silver 50 Cent. 

Unfortunately, the upwards spiralling price of Silver at the time saw the rapid demise of the original coin, which was  replaced in 1969  by an ugly and heavy 12 sided Copper-Nickel coin - however, the same icons were chosen once more to persuade us things were still the same, but the disappearance of our only silver coin was a bit of a low blow to a nation that had always had silver amongst its coinage.

Top - Duck-billed Platypus swimming.

Bottom- Emus drinking -  male Red Kangaroo grazing.

In 1984 and 1988 respectively, the introduction of an One Dollar and Two Dollar coin occured to replace paper notes of the same denomination. The coins were produced in an Aluminium-Bronze alloy, in the ratio of 92% Copper, 6% Aluminium and 2% Nickel, to give them a 'gold' appearance and they were slightly thicker than other coins of similar size within the range.  Interrupted edge reeding was incorporated to aid identification by the visually impaired.

The One Dollar featured a group of 5 Kangaroos in various stages of movement, while the Two Dollar featured the bust of an Australian Aboriginal elder.

The $1.00 coin is now used, extensively, as a one year only commemoratively issue and the last known release of the Kangaroos reverse was in 2001.

Since 1995, the normal 20Cent coin has also been used on occasion as a commemorative coin - the main period when native animals and Flora were used was during the Anniversary of Federation 2001 when individual states held a competition amongst school-children for a suitable design. A total of 4 design incorporated animals; Queensland had a lizard; Norther Territory had Dancing Brolgas;Western Australia featured the Numbat and Tasmania choose their (believed extinct) Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) - a largish striped marsupial dog-like creature 5 - 6 feet long with a stiff tail and an amazing hinged mouth that could open very wide to secure its prey.. Refer: http://members.aol.com/tigertrail/tasmanin.htm

Tasmanian Tiger with open mouth - picture taken 1933

Copper-Nickel 2000 'Tasmanian Tiger' Australian Centenary of Federation 20 Cent coin (Actual size 28.52mm)

Aluminium-Bronze alloy Australian $1.00 and $2.00 coins

$1.00 specifications: Weight 9g - Dia. 25mm

$2.00  specifications: Weight 6.60g - Dia. 20.62mm

SPECIAL AUSTRALIAN BIRDS AND ANIMALS ON THOSE COINS THAT DON'T GET INTO OUR POCKETS

For those readers who think that our Australian coins are just the 6 that we see in circulation today, the term Non Circulating legal Tender (NCLT) needs an explanation. The interest in coin collecting has grown so great that it has created a special market that the Royal Australian Mint (RAM) now caters for.

Coinage made from precious metals such as Gold, Silver and Copper have been sought after throughout history.They were used as a special way of celebrating a special event, to extend the visible power of a potentate or advertise the wealth of a nation.  More lately they have been joined by Platinum and Palladium at the top of the range..

Precious metals, through their very nature, tend to be accumulated and become scarcer - therefore more valuable. Coins of many nations are no longer made from these precious commodities but are more often produced from base metals or alloys that give the average day-to-day coinage long-lasting wear advantages and, preferably, cost  a fair bit less than face value.

A decision was made by RAM back in the early 1980's to market precious metal coins with nominal face values - but at premium cost prices. These special release coins appealed to numismatists who were prepared to pay the high prices to get an instrinsic coin or two into their collections - however, some later regretted their decisions especially if they thought they had bought a good bullion investment.

Precious metals are like any other commodity - the price can rise - but it can also fall, dramatically at times. Both Gold and Silver have moved either way.

However, the precedent was set, and, after some rationalisation of production runs and revised price structuring, the RAM has continued to produce beautifully-made precious metal coins that do not go into circulation but are designed to go into numismatic collections and investment portfolios.

Many of these NCLT coins also bear witness to our diverse and unique birds and animals -including other versions of those few fauna species mentioned above - but, there are many others that are also iconic to Australia and a small selection is shown below.

Several Specimen quality 1990's 1 oz. .999 Silver Kookaburra coins (approx. 41mm) - Nominal value $1.00 -  Issue Price $15.00

The Laughing Kookaburra is a largish bird that is capable of catching snakes, lizards, insects, and other small rodents or animals and it eats them whole. The bird shown in the illustration is devouring a mildly-venomous Red-bellied snake which grow to about a metre in length.

It has a raucous cackling call that resembles a mad laugh - hence the name. There are two sub-varieties of the single Kingfisher species in Australia.

Top - Laughing Kookaburra (sometimes refered to as a 'jackass') - one of the two sub-varieties of Australian Kingfisher species.

Middle- Black Palm Cockatoo; Tasmanian Devil

Bottom - Koala; Male Cassowary with one of his chicks (the male cares for the eggs and chicks for about 9 months)

PLEASE NOTE

I would suppose that most people would recognise the pictures of Australia's biggest marsupial and the second biggest flightless bird in the world, the Kangaroo and the Emu - but, be aware - whilst these are not predatory animals, they are not domesticated pets either, and are classified as wild when in an outside environment.  Both can be very aggressive - and very dangerous - if startled, cornered or annoyed. They normally flee if they can - but, if not, their natural instinct is to use their powerful clawed kicking legs - and Emus have an awesome pecking beak, as well, on the end of that long far-reaching neck.

The male Red Kangaroo, for instance, has been known to grow to over 2. 25 metres tall and weigh up to 75 kgs - that's nearly 7' 6" tall and about 165 lbs - and when it sits back on its powerful tail, which acts as a balance, it can grab and hold with its forearms and kick upwards with both feet, simultaneously, and produce an awful effect. Those muscular legs have been known to propel the animal, for a measured hop of  12.8 metres - 42 feet - so you can imagine the power of a double-legged kick to the mid-section with its long central toes - which can have a 40 - 60 mm (average 2 inch) claw shaped toe-nail.

Never turn your back on this type of Kangaroo after a confrontation as it will even knock you down with its forearms and fists.

The 'boxing kangaroo' is not just cartoon fiction.

Even the grey kangaroos (shown here) or even the smaller bush wallabies - which can make interesting 'pets' in a proper environment - can actually lean back on their tails and lash out with both feet and use their long nailed toes to inflict a terribly serious injury or worse, particulary to a child or a small statured person, if they are pestered or frightened.

The partly obscured male Grey Kangaroo in this picture is balanced on its tail,and its legs have lifted and it has kicked out at the other male animal that has its back to the camera.

The tallest Kangaroo is always the 'psychologically' dominant animal and has the best chance of driving away its rivals without a lot of trouble.

With its thick fur and leather-like skin, most male Kangaroosdo survive 'full on' fights between each other during the mating season but they can, and do, sustain nasty injuries that can leave them vunerable to other dangers such as Australia's wild dogs, the Dingos.

It's not only Australia's poisonous snakes and spiders or its Crocodiles or stinging, biting insects that can make life miserable for the naive.

Do not become careless or let young children cuddle or approach any Australian native birds or animals that are not enclosed or under supervision -  no matter how harmless they appear. Wild Australia is a very dangerous place indeed - for you, and also for the endangered or small and fragile species

The Black (Palm) Cockatoo shown above is a big bird that can bend fencing wire with its massive beak - it has also been known to shear off the fingers of careless handlers. The small dog-sized snarling Tasmanian Devil - which is normally a scavenger - has powerful  jaws that can easily crush most bones - and even the cuddly Koala has tree-gripping claws that can accidently dig in and rip the unwary - and, although they never drink, they also can urinate a foul smelling connoction, produced from the gum-leaves that they consume, as a defence.

The 'Bone' on top of the male cassowary's head is used to knock aside small trees as it runs through the dark rain forests of Queensland - they can be very dangerous during mating season - or if threatened - as they tend to run through, not around, things - even motor cars. They also have powerful kicking legs with dagger-like toe-nails..The average female is heavier and taller than the male and she grows to about 1.75 metres and weighs about 60 kgs - she is drab-coloured compared to the male with his striking head display. Cassowaries are curious enough to get into serious trouble - and they really love bananas, which doesn't make them friends of the fruit growers.

They are becoming used to humans - especially if they start to be fed in the nationaal park areas..

Some international tourists put themselves at great risk because they ignore - or are not warned by tour operators - that these birds are wild and can become demanding and dangerous when food is produced.

Main References

'Living Australia' series  - Vol.1 - 7 ( Issues 6, 12, 15, 22, 34, 43 and 90) - published by Bay Books Pty.Ltd.

The Australian Wildlife Year - published by Reader's Digest 1989.

The prairies of the United States of America are well-known in song and by the written word - but where and what are they?

The reason this trivia question arose was because of a state quarter series coin for North Dakota, that featured two Bison on the reverse, arrived in the post - courtesy of my friend and long-time collaborator,T.N.S. member, Jerry Adams.

My 9 y.o. grandson is a budding numismatist and, when he saw it, he mentioned that I had other coins with 'that sort of animal on it'.

He was quite right, of course - and he has a few buffalos in his own collection of U.S. coins.

During the course of my explanation I used the word 'prairie' - and was immediately asked - 'what is a prairie?'   Well - what and where are the 'prairies'?

The most accepted definition of the word 'prairie' is as follows:

 'An extensive area of flat or rolling, predominately treeless grassland, especially the large tract or plain of central north America'

The word 'praierie' came from the French explorers, who first sighted some of this area, and it meant 'meadow'

Lets first start with the animals and the numismatics - and work from there.

The American Bison - or Buffalo (as it is probably better known as) has been featured on at least one coin in the U.S. circulation coinage for many years. The first - and probably the most impressive - was the 1913 - 1938 Indian Head (obverse) and Buffalo Type (reverse) Nickel 5 Cents designed by James Earle Fraser. There is an excellent article, well worth the read, by Jerry Adams in our Internet Edition newsletter of December 2002, that explains in some detail the history of both this coin and its symbolism - plus a lot more. Refer: http://www.vision.net.au/~pwood/dec2002.htm

Over the last 150 years, since the great slaughters for their hides, the Bison herds of America have tottered back from extinction, mainly through the efforts of those who wanted to preserve this powerful reminder of natural America.

Due to their own migrating nature, Bison do not recognise borders or nationalities - so, with the assistance of a co-operative Canadian wild-life service - the U.S. was able to obtain additional animals and build up its gene pool to ensure the viabilty of the species to the point that they could become self- sustaining once more.

The following extract is from the U.S. Mint homepage featuring the North Dakota coin:

"President Theodore Roosevelt founded the United States Forest Service and signed the Antiquities Act in 1906, which was designed to preserve and protect unspoiled places such as his beloved North Dakota Badlands, now known as Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Herds of American Bison thundered across the Badlands through the 1860s. The park is now home to more than 400 wild buffalo, an animal once on the brink of extinction."  -  Refer: http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/states/index.cfm?flash=yes&state=ND

Buffalo grazing on the prairie.

2006D -Denver Mint - North Dakota Quarter Dollar.

1913 Indian Head/Buffalo Nickel 5 Cents (No mintmark - Philadelphia mint)

Another silver commemorative coin, featuring a Buffalo (design by U.S. Mint sculptor-engraver James Ferrell), was the 1991 Mount Rushmore Golden Anniversary Half Dollar (including Proofs - the quantity released was only  926,011)  - strictly speaking, this was not a circulating 'in the pocket' issue.

1991  Mount Rushmore 50th. Anniversary Silver Half Dollar

Main References:

U.S. Mint and other sources as acknowledged.

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