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Love Token - Plenty & Britannia, King George III, England, Great Britain, 1797
Reg. No: NU 44698
- Summary:
- Love token depicting a young woman (Plenty) with a bird on the obverse and the figure representing Britannia on the reverse. Made from a 1797 penny coin.
Love tokens were often commissioned by convicts before they were transported to Australia, as a memento for their loved ones. Itinerant engravers visited the prisons and hulks, finding a ready market for these tokens, which were made to order from smoothed-down coins.
Love tokens are evidence of the British Government?s attitude to law and order and treatment of indentured labourers in a strict Government ?Assignment System? which provided cheap labour for the expanding British empire during the 1700s and 1800s. - Description:
- Coin with original obverse of George III removed. Design shows a young woman holding scales and a possibly a wheel with a cornucopia under one arm, with a bird with outstretched wings. Decorative floral background. Reverse shows Britannia. The reverse is damaged in the centre.
- Acquisition Information:
- Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 1976
| Discipline: | Numismatics |
| Dimensions: | 35 mm (Diameter) |
| Weight: | 25.84 g (Weight) |
More information
| Tagged with: | families, immigration, immigrant voyages, settlement, convicts, travel, love tokens |
| Themes this item is part of: | Eugene von Guerard Collection, Eugene von Guerard, Artist (1811-1901), Numismatics & Philately Collection |
| On Display at: | Melbourne Museum |
| Primary Classification: | TOKENS |
| Secondary Classification: | Great Britain - England |
| Tertiary Classification: | love tokens |
| DateEra: | 1797 AD |
| Obverse Description: | Young woman (Plenty) holding scales and a wheel (?) with a cornucopia under one arm, with a bird with outstretched wings. Decorative floral background. |
| Reverse Description: | Britannia seated left holding branch and trident, ship on horizon at left. Text around rim 'BRITANNIA 1797', incuse on raised rim. |
| Shape: | round |
| Material: | Bronze |
| Issued By: | King George III, England, Great Britain, 1797 |
| Mint: | Soho (Mint), Birmingham, England, Great Britain, 1797 |
| Previous Collection: | Eugene von Guerard, pre 1880 |
Themes
This item is part of the following themes:
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