Name/TitleCollection of 12 SHIPWRECK coins from the ships BATAVIA, GILT DRAGON, DODINGTON, DUNBAR, ADMIRAL GARDENER, and the LIESDE
About this objectShipwreck coins. Collection of 12 SHIPWRECK coins from the ships BATAVIA, GILT DRAGON, DODINGTON, DUNBAR, ADMIRAL GARDENER, and LIESDE, carded and framed so that the coins can be viewed from both sides.
Includes;
BATAVIA; Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1619 silver thaler;
GILT DRAGON; Spain 1628 2 real & Mexico 1650 4 real cob
LIESDE wrecked in the Shetlands, 1711, Netherlands; 1657 ducatone
DODINGTON; Spain 1748 8 reales
ADMIRAL GARDENER; two UK "Cash" trade coins 1808
DUNBAR; 1855 ½ Sovereign, and 6 other.
Ships from Europe for East Indies used wind of the Roaring Forties to cross the Indian Ocean from Cape of Good Hope before turning north. Poor navigation aids caused 3000 wrecks on Australian coastlines. The shipwreck site of GILT DRAGON was found in the 1950s but the discovery was kept a secret for ten years to avoid plundering. The Maritime Archaeology Department from the Western Australian Museum excavated the site and artefacts were placed on display to illustrate Perth historic wrecks but released some relics to private collectors.
BATAVIA was the flagship of the Dutch East India Company. In 1629 whilst enroute to Java it struck the Morning Reef off Beacon Island on the Western Australian Coast and sunk. The tale of the survivors of the wreck is legendary with many of the passengers and crew being murdered by mutineers. In 1972-76 the site was excavated by the Maritime Archaeology Department from the Western Australian Museum and now forms the basis of the display at the Western Australian Maritime Museum.
Coins are typically waterworn from their lengthy immersion. Each coin is accompanied by the Official Western Australian Museum Certificate.
Germany: Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1619 Silver Thaler. The famous Wildman Thaler. Good detail.
Built in 1653 by the Amsterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), Vergulde Draeck (GILT DRAGON) was a 42-metre, 260-tonne, 'Jacht'. In 1656, on only its second voyage, GILT DRAGON set sail for the VOC's spice-trading headquarters at Batavia (Jakarta). However due to the difficulties of 17th century navigation, the ship accidentally sailed too far east and found itself off the coast of a massive and largely unknown land. On the night of the 28th of April 1656, GILT DRAGON struck a submerged reef midway between what are now the coastal towns of Seabird and Ledge Point, Western Australia.
LIESDE, a Dutch East Indiaman frigate approximately 500 tons and 160ft long, was lost with almost all hands in a storm off the Shetlands in November 1711. She was thought to be carrying 32 guns as well as merchandise from the east and a crew of 300. She was built in the Netherlands in 1698 and wrecked on her fourth homeward voyage.
Faced with the challenge of driving the French from India Robert Clive booked a passage on the East Indiaman DODINGTON in 1755. At the last moment he switched ship but left the major portion of his wealth on the ship.
Amongst DODINGTON's cargo was 36,000 Ounces of Silver in the form of Pieces of 8.
The ship stuck Bird Island off Port Elizabeth and it was not until two centuries later that divers discovered the wreck. The work was perilous as it was jealously protected by great white sharks.
From this historic wreck are a selection of 8 Reales. All show substantial signs of their time submerged but are clearly datable with good design.
The English East India Company Ship, ADMIRAL GARDENER, was bound for India with a cargo of trading goods and a large consignment of coins for circulation in Madras. This ship however was wrecked on the Goodwin sands on the 24th January 1809.
On the night of Thursday 20 August 1857, the clipper DUNBAR approached the heads of Sydney Harbour after a voyage of 81 days from England. Launched in 1853, the vessel was owned by Duncan Dunbar, and was the sister ship of PHOEBE DUNBAR, DUNBAR CASTLE and DUNCAN DUNBAR. It was under the command of Captain Green and was on its second voyage to Sydney. Despite the treacherous weather conditions on the night, Captain Green and his crew attempted to enter Sydney Harbour that evening, rather than wait until morning. The ship struck the cliffs just south of South Head and all on board, except for one man, perished.
Date MadeVarious - from 17th-19th centuries
Period18th century
Medium and MaterialsMetal - various
Object TypeCurrency and Shares
Object numberSF001073
Copyright Licence
Attribution - Non-commercial - No Derivatives (cc)
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The mug is decorated with an underglaze and a blue transfer print. On the body, it is titled ‘Emigrants to Australia’. This type of body and glaze was discontinued by 1840. Comparison of the handle shape and the profile of the foot, point to the attribution of manufacture by the Davenport Factory.
Delta was a ship-rigged vessel with two decks and three masts. It was built in Dordrecht, Netherlands in 1839 at the shipyard of Jan Schouten and registered in the same port. Its hull was constructed of oak and sheathed in ‘yellow metal’. Delta was owned by H. van der Sande at the time of its loss and was engaged as a cargo trader.
The Delta carried 29 crew and passengers, while sailing from Melbourne to Batavia in ballast when wrecked at Kenn Reefs on 30 May 1854 whilst under the command of Captain J.G. Kunst. This vessel loss supports the pattern of shipwrecks located on a well-travelled shipping route that was poorly charted until the mid-nineteenth century. The crew of the Delta could see four other shipwrecks at Kenn Reefs at the time of their vessel’s loss.
Important image of a ship associated with Matthew Flinders, that would shortly become one of the most famous early shipwrecks in eastern Australian waters. This is a fine ship’s portrait, by one of the great exponents of the art