Adelaide Assay Office

Lot 1240    SESSION 5 (7.30pm Tuesday 31st March)    Adelaide Assay Office

Estimate $2,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $1,600

A MALACHITE PAPERWEIGHT, cylindrical form, with gold bands, attached an old label which reads: "The Malachite is from the Burra Burra Mine, South Australia. The Gold Token is one of 22nd March 1862". In good condition and an interesting link with the 1852 Adelaide pound issue.

Ex Spink Australia Sale 17 (lot 1053) and Roy A. Dunstan Collection. The "Mr Fisher" alluded to on the label is probably Joseph Fisher (1834-1907), who arrived in South Australia from England in 1838. His farther opened a grocery in Hindley Street Adelaide, but died some three years later. Joseph visited the Victorian goldfields in 1852 and in 1853 became manager of the Observer and Register from which he retired in 1863. In 1868-1870 he represented Sturt in the House of Assembly and in 1873-81 sat in the Legislative Council. Amongst many other directorships he held a position on the board of the Bank of Adelaide. Upon his death he left one hundred pounds to the National Art Gallery and one thousand pounds to the University of Adelaide to provide for the Joseph Fisher Medal and every other year a lecture in commerce. (Aust. Dict. Biography, Vol 4 pp 172-173).