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Lot 286
Description:
Printed by the Reserve Bank of Australia
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Exhibited:
- 396 Literature:
- Collectibles Medium:
- Coins, Monies & Stamps Circa:
- Paper Money, Australia & New Zealand Notes:
- In this Sale we are offering a unique collectable from the days when 'cash was king' which pairs the interests of banknote collectors with those fans of true crime. Those of us who are old enough will remember the 1970's, 80's and 90's as a period of rampant bank heists in Australia. Who can forget the notorious 'Mad Dog' Russel Cox breaking out of the Long Bay Gaol's Supermax Katingal Wing in 1977 and giving police 'the bird' as he embarked on a decade-long spate of robberies with his buddy Raymond John Denning who in Hollywood-style had broken out of Grafton Gaol hidden in a laundry basket. They both proved extremely elusive for the police but had no trouble finding each other via the underground telegraph. Or what of Brendan Abbot aka 'the Postcard Bandit' who reportedly taunted the police with 'catch-me-if-you-can' missives from the towns and cities whose banks he had just robbed. In those days, the public got its daily dose of news from two or three competing tabloids which needed captivating headlines to sell their morning and afternoon editions, which Cox, Denning and Abbot duly supplied. During a robbery it had been a long-standing practice for bank tellers to slip an ink bomb into the bag of cash before handing it over to the bandits, but with a gun levelled at you head not all 'bank johnnies' were so brave. When I first started trading in coins 'cash was king' and I was not unfamiliar with the tell-tale green ink splotches that sometimes appeared on notes used to pay for expensive purchases - but as the banks didn't seem to have a problem taking them in, then neither did I. I also saw plenty of notes being proffered as legal tender as long as they still had the two serial numbers required by the Reserve Bank even if most of the ink-stained fabric of the note had been torn away and replaced by strings of sticky tape. Back in the 'cowboy' days of the 70's, I was once tasked by my then boss to deposit bundles of 'void' twenty-dollar bills at the local branch of the Rural Bank which were quickly turned to confetti when the teller stupidly ran the fragile notes though a counting machine. Oh, the memories! Printed transistor circuits became more miniaturised in the 1970's leading to customized tracking devices being developed giving the 'wallopers' a more sophisticated means to track down the 'crooks.' Although bulky by today's standards the trackers sat nestled in a hollowed-out bundle of folded notes ready to be activated and thrown in with the contents of the holding safe when it was emptied for the thieves. In much the same way that you activate a modern button battery, the device began emitting a signal once you pulled on a yellow plastic tab that separated the wires of the circuit. But. it was certainly not like the GPS tracking of today as the devices only emitted a short-range signal from the small copper aerial that surrounded one cut out section. It evokes visions of the police criss-crossing the city in pursuit of the criminals in a van with an aerial atop much like those used by the British to detect people using unlicenced TV's. Very James Bond - albeit the Sean Connery version and not the Daniel Craig one. The notes surrounding the devices were printed by the Reserve Bank of Australia on stiff paper rather than regular banknote paper which wouldn't have been robust enough to contain the device, but it is s likely that the top and bottom end sections were wrapped with a genuine note to complete the disguise. You can't exactly pinpoint when the devices were made because although you can read John Stone's signature on the notes which places their manufacture sometime between 1979 and 1984 when he was the Secretary to the Treasury, the other co-signature of the Governor of the Reserve Bank is obscured and so could have been either 'Knight' who was in office from 1975 - 82 or 'Johnston' from 1982 - 89. It is also hard to determine how many of the devices were made because although you would think that there would be quite a few it's also possible they only got to the prototype stage. In my forty plus years in the coin and collectables business I have seen the odd cut-out banknote surround but I have only ever come across two complete devices offered for sale - one being a Twenty-Dollar Bundle and the other the Fifty Dollar Bundle pictured in this article which is uniquely identified by its tracking number 3560033 penned on the top section. It is certainly an intriguing hybrid collectable of the highest rarity. Condition:
- Centre fold
Accepted Forms of Payment:
American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Other, Paypal, Visa, Wire Transfer
Shipping
AUSTRALIA: Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $5.50 and will be sent by Registered Post. Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.
INTERNATIONAL: Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $20.00 and will be sent by Registered Post International. Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.
Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and require a signature on delivery.
10 November 2024 12:00 AEDT
Sydney, Australia
Smalls Auctions
You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.
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Bid Increments
| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| A$0 | A$249 | A$5 |
| A$250 | A$999 | A$10 |
| A$1,000 | A$4,999 | A$25 |
| A$5,000 | A$9,999 | A$50 |
| A$10,000 + | A$100 |