A HISTORY OF CURRENCY IN THE BRITISH COLONIES. 2008.

Hard bound and with full colour illustrations.

Studying Australian numismatic items produced during the 19th centiry would be simple if there were but one book or reference work that covered each chapter of our colonial numismatic history in detail.

Unfortunately that isn't the case, so numismatists for many decades now have satisfied their craving for numismatic knowledge by building a body of secondary reference books that each yield a modest amount of vital information on each area. One of these secondary reference books may not yield enough information to satisfy a determined search for comprehensive detail on a particular topic, but they inevitably always several kernels of knowledge are simply unavailable elsewhere.

A History of the of Currency in the British Colonies, written by Robert Chalmers, is just one such title. Written by a British Lord in the employ of the British Treasury at the time this book was published in 1893, it provides as detailed a description of the circulating currency in each colony in the British Commonwealth as one would think could be gained by solely viewing the official records of the British Treasury.

Yes, rather than pass off his own opinions of the composition of the coinage of the British Commonwealthas fact, Chalmers instead chose solely "to start with the series of legislative enactments governing its currency, and to fill in this outline from official despatches".

This is where Chalmer's work exceeds many others in it's importance - it includes several key observations of the period leading up to the Adelaide Pounds being issues, as well as the period leading up to the establishment of the branches of the Royal Mint in Sydney and Melbourne.

Although it may not include a great deal of reading for the numismatist just beginning to explore Australia's numismatic history of the 19th century, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and useful resource for any numismatist looking to build a deeper understanding of the context of the evolution of coinage and currency in Australia.