Frank Cobb founded his business in West Street , Sheffield in 1903. The firm specialised in plated goods, but also registered marks for silver with Sheffield Assay Office in 1903, 1905 and 1907. The firm grew steadily and aquired Boardman, Glossop & Co in 1923. By 1927 the workforce numbered 250. The manufacture of stainless steel table knives helped the firm expand further in the 1930s, moving to Howard Works in Broad Street in 1933. Records at Sheffield Assay Office indicate that Frank Cobb registered the firm's mark 'FC' on the 15th November 1934. The Frank Cobb Group of companies continued in business well beyond the death of Cobb himself in 1957, eventually being liquidated in 1986. This Stainless steel knife with a bone handle is typical of the cutlery used by early settlers in Moorabbin shire c1930A stainless steel table knife with a bone handle used for the main course of a mealFRANK COBB & C0. / CUTLERS SHEFFIELD / FIRTH'S STAINLESScutlery, stainless steel, frank cobb & co sheffield, england, early settlers, market gardeners, moorabbin, cheltenham, bentleigh,

Patterned blue hard cover, black binding on spine. On front cover, stamped on on white label ' Monument Hill Consolidated Mine' . Gold book contains entries from 15th February 1919 to 29th August 1934. Gold Book forms part of the Margaret Roberts Mining Collection.bendigo, margaret roberts, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet, assayed, melted, gold, bank of victoria bendigo, monument hill gold mining co.

Staff Members of the Ballarat School of MinesA black and white photograph showing 18 men. Standing L-R: S.B. Vial (Chemistry); W. Doepel (Clerk); Alfred E.C. Kerr (Mechanical Engineering); Arthur Garrard (Battery Manager); Henry Hall (Drawing); W. Kerr Grant (Mathematics); C.E. Campbell (Photography); J.M. Sutherland (Electricity); H.R. Murphy (Assayer); Charles A. Dean (Cyanide Works). Sitting: Daniel Walker (Chemistry); Thomas S. Hart (Mineralogy & Curator); Fred. J. Martell (Registrar); Alfred Mica Smith, Senior Professor (Chemistry, Metallurgy, etc); J.S. Dawburn (Engineering & Surveying); Dr J.F. Usher (Materia Medica). Seating (Front): P.A. Osborne (Assistant Assayer); Godfrey Hart (Museum). .2) is a framed copy of the photograph in a carved timber from from Peake's BallaratFramer's plate 'Peake's Ballarat' Framed mount 'The Ballarat School of Mines, Staff 1900'ballarat school of mines, alfred mica smith, daniel walker, thomas hart, s.b. vial, w doepel, alfred kerr, arthur garrard, henry hall, w kerr grant, ce campbell, john sutherland, hr murphy, charles dean, fred martel, j.s. dawburn, j.f. usher, p.a. osborne, godfrey hart, c.e. campbell, w. kerr grant, kerr grant

Blue 24 page catalogue from Frank Vial and Sons. Includes numerous line and photographic illustrations.non-fictionj.w. glover, john w. glover, mining, machine belts, link belting, belt fasteners, pulleys, leather hose, victoria crescent abbotsford, abbotsford

Watch worn by Ben Roachfort, passenger on the 'Admella', survived wreck of 'Admella' in 1859.Brass watch with ivory face, in a hallmarked sterling silver pair case. Hallmarks: Assay mark - Lion passant - Sterling silver. 925 purity. Town mark - London (uncrowned leopard's head). Date mark - 1832-1833. Makers mark - HD (unknown silversmith) Pocket watch measures diameter 5 cm x depth 1.7cmFront: Movement is marked "SLOW FAST".admella

Green hard cover book, one page only has entries. Written inside front cover in grey pencil ' New Don No Liability' Entries relate to 1933, and 1934 showing tons, weight advanced upon, amount of advance, weight after melting, fineness ( bank charge written in pen ) eq standard weight, value, balance of assay.gold, mining, new don mine

Patterned blue hard cover, black binding on spine. New Oswald Gold Mining Co. Gold Book. Entries date from November 28th. 1924 to 29th June 1929. Gold Book forms part of the Margaret Roberts Mining Collection. Entries include gold entries from the battery, tributors and cyanide. Affixed inside front cover, documents: 1. Bank of New South Wales, Maldon. Pale blue bank forms. Records of money paid for gold advances. Signed by Geo Kingsley. 2 New Oswald Gold Mining Co., with Bank of New South Wales, Maldon, gold advances, tributors. 3. Royal Mint gold records paid in. bendigo, margaret roberts, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet, assayed, melted, gold, bank of new south wales, maldon, new oswald gold mine

Three Ballarat School of Mines certificate made out to William Corbould. All have the seal of the Ballarat School of Mines is attached, and are signed by Andrew Berry, James Oddie, and William Thomas Henry Corbould. .1) Theoretical and Practical Assaying. Also signed by William Stawell (President) .2) Certificate of Competency in Organic Chemistry Practical Tests .3) Chemistry, first stage, 1884 james oddie, andrew berry, william corbould, ballarat school of mines, chemistry, certificate

Vesta cases, also known as match safes, are small boxes that are used to carry matches and keep them safe from the elements. In the early 1800's, it was common to carry matches, since some type of portable fire was needed to light lanterns and stoves. The matches of that day were crude compared to today's standards, and were known to light when making contact with each other, and sometimes even spontaneously. In order to alleviate this potentially hazardous situation, it made good sense to utilize a vesta case or match safe. One of the more interesting features of the vesta case or match safes is that they almost always include some type of rough or ribbed surface, usually on the bottom of the case that is used for striking the matches. This vesta case is the portable pocket vesta which also has a bale (ring) near the hinge so that they can be suspended from a chain. These cases take their name from the virgin Roman goddess of fire, home, hearth and family. Usually Vesta was depicted as the fire in her temple. Only Vestals (her priestesses) were allowed into her temple. Her association with fire made her name the natural choice for British companies that manufactured matches. The hallmarking of sterling silver is based on a combination of marks that makes possible the identification of origin and age. The town mark identifies the Assay Office where the item was verified. The town mark on this piece, three wheat sheaves and a sword identify Chester, in Cheshire, England as the town of creation. The lion passant guardant certifies the silver quality, as between 925 and 1000. The maker's mark, identifying the silversmith presenting the piece to the assay office is W.N. for William Neale. The date letter identifies the year the piece was verified, this case being verified in 1903. William Neale and Sons was a firm was established by William Neale in 1850 in Birmingham. His mark was entered at the Birmingham assay office in April 1862 and in the Chester assay office in September 1882. The social history objects held in the Burke Museum's collection help to tell the stories of Beechworth's past by showing the social, cultural, and economic aspects of the town's history.A silver vesta case with a ribbed strike plate at the end, a ring to attach the case to a chain and a cover that can be pushed up to open. W.N/ lion symbol/ Three Sheaves of Wheat and Sword/ C/ [hallmarks] A01169/silver, silversmith, burke museum, england, fire, vesta, william neale

Hardcover blue/cream book, black spine. On sticker on front 'Central Nell Gwynne Consolidated Company Gold Book' First 3 pages held together by paper clip, dated 1922, on top of page, North Blue Consolidated Co. Entries relate to bullion, weight advanced upon , amount of advance, weight after melting, value, balance of assay. . Following pages date commences 1933, July 28 entry 'Coy North shaft, weight advanced upon, amount of advance, weight after melting, fineness (mint and bank charges written in pen ) Eq standard weight, value, balance of assay. Monthly entries continue until March 1942. Blue bank deposit slip dated 13 June 1941, for 1628/8/- for Central Nell Gwynne, equates to entry in bullion book of that date. Inside front cover: slips of paper with handwritten equations.gold, mining, nell gwynne north blue consolidated

William Henry Corbould was born on 4 November 1866 at Ballarat and educated at the Ballarat School of Mines. He began work as assayer and chemist at the Central Mine, Broken Hill but, from around 1891, spent several years in the United States, Europe and South Africa. He was foundation member of the Western Australian Chamber of Mines in 1895 while working as manager of Hannan's Reward at Kalgoorlie. Portrait of male with moustache, wearing a tie and jacket. He is William Thomas Henry Corbould.corbould, mining, ballarat school of mines, mining alumni

Mayor Harkness is best known for abolishing liquor from the Town Hall and replacing the Mayor's Ball with a Monster Sunday School Picnic for children which took place in Ravenswood in 1883 and was attended by 15,000 people. Abraham Harkness arrived in Victoria in 1857 aged 28. He was initially successful in his search for gold and after a return trip to England in 1862 returned to Bendigo where he opened a general store and then a foundry manufacturing mining machinery. He stood for council from in 1880 and was elected a further eight times over the next twenty years. Cr Harkness served as Mayor in 1882, 1897 and 1898. His son Andrew became Mayor in 1908-09. Abraham Harkness married Jane Elizabeth Noble in Bendigo in1864 and together they had six sons and five daughters. Abraham died in 1912 and Jane in 1927. This elegant silver service was gifted to Mrs Harkness by her husband the Mayor in remembrance of the event and then gifted back to the City.Four piece Victorian tea and coffee silver service consisting of tall coffee pot, tea pot, two handled covered sugar basin and covered cream jug. Oval, chamfered shaped base tapering at top. Bodies are decorated with foliate decoration and central finial entwined with cartouche which holds either the Bendigo Coat of Arms, or the entwined initials J E H except the large coffee pot which has engraved dedication to Mayoress Harkness instead of the Coat of Arms. Insulated handles on pots. 0432.1 Coffee pot 0432.2 Teapot 0432.3 Sugar Pot 0432.4 Cream Jug Stamped back top left of each part and inside lids - Makers Mark: Martin, Hall & Co (Richard Martin & Ebenezer Hall). Hallmarks; (Lion) sterling silver, (Panther head) London Assay Office, (Women's head in left profile) duty paid, (A)1876 on coffee pot, (G) 1882 on other three pieces.mayor harkness, mayoress harness

black and white copy: Bank of Australasia building, corner of Pall Mall and Williamson St., Photographer's handcart in picture. Two storey brick building, arched windows to ground floor, rectangular windows above. Above corner doorway is a coat of arms, similar in shape to present City of Melbourne coats of arms. In image on verandah ' J. Holdsworth./Chemist ' Bank of Australasia/ House, Assay office. On back in grey lead '10'Batchelderbuildings, bank, bank of australasia

A pair of scales or dishes in which objects to be weighed and the weights / masses against which to weigh them are placed is an "Apparatus for weighing. The pan, or each of the pans, of a balance." Its parts include a fulcrum, a beam that balances on it, two pans at the ends of the beam to hold the materials to be weighed, and counter-balancing weights. Gottingen made fine precision scientific scales for use by assayers, jewellers, chemists, gold buyers rtc. A 2 pan analytical, scientific or pharmaceutical beam balance scale made in Gottingen Germany c 1880. These scales are encased in a mahogany framed glass cabinet and Graded 0 -9 9-0D.R.PATENT / GOTTINGER PRAZISIONSWAGENFABRIK G.m.b.H. / GOTTINGEN On upright V over GPW scales, balance, precision measures, gold, pharmacy, precious metals, jewellery, gottingen germany, sartorious f, moorabin, bentleigh, cheltenham, early settlers, gold miners, pioneers, market gardeners, ballarat, bendigo, imperial measure, troy weight

Manilla Folder Held together with brass pins containing Assay Certificates from S. R. Mitchell & Co. Pty Ltd. The Majority of them are for L. C. Stuckey Esq. 199 Barker Street Castlemaine and a few of them are for Sir Herbert Gepp 422 Collins Street Melbourne. Also contains a list os samples taken from Reefs near the Devonshire Mines Castlemaine. The Dates range from 1935 to 1937.S. R. Mitchell & Co., Pty, Ltd. Metallurgists. 399 Little Colins Street, Melbourne.gold, mining, metallurgists, gold mining, castlemaine, s.r. mitchell, l.c. stuckey, sir herbert gepp

Francis Alexander McFarlane Born: 5 Sep 1878 Maldon, Mount Alexander Shire, Victoria, Australia. The 6th child (5th Son) of 10 children born to John James McFarlane and Jane Matthews. Died: 19 May 1962 Coburg East, Merri-bek City, Victoria, Australia. Francis married Margaret Ada Tobin in 1904 in Maldon, Mount Alexander Shire, Victoria, Australia. McFarlane worked extensively in the mining industry. According to electoral rolls McFarlane lived in Maldon from 1903 to 1927. During this time, he worked as a "cyanider" (using cyanide to separate gold from the ore) from 1903 to 1909. By 1912 he had listed his occupation as an assayer. By 1927, he listed his occupation as a metallurgist. By 1931, he was working as a metallurgist in Coburg before moving to Bendigo sometime in or prior to 1936, where he listed his occupation as "assayer". He appears as a postal worker in Coburg in 1949. He was still in Coburg in 1952 but does not have an occupation listed.This 10-page book (including cover) is the status of account for Mr. FA McFarlane from the opening of the account on 25 March 1936 to 4 Dec 1937. The account was held by the Commercial Bank of Australia. The book has a cardboard cover covered in navy blue fabric. The pages are made of thick paper, each containing tables for the purpose of tracking the accounts balance. The cover has a label stuck to the front with Mr. McFarlane's name written on it. The account book is full, with every page showing transactions. Each entry was made with either a stamp or an ink pen. The Bank book contains the Bendigo Historical Society identifier number. Otherwise, everything handwritten is associated with the financial record.commercial bank of australia, mr. f.a. mcfarlane, francis alexander mcfarlane, 1930s, finance, bendigo, mining, gold mining

500 of these books were printed, and many were used in the field, making good copies very rare. A simple but detailed account of the process written especially for the working miner and the small syndicate, the Quintessential Australian gold Mining book.Orange, hard, cloth covered b270 page book with brown dust jacket. Chapters include sampling sand and slime dumps; treating sand; aeration; treatment of slime; smelting; solution testing; cyanide solution; air- slaked lime; cyanding in Queensland; copper troubles; treatment of concentrates; amalgamations; assaying; floatation; chemistry; testing for minerals. Includes photographic reproductions of a cyanide plant for sand; aeration tower; mixer tank; Eleanora cyaniding plant; mining, gold, cyanide, cyaniding, leaching, smelting, slimes

Henry Louis, M.A. was an Associate of the Royal School of miens, Fellow of the Geological Society; Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain; Member of the Institution of Mining Engineers; Member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and Professor of Mining in the Durham College of Science. Green hardcovered book of 599 pages including index and illustrations. Contents include: Mode of occurance of gold; physical and chemical properties of gold; physical and chemical properties of mercury; Primitive Methods or ore-breaking; The stamp; Hoisting gear; Water Supply; Ore-Feeders; Crushing Machinery; amalgamation; concentration; Spitzkasten; Amalgam; Milling; Cam Curve; sampling and assaying; horse-power developed by fall of water; value of gold according to its fineness; conversionInside front cover in pencil "Rhys Brook"

The Ballarat School of Mines Model Mine was used to give practical experience to students, as well as to conduct assays for companies and individuals for a fee. The fee assisted in keeping the Ballarat School of Mines afloat in its first years. The Battery, or model mine, included a Stamper Battery, Wilfrey Tables and various pieces of equipment students would encounter in their workplace. Steam engines were used to operate the large pulleys depicted in the photograph which in turn ran the equipment.Interior view of the Battery in the Ballarat school of Mines Model Mine. ballarat school of mines battery, model mine, stamper battery, steam, pulley, ballarat school of mines, battery house

This unique postage stamp container, fashioned as a postal letter is from an era 1800 to early 1900, when items with no real bravado of wealth, were produced to satisfy the basic needs of their owners. A small yet "simple" postage stamp container made from silver would stand out but yet not that "vulgar". This was a period that flouting wealth was not done. This attitude changed when "old" wealth of property and titles moved to industrial and merchant "new" wealth merged.This item was introduced to the Kiewa Valley by a "genteel" woman who had come from "old" wealth in the "mother" country. In rural Australia such flashing of wealth or even "one up man ship" is frowned upon. The Kiewa Valley residents, in this time frame, would have reacted in a "true blue" manner. The significance of this item is that it highlights a time when the "Australian" heart was closely aligned to "mother Great Britain". These national bindings and self identity were only to last until World War II. The realisation of untying the national umbilical chord between Great Britain and Australia came when the United States of America provided its support and a closer bond developed. This container for postal stamps is fashioned as a letter. The lid(flap) is hinged to the main letter frame, allowing access to the contents (stamps). It is made of thin silver (sterling) with the silver markings on the inside of the flap. The folds on the opening flap side mirror the early dated letter envelope (glued on two sides, folded and glued on the third). The markings on the inside, clearly visible when the flap is open has the Assay Office Birmingham "anchor" stamped before the sterling silver "lion" mark. Stamped on inside flap "92" and "M" .Inside the letter facing the opener is the "Anchor" symbol and next to that the "Lion" symbolpostal stamp container, stamps, envelopes

Soft covered magazine of 16 pages. Articles include: Notes on Broken Hill III, Its Mines and Minerals (by W. J. Williams, Assayer Australian Metal Co. Ltd. Broken Hill), The Lake View Consols (by F. S. Earp), Neglected mineral fields - Euriowie and Warrata, A glimpse ahead, News and notes, Students Association, S.M.B. Melbourne excursion, Balance sheet School of Mines Concert in aid of soldiers statue fund, Football, Cricket, Editorial notices.broken hill, w. j. williams, metal co. ltd. broken hill, lake view consols, f. s. earp), euriowie, warrata, students association, school of mines concert in aid of soldiers statue fund, soldiers statue fund, e. l. ditchburn, prof. dawbarn, s. via, r. gordon todd, a. b. reid, o. e. jager, j. a. reid, c. s. wakley, h. g. giles, f. h. krause, ferdinand krause, g. mcintyre, e. trend, marriott, eeles, elder, r. t. vale, b. sawyer, marks, c. h. vale, a. gibson.

Black and white photo copy: image shows two-storey brick building, curved windows on lower storey, square on top Building is situated on corner of Williamson Street and Pall Mall. Written on extreme left hand side of building on single storey portion ' Bank of Australasia' below ' .. Assay Office' Men are standing on corner in front of building and on right hand side. J. Hold. Chemist & ' written on verandah of building on right hand side. Batchelder cart on RH side.Batchelderplace, building, bank of australasia, williamson st., bendigo, sandhurst, bank of australasia, williamson street, chemist

Black and white copy of original photo by Batchelder, taken in 1861. View point/Charing Cross, looking towards Forest St., View shows H. Joseph's Assay Office, Lunn's furniture warehouse., S.F. Bastard, Victoria House, draper and silk mercer, Langridge's View Point Hotel, Williamson wholesale butcher. A horse drawn wagon laden with timber in centre of photo. Batchdelder signature in bottom rh corner. Batchelder photos were commissioned by the Sandhurst Borough Council in 1861.Batchelderplace, streetscape, view point