These six brass Victorian coat hooks were salvaged from the wreck of the Loch Ard, on the southwest coast of Victoria and donated by a friend of the diver. One of the coat hooks is still attached to a fragment of timber which suggests it was a fitting on the Loch Ard rather than cargo. It is not known if the other hooks were cargo or fittings. They are designed to be screwed into a wall to hang coats, hats or towels. Victorian brass coat hooks were mass produced in factories using the "Sand Casting" method, where molten brass (a copper and zinc alloy) was poured into sand molds to form the correct shape. Once the molten brass solidified, the sand mold was broken open and the rough hooks removed to be cleaned and sanded. Workers would use an early lathe and drill press to flatten the mounting plates and drill the screw holes. They were then polished with abrasive wheels to achieve a bright finish. The hooks are showing different degrees of green Patina and brown Copper Oxide which occurs when copper is exposed to air and water over long periods. it is generally harmless and acts as a protective shield against further decay. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1st March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrellas, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that were intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880 - a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. Ten days after the Loch Ard tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of Loch Ard still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some was washed up into what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced in 1976. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only seven in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today, the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register.Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Six Victorian brass coat hooks in varying degrees of damage and oxidation recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ard. All of the hooks are the same size and design (with two prongs of different lengths and four screw holes) but one of the hooks (8721.6) is still attached to a fragment of wood. Hook 8721.1 has a broken attachment plate on either side of the main shaft and most of them have varying degrees of green and brown oxidation.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, loch ard, wreck of the loch ard, loch ard artifacts, hooks, coat hooks, victorian coat hooks, salvage