Visit to View the Coin Collection of the Art Galley of South Australia

purplepennyhunter · February 02, 2014, 07:48:57 PM

Art Gallery of South Australia Visit

Goldseeker · February 02, 2014, 09:17:09 PM

A nice story PPH but how does one get onto the "invited guest list"?

drakesterling · February 02, 2014, 09:32:26 PM

Any chance you got a photograph of the proof 1930 penny?

Unicorn · February 02, 2014, 10:00:44 PM

A top article PPH. What a great opportunity. I reckon Robster bribed them with some nice bottles of red.

Robster · February 03, 2014, 03:08:39 AM

A wonderful experience and an even better article PPH. :good:

trout · February 03, 2014, 06:56:18 AM

Great article PPH, WELL worth the wait :blush:

Fulvio · February 03, 2014, 09:40:44 AM

Quote from: 'purplepennyhunter' pid='40907' dateline='1391332737'Art Gallery of South Australia Visit

Excellent article, and like everyone else, I'd love to see pics. Any idea why they won't allow you to share?

Oh, and typos:

1852 Adelaide ingot alongside and electrotype

Our thanks must go to the Peter Lane, the Art Gallery of South Australia for their time and efforts and the Numismatic Society of South Australia

I'd rewrite that last line too, maybe move NSSA to just after Peter Lane. :angel:

markn · February 03, 2014, 10:05:39 AM

Thanks Fulvio.

The AGSA allowed us to image anything we viewed but we were not allowed to publish those images. They required that any published images be taken by their in-house photographer. Seemed a bit odd because you can take images in the general viewing areas and publish them for non-commercial purposes. In any event, we're negotiating with them now to get some images of some of the more high profile items we saw. It won't happen quickly though so I am hesitant to talk about it given the kerfuffle the previous thread on this topic caused because we dared to take a few days to publish the report.

Fulvio · February 03, 2014, 10:30:18 AM

Quote from: 'markn' pid='40943' dateline='1391384139'I am hesitant to talk about it

Understood. I just find it deplorable that museums and galleries are more like prisons than displays nowadays. Things vanish into them never to be seen again.

As a kid, I'd wander around the Melbourne Museum a couple times a week after school before catching the bus outside. Even though I knew there was enough stuff in the vaults to fill a hundred museums (I actually got to go down there once, and it was breathtaking), there was plenty on show, and much to see and learn. Phar Lap and I got to be BFF's in fact.

I've been to the new museum once, and found it a complete waste of time and space, with maybe a tenth as much on display as the old one had, and it feels like one of those promo ads the TV networks run for their latest series of My Bullshit Drools or whatever. All repetitive glossy hype and not much apparent relevance. Did we really need a huge empty space wallpapered in life-size naked people, and a childbirth video going (strong stomachs required)? And Melbourne is not alone in this. Canberra and Sydney had the same feel to them... all about the spaces not the objects.

Your private viewing was nothing like that. It was about the artifacts, uncensored and unhyped. This is how everyone should be able to view collections. Never gonna happen, of course, but one can dream, no? :angel:

JeffH · February 03, 2014, 01:34:27 PM

What a wonderful experience for the lucky few.
Maybe they should organise monthly viewings (for a fee) and see how much interest there is in their hidden trove.

If they don't want (or are unable, for a variety of reasons) to put these items on display I would be happy to buy them at the purchase price plus a small markup. And I promise to put them somewhere available for the public to see them. Even if it is only an auction room. :diablo:
Seriously though, it is a shame that so many museums and galleries are sitting on so many good things that are never put on display.

purplepennyhunter · February 03, 2014, 02:46:06 PM

They are really not organised or stored in a way that precipitates viewing. Peter said in the 1970's a staffer thought it best to wrap a lot of the medallions in pvc and they have been ruined for good. Any storage needs to be run by Artlab but I'm not sure they have been consulted for items such as the 1930 penny and Adelaide ingot. I guess it costs and they haven't the budget or it's just too much paperwork. I just want to run in there and Saflip them all.

Goldseeker · February 03, 2014, 08:33:15 PM

It has me baffled when the RAM had on display some time ago the Quartermaster display and then someone went in and sold off the collection piece by piece.

Why didn't one of our multi millionaires, step in and buy the bloomin lot and leave it at the RAM or some other secure place for everyone to see.

I saw the collection whilst it was one display at the RAM and I was certainly impressed by it.