Historical artefacts to go under the hammer at Hobart auction house

An array of fascinating and highly coveted historical artefacts will be up for grabs at a Hobart auction house this week, including a sword believed to have been carried by a guard at Port Arthur.

Auctioneer Scott Seymour at Gowans Auctions in Moonah with some of the World War I artefacts that are up for auction. Picture: Linda Higginson

An original photo of the last known Tasmanian tiger and an extensive collection of items and memorabilia belonging to a Tasmanian World War I soldier are just some of the fascinating and highly coveted artefacts set to go under the hammer at a special auction in Hobart this week.

Gowans Auctions will hold a special antique, militaria and fine art auction from Wednesday, June 26, selling items on behalf of a range of private vendors.

An extensive collection of pottery, including Tasmanian items, is up for auction at Gowans Auctions at Moonah. Picture: Rob Inglis

Sure to attract significant interest from collectors, the auction will feature historic lots including a cutlass believed to have been carried by a guard at the Port Arthur penal settlement in the 1800s, a Japanese sword dating back to World War II, a pith helmet worn at Gallipoli by 2nd Lieutenant Stanley Perry, and a collection of predominantly Tasmanian pottery crafted by such luminaries as Violet Mace, John Campbell, and McHugh.

Gowans co-owner Tim Burt said one of the “perks” of his job was having the privilege of handling pieces of Tasmanian history and helping to “keep it circulating”.

Gowans Auction House Co-Owner and Auctioneer Tim Burt with a print of a Thylacine from the original photographer. Picture: Linda Higginson

“Hopefully, it stays in Tasmania, too, from the buyer’s perspective. Certain things obviously do go out of the state. But it’s obviously pretty important that Tasmania gets to keep a lot of its heritage in the state,” he said.

A photograph of the last male thylacine in captivity at Beaumaris Zoo, taken by Hobart photographer Benjamin Sheppard, will be up for grabs, stamped by the photographer himself.

Mr Burt said this was significant because it proved that “it’s been done by the man himself”.

Perhaps the most striking component of the auction is a collection dedicated to a single Tasmanian soldier who served in the First World War. In a cabinet topped with a portrait of the man is housed a wealth of his own personal material: war medals, two-up pennies, photo albums, diaries, letters, his razor and pocket watch, and much more.

A collection of World War I artefacts, which are up for auction at Gowans Auctions in Moonah. Picture: Linda Higginson

Gowans auctioneer Scott Seymour said the collection represented “this man’s life”.

“I’ve done a lot of volunteer work up at the Army Museum [of Tasmania] and I don’t think even they’ve got a collection that big dedicated to one soldier,” he said.

Mr Seymour said the auction house had recently seen an influx of older collectors wanting to sell some of their items.

A helmet from World War I is one of the items up for auction at Gowans in Moonah. Picture: Linda Higginson

“It seems to be that lately we’ve had a lot of people who have been collectors all their life and they’re getting elderly now … and a lot of their kids and family aren’t interested in history,” he said.

“They want to sell it because if they pass away and it’s left to the kids, they’re not going to know the worth.”

On-site inspections open on Wednesday at 9am and can be arranged by appointment. Online absentee bids can also be made at gowansauctions.com.au.