Token

Convicts sentenced to be transported to Australia often gave their loved ones tokens as keepsakes. These are also known as 'leaden hearts'. Typically tokens were made by rubbing a coin and then engraving or stippling pictures and personal messages onto the smooth surface. The tradition of giving love tokens originated with sailors who left tokens for their sweethearts.

This token was made using a 'cartwheel' penny coin. Low denomination coins were commonly used to manufacture tokens owing to their large size which allowed room for more elaborate designs. Copper coins were also ideal because the soft metal was easier to smooth and engrave.

On one side of this token is a representation of the convict, J. Bretton, in irons bidding farewell to the departing ship that transported him to Australia. On the reverse is an inscription to his sister in which he asks her to 'Remember me When far Away'. Prisoners were typically sentenced to transportation for periods of either seven or fourteen years. In practice this often meant a life sentence.

There is some evidence to suggest that tokens like this one were produced in numbers either by prison workshops or by visiting tradesmen. The convict and ship design on this token is very similar to another made for the family of a convict called Thomas Brownhill who was also transported in 1831.