GSQ BlogConvict Love TokenConvict Love Tokens – Inscriptions from the Heart.

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Convict Love Tokens – Inscriptions from the Heart. — 6 Comments

  1. Annalise, Thoroughly enjoyed your blog. I had never heard of convict love tokens. However I certainly can envisage the joy of receiving one and keeping it close while a loved one endured a harsh sentence across an ocean. How wonderful for Paul to be the owner of one.

    • Thank you Gayle, aren’t they just amazing tokens of past times? So incredible to think that people engraved these while in prison, or at sea maybe, and while doing so all the time wondering will they ever see their loved one(s) again. Brings a tear to the eye.

  2. This was a great read and very timely, Annalise. By coincidence I have just finished reading The Tin Ticket written by Deborah J Swiss which follows the lives of several female convicts to van Diemens Land. There was mention of convict love tokens in the book and, I admit, I’d not heard of them before either.

    • That sounds like an interesting book Robyn, is it a non-fiction? I must look that one up. There were a few love tokens inscribed by females, in fact one of the author’s (Michele Field) favourite tokens was done by a young girl who they knew only as “E.A”. She inscribed her cottage and her dog on a love token for her father – one side read “This Was Once My Cotage of peace” and the other side said “Going out of her cotage for life”. So sad.

  3. Annalies, speaking as Bobbie Edes now; from the moment I first saw your heading the story had me intrigued. Thank you so much for thinking of doing this as one of our GSQ Guest Bloggers, I certainly hadn’t heard of convict love tokens but after researching them realise the beautiful story behind them and wasn’t surprised to see they are very valuable items these days.

    • Thanks Bobbie – it’s always like I’ve left an essay until the last hour when I get your email for a blog LOL! Yet I never want to write something that doesn’t interest others – so I am just thankful that this story came to mind. I’m also thankful that it has stirred in me the keeness to know more about these tokens. I do recommend reading the book by Michele Field and Timothy Millet – the history behind these love tokens goes further back than our colonial convict days – and it’s so interesting. In trying to purchase one however, I think I might have to be happy with a replica from Ebay because they are far too much for a GSQ Blogger 😀

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