Lot 626: Shipping Plate. Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company. Unofficial Hobart Coat of Arms. J. Green, London. (Tasmania)

Repaired. (N/A). The Hobart coat of arms, officially granted in 1953, replaced an earlier unofficial crest used since the 1850s, which is the crest shown on this plate. The Latin motto "Sic fortis Hobartia crevit" translates to "thus in strength did Hobart grow". The design includes elements like a lion, a three-masted sailing ship, an emu, and a kangaroo, each with specific symbolic meanings related to the city's history and industry. Looks like two large chunks have been repaired to the right side, just the flat flange area, not encroaching on the bowl section itself. I would suggest roughly a 90 x 20-30 mm section has been repaired between 1 and 2 o'clock (underneath this looks to be about 70 x 30 mm). Then further around a second section of maybe similar dimension between 3 and 5 o'clock (underneath this is more like 100 x 30 mm). It is hard to tell from the face, a bit more defined underneath on certain angles, so those measurements won't be far off the mark. You can see the outer ornate design has been repainted as they haven't been able to match the extremely fine intricacies of this design, but they have done a mighty fine job of it. 45 mm hairline in from the rim at about 6 o'clock. Some fine scratches and minor marks. Superb item that is well restored. Anything from this company is highly sought after, we have never sold one of these before. Estimate: $100-150