Yvonne Wilson of Alexandra Hills has supplied the following information:
‘At the Soho Mint, James Watt and Matthew Boulton used their steam powered coin presses to make twopence coins. These 2d coins weigh exactly 2 ounces (56g) making them the heaviest British coins for ordinary circulation. 722,160 were minted, all bearing the 1797 date. The obverse reads GEORGIUS III * D:G * REX and the reverse BRITANNIA 1797. The large size of the coins, combined with the thick rim led the coins being nicknamed cartwheels.
‘This particular Cartwheel was found washed up on Amity Point beach (Stradbroke Island) whilst landing a small boat back in the 1970’s. The location was not far from the site of the old Racecourse which has long since disappeared through erosion and inundation. After a quick rinse in Coca-Cola it spent 40 years in a coin purse as a “lucky’ coin before being put on display here.’
Moreton Bay History 