Lottery barrel, marbles and case, maker unknown, used by Epping Starr-Bowkett Co-operative Building Societies, wood/steel, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1941

Lottery barrel is varnished wooden cylinder with steel axles at each end, small hinged trapdoor with two chrome sliding bolts for ensuring fastened shut, brass fitting allowing for use of a padlock.

The stand for barrel consists of robust wooden platform with pylon shaped black painted iron strips on which barrel axles sit.

Cabinet of varnished wood with a hinged door at front fastened on right side by two metal swing hooks, metal carrying handle on top. Sections for ten slide in trays inside cabinet.

Cabinet contains ten square wood trays, some with varnished wood sides and painted black inside base, others unpainted, all with 100 depressions for wooden marbles. Each marble has an individual impressed black number, ranging from 1 to 1000.

Maker unknown

Used for home loan lotteries conducted by the Epping Starr-Bowkett Building Societies between 1941and 1988.

Starr-Bowkett are terminating societies - each society has a limited number of subscribers, and is wound up when all of its capital is paid out. A new society is then formed for new subscribers.

Starr-Bowkett co-operative building societies orginated in England during the 1840s; the first Australian Starr-Bowkett society was formed in Sydney in 1868. Although a NSW Starr-Bowkett organisation exists, most societies are independently run - the oldes in NSW are the Newtown/Enmore societies, founded c.1900. The Epping societies were first formed in 1941.

Gift of United Starr-Bowkett Building Societies, 1

see parts

91/1144