Original pedestrian entrance gate

The smaller arched gate was the pedestrian entrance to the Mint, used by workers and visitors arriving on foot. The front step shows considerable wear from all the foot traffic over the past 125 years.

The black letterbox hanging on the wrought iron gate received more than just correspondence - some trusting sellers casually dropped their gold off in the letterbox - a practice long abandoned!

In earlier days it was common for prospectors to post gold to the Mint. After completing a form at the Post Office, they sent a telegraph to the Mint who arranged insurance. Packaging was often basic - gold arrived in calico bags or even just wrapped in a piece of paper - with the Mint's address scrawled on the front.