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Queensland Jewellers - J Hendry Grice, Brisbane

Joseph Hendry Grice, Brisbane 
(working from c.1900 to c.1920)

Joseph Hendry Grice was born in Brisbane in 1877 and opened his own store in Queen Street on Aug 5th 1907. He had previously been in a partnership Swift & Grice and had a store in the Valley (from around 1902). He was active in the Brisbane Municipal Band. He cleared most of his stock in 1917 to move to smaller premises in the basement of the same address. By 1920 the business was still trading under his name in Adelaide Street, but was now owned by Mr Bishop when a large amount of jewellery (1000 pounds worth!) was stolen in a robbery. The name appears to have been changed to the well known Wallace Bishop by 1922. In the 1920s Grice was the mayor of Southport.

Opening advertisement 1907


In both the partnership Swift & Grice and as a sole trader, Grice donated a number of trophies and gold medals for various sporting events including swimming, skating and cricket.

Show below is a gold fob with the only example of his maker's mark we've been able to find. It is stamped '9ct' and 'Grice'. The medal itself was awarded for a cricket season in 1911-12, probably the Harrisville Cricket Association, a small town south-west of Brisbane.





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