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| Avram |
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The Grand Duchy of Avram is not a Duchy in the sense that one might initially conceive such an entity. It is not a land-based, physically identifiable entity, but rather an ethereal society of like-minded individuals who are located throughout the world and, presumably, linked by a common belief or understanding. The Duke of Avram is (usually) resident in Tasmania, Australia. His Grace, Prince John, (formerly known as John Charlton Rudge), The Grand Duke of Avram, Most Honorable Marquis of Martha, the Right Honorable Earl of Enoch, the Viscount Ulom, and possessor of too many other title to mention, got fed up with the Australian banking system. Being a man of noble titles, he issued a Royal Charter, creating the Royal Bank of Avram. How the Duchy came to be formed is of some conjecture. According to the web-site of the Duchy (http://www.grandduchy.org/) the name Avram is ‘qabalistic’. The web-site states: ‘Frequently, over the centuries, the Qabala has been lost and rediscovered. We find this with Avram; in still more remote ages, it disappears from sight of enquirers, but not from those who have inherited the most ancient of knowledge. Avram means “he who possesses, the basis of the world” and is sometimes a symbol of all that radiates from the sun. Avram is he who, having gone through many layers of differentiation, receives the pulsation of life, which transfigures that proliferation on a level with cosmic action. In simple words, the action of an Avram in his own, house has a cosmic significance.’ Prior to the establishment of the ‘Royal Bank of Avram’, the Duke had written a doctoral thesis for business administration entitled ‘How to Form and Operate Your Own Bank in Australia’. Exercising the knowledge he had gained, the Royal Bank of Avram was ‘founded’ by Royal Charter and Letters Patent dated 1 October 1980. (The authorities granting the Charter and the Letters Patent are unknown. Evidently the documents were taken by the Australian Police – see below – and never returned.) The Bank is almost as ethereal as the Duchy itself. There are no known directors of the Bank and it appears never to have produced an Annual Report (although as a private entity it need not produce an Annual Report if it pleases).
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The Royal Bank of Avram was also responsible for the issue of several sets of coins, which were issued as ‘Ducals’. (There are 100 ducals to the Avram.) In 1985 the issue of banknotes and coins came to the attention of the Australian Treasury, who decided to prosecute the Duke on behalf of the Government of Australia. The Duke was prosecuted under the Australian Banking Act of 1959, which states, amongst many other things, that:
While, on the face of it, the Duke and the Royal Bank of Avram would appear to have contravened these sections of the Banking Act, the Government was unable to successfully prosecute the Duke. In all, six court cases were brought against the Duke, and in each case the court found that there was no case to answer. Subsequent appeals by the Australian Government were also unsuccessful. The matter became a cause celebre in Tasmania and the Duke subsequently stood for the seat of Lyons in the Tasmanian Parliament and was duly elected. He later became the shadow Minister for Construction. Quite early in the history of the notes, in the 1980s, the exchange rate of the Avram was stated to be: 1 Avram = A$4.60. Currently, the exchange rate is calculated at: 1 Avram = US$10.00. (The US Dollar is currently equal to approximately A$2.00, so it would appear that the value of the Avram has increased in the last twenty years or, alternatively, the Australian Dollar has decreased in value.) The latest news from the Duchy is that the Avram is now linked to gold as a standard, after about fifteen years of being attached to the United States Dollar. There are currently thirty Avram to one ounce of gold. What this means to the Avram, only time will tell! |
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Further research and
investigating about Prince John of Grand Duchy of Avram is described below
by Mr. Erik V. McCrea.
It is one of several self-declared Australian micro-nations; based in Tasmania and founded on October 1, 1980 by Prince John, the Grand Duke of Avram: Prince John, formerly John Rudge, is an eminently well-rounded, keenly intellectual aristocrat (to borrow some of the terminology employed by Kit Kiefer in the April 1, 1986 issue of “World Coin News”). He has traced his family/forebears back to the 12th century. In his youth, he had been tutored/trained by a Bishop with the goal of becoming one; he later received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1978 and a Doctorate of Divinity in 1982. That same year, he was appointed the Cardinal, Archbishop of the Royal See of the Continent of Australia. He has also excelled in several secular fields, is highly educated and has extensive academic qualifications. He was a scientist, employed as a Managing Director of laboratories for the Mary-Ellen Mines Pty Ltd. (named after his first child) from 1969-86. His 1981 doctoral thesis for Business Administration and Civil Law was entitled “How to Form and Operate Your Own Bank in Australia”, which he implemented when he opened the Royal Bank of Avram (which offers all the bona-fide conventional banking services, and whose shop is very popular with tourists). The Australian government became furious with this venture, because they claimed he had broken their banking laws. They took legal action, which was instituted by the Treasurer and authorized in writing by the Cabinet. In March of 1985 the Federal Police, armed with warrants, raided his house (they broke down the door while he was showering!) and a branch office, seizing his privately printed banknotes and coins. They tried to close down the entire operation, but in December of 1986 the Court eventually dismissed all 6 cases (the government also lost when they appealed those decisions) at a cost of approximately 22 million to the taxpayers (compared to the Grand Duke's total cost of $175, and apart from the damage it caused to his reputation with the local population). They ruled that Avram's coins were not illegal in the Commonwealth. It was pointed out (in a December-January 2000/01 article in the “Australian Coin Review” and in the February 2001 issue of “Coin News”) that ironically, the Royal Bank of Avram “abbreviates to ‘R.B.A.’ — the same as that of the Reserve Bank of Australia.” Those expositions also claim that the Royal Bank, which has its own charter and directors, is not (and never was) owned by the Grand Duke. It is also important to emphasize that according to the Grand Duke, a bank is not necessarily “a building, but a group of people who hold a belief.” The Duchy is also a Qabalistic Order, established “in antiquity”, and Chivalric Orders/Decorations are offered to worthy Knights (supporters of the Royal House) who are “genuine and sincere seekers of The Truth.” It is the Grand Duke's conviction that the sacred self-transformation and evolution of one's nature/conduct/personality is meditatively possible, and that a person can ennoble oneself with the assistance of chivalry (one's knowledge of his/her own arms/emblem/blazon/shield/ensign/totem). To him, heraldry is the recognition of one's particularity; the attainment of one's true, higher self. In 1982, he purchased the remarkable Ormiston House in Strahan (he sold the historic mansion in 1995). In 1989, Prince John was elected as a member of the Tasmanian Parliament, representing the seat of Lyons. He was also Deputy Mayor of Sorell. He is currently a serving councillor for the Sorell Council. All of his incomparably gorgeous coins can be viewed at: http://www.heraldic.org/rba/html/coins.htm |
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Each coin has a coat of armorial bearings has been granted to the individuals concerned by Letters Patent. (Again, it is not clear who authorized the Letters Patent.). A coin set of 1,3,7,15,30 and 75 ducals have been produced in 1982, 1985, 1990, 2000 and 2005 each coin bears a different designs of Arms. 250 sets have been issued in each of these mentioned years. The 2005 set has the same designs as on 2000 set. The Royal Bank of Avram recently issued two spectacular multi-colored coins to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Bank: a 40mm 250 Grand Ducal, and a 34.5mm 150 Grand Ducal, both dated 2005. The also coins feature the Royal Arms and 250 pieces are minted for each. All these coins are made of Goldine plated Enameled metal with plain edge. |
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Denomination:
1
Ducal Year: 2000
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Denomination:
3
Ducal Year: 2000 |
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Denomination:
7
Ducal Year: 2000 |
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Denomination: 15
Ducal Year: 2000 |
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Denomination:
30
Ducal Year: 2000
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Denomination:
75
Ducal
Year: 2000 |
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| I purchased my 1,3,7,15,30 and 75 ducal with unreeded edge of enameled goldine-plated metal coins dated 2000 (Millennium Series) from Joel Anderson. Earlier coins of Duchy of Avram have been listed in Bruce's book "Unusual World Coins". | ||
| Micro-Nations | ||
| Chiefa Coins | ||