In the 1930s, gold production was at an all time low and the gold price had risen so much that the value of the gold in a sovereign was worth more than its £1 token value. Britain came off the gold standard and sovereigns were no longer minted. This left the Perth Mint operating solely as a refinery; coining operations were at a standstill. The Commonwealth Treasury regarded Perth as too far from the centres of population in the east for it to be given any Australian currency to mint. The Deputy Master (the equivalent of the CEO today), H A Corbet realised that the Mint could help the thousands of prospectors who were driven by unemployment to try their luck. He published Hints to Prospectors and Owners of Treatment Plants in 1933. This was popular all over Australia and grew in size and scope through its ten editions.
