In 1912, mandarins were scarce and a single mandarin could cost you 1 shilling, or $7.25 in 2023’s money. A lot, right? Well, that was the value placed on a mandarin orange that my Great Uncle Nicholas Robert Harris picked and pocketed while walking through the orchard of Josiah Stroud Partridge in Stirling North, South Australia.

In his defense Uncle Nick, then 46, claimed he was on Partridge’s property, along with his four dogs, looking for rabbits as he did regularly. He did not deny the charge but claimed he was doing good by destroying rabbits. But that did not help him, and he was fined 5 shillings plus 28 shillings in costs.

So, what was the total cost of the pocketed mandarin orange to Uncle Nick in today’s money? According to the excellent RBA inflation calculator, that 33 shillings in 1912 was the equivalent of $239.10 in 2023.

I’m hazarding a guess that from that time on, the orchard was overrun with rabbits as Uncle Nick and his dogs found less expensive places to hunt.

The full Police Court story is here on TROVE.