Electroplated teaspoon with a gilt bowl and a threaded edge, engraved on top of the handle 'BLACK BALL LINE OF AUSTRALIAN PACKETS'.

The Liverpool Black Ball Line of Australian Packets was started by James Baines & Co. in 1852, to carry emigrants and cargo to Melbourne during the years of the Australian gold rush. The company's large clippers had a reputation for fast passages. After 1856, the line started a service to Queensland and ran a joint service with the British and Australian Steam Navigation Co. During the banking crisis of 1866 the Black Ball Line was forced to sell many of its ships. The houseflag of the line was a swallowtail with a large black ball, and both the company's name and the flag were derived from the earlier USA Black Ball Line.